"My College Roomate: Adolf" by Junie B. Jones

Adolf? Yeah, we roomed together back in college. He was an alright guy—except for all the talk about world domination. It got a little old. He had all these maps hung up with thumb tacks to plan out his “strategy”. He would be up for hours trying to “perfect” his strategy. I thought it was some quirky assignment for a class of his or a game he played with some friends, like Risk or Battleship. I had no idea he was planning actual world domination.

He always seemed so innocent and sweet. He would bring breakfast on Saturday mornings after he went on a run. He even helped me out with my Literature class! We’d read Shakespeare plays and act them out, but he promised me to never tell people so that they wouldn’t think he was any less tough. He played a really good Hamlet… retrospectively it’s probably because he had so much hidden angst though!

He had even written a book about his plans—he gave me a signed copy, but I just use it now as a glorified coaster.

As far as roommates go, I can’t complain. He was pretty clean and pragmatic—a lot of people liked him. He had lots of friends who would go to him for advice. He was your classic “confidant”—a modern day Jane Eyre. He did, however, treat some people pretty awful. I only saw it a few times when we were out walking around the streets and would see people from another country that wasn’t European. Now that I think of it, he was pretty wishy-washy… he must have been a Gemini!

Adolf turned out to be a tough guy. He caused a lot of pain and destruction. His innocent, sweet childish ways were all a mask to his true, evil ways. I wish I had seen the signs, but he always had been so sweet to me. Then again I am light-haired with blue eyes…

"Hogwarts* (Midnight Writing)" by Percival Brendan Noble the Third

*Note: The name of the university in this essay has been changed. The writer didn't actually apply to Hogwarts.

Writing is a very time-specific thing, isn't it? If I wrote this 6 hours ago, it would've probably sounded different. Not that I am ever going to know because this is another subject that will be discussed on another day. I avoided that tangent very smoothly. Kudos to me.

I didn't get accepted to Hogwarts.

It hasn't gotten to me. With its acceptance rates in the single digits, I wasn't surprised. I don't know if I'm ready to completely push the school from my mind though. There's always going to be a Hogwarts t-shirt hanging in my closet that I'm never going to be able to wear ever again. I haven’t worn it since some inexplicit time in June. I've steered clear of all college t-shirts in general. It just seemed too presumptuous and jinxing.

The Dean of Admissions was very kind in the wording. They weren't able to offer me admission. It seemed to take the responsibility away from me. And I really appreciate that, especially given the extra load of responsibility life has decided to dump on me. The Dean attached an article that he wrote for the Los Angeles Times. He had three main points. I honestly do believe that the article squashed any notions of self-pity before they even emerged.

First, I didn't not get in because I wasn't good enough. I might have been among the applicants who met the demands of a Hogwarts education. But, it was just a matter of how many people Hogwarts could actually accept. Hogwarts's graduating class size is 1700, but they have about 40000 applicants every year. According to my calculations, that's an acceptance rate of about 4.25%. That doesn't even round to 10. Second, transitioning from high school to college is a monumental turning point. Instead of focusing on where that happens, everyone, including myself, needs to focus on how it happens. If I spend the next four years lamenting on how I’m not at Hogwarts, I’ve wasted them. And third, "Education is what the student makes of it." [Insert proper citation that I simply cannot do at this late hour of 1 AM somewhere in this vicinity]. I may not have been granted admission, but that doesn't mean my chances of ever joining the Hogwarts family are over. I might just end up there someday doing who knows what. Or I might never go there. But, regardless of where I end up, my life will still be fulfilling.

I am disappointed that I won't be able to go there for my undergraduate years. I've always been able to see myself flourishing there. But, I'm not bothered by it, and I'm not going to let me be bothered by it. I'm not going to be broadcasting this news over social media, but I am definitely going to tell some of my close(r) friends. One could say that I am much more terrified of upcoming Christmas gatherings. And please no hugs. Hugs are reserved for extremely happy moments or bawling-my-eyes-out-in-sadness moments. This moment is neither of those two.

As you can probably tell, this post was just my progression of thought at 1 AM, as are all my other writings that are personal and about me. I seemed to have taken this first college letter quite well, and I hope my reactions stay this way.

Good night.