I’ve worked so hard but I just got rejected.

Sure, it’s disappointing, says our elder. But you’ll be drawn into university life wherever you go: make the most of it!

 

Dear EWC

Hello there, wise ones! I have a problem, I’m 18 and have worked super extra hard to get into Princeton University since I was nine if you can believe it. Everything I’ve ever done academically was to go to Princeton and I almost killed myself every school year worrying about it. Well, I got my letter back and they rejected me! I’m so devastated, I’ve been crying for the past two days, I can’t believe it! After all the hard work I had to do! What do I do now? I dedicated my whole life to this school. What should I do?

 

Ketchman replies

I’m so sorry to hear of your disappointing news. I can only imagine the letdown you must feel after working so long and hard toward that objective.

As someone who has had his share of disappointments (more than his share – if you ask me) what I can tell you is that it’s not the end of your world. You’ve got many years ahead of you full of potential for great experiences, astounding discoveries, and yes, maybe a disappointment or two – but that’s alright. The lows you’ll experience make the highs ever so much better. Kind of like a rollercoaster that at its bottom gathers the energy to climb the heights.

Granted, you’ve worked very hard, for a long time, on this objective but, had you achieved it that would have taken up only four or five years of your life. What about the remaining 60 or 70 years? Have you given any thought to what you might want to do post university?  In my opinion, attending a university has a three fold purpose; to help you grow into a happily contributing citizen of the world, to introduce you to new and exciting perspectives, and to prepare you for whatever personal and professional paths you might want to explore with your diploma. All those objectives are still available to you and are as achievable as they ever were.

I’m pretty sure that after arriving at whatever university you do attend you’ll soon be drawn and absorbed into university life – the new friends, experiences, discoveries, and the revelation of new worlds waiting to be explored. None of those things will be affected, in the least, by the school name on your tee shirt. There’s no doubt about it, Princeton is one of the world’s great universities – but “universities” is a plural word. There are many great universities and, when you get to the bottom line, what makes any university great is what you, the student, gets out of your attendance there.

I hope I’ve offered you some hope. You’re young, intelligent, and at the brink of some great discoveries and adventures. Get on with your life and make the most out of every bit of it. Make Princeton’s loss the gain of a more deserving institution. Thank you for giving me a chance to help. I hope I have.

Article #: 471645

Category: School