Fun Fact about Aleena: She dressed just like Edgar Allan Poe on the last day of 10th grade and made a morbid "graduation speech"
Moving Forward
April 17, 2006
I finally understand all the former seniors now. I understand... no, I feel the amazing stress and doubt that they felt last year. Are we going to make it anywhere? What are our lives going to look like in a year? Are our dreams going to come true finally?
I have learned so many things this year, and, to be quite frank, most of them were not academic. Oh, sure, I learned about the process Congress goes through to pass a bill and how to write a 25-page research paper. I will not discount the merits of any of these things. But I have learned reality.
Most likely this year was the year I did the most mature, philosophical thinking of my life, and I have evolved greatly in mind. Life isn't a mere game. It is strategy. For example, how do I shed light on my extracurriculars in such a way that they seem important to me and superb achievements to the admissions committee? And, despite your best efforts, a strategy doesn't always play out as you might think it will because of so many unknown variables in the process. That is what has happened to me.
I did not get into the college of my dreams. But that does not mean anything bad. My life goes on. My dreams are not ruined. It just means I have to work harder to get to where I want to be. That's the resolution I have made. I've thought about whether or not I might want to transfer after a year... but that depends on my grades, the unknown variables once again, and ultimately me. I haven't even started my freshman year yet, so how could I possibly already hate the experience, even if the school was not my first choice. I may end up loving it in the end and decide to not even attempt a transfer for that reason.
I have many friends who are bitter about the process. "Oh, it doesn't matter, I'm going to an okay college anyway," they say (in an astringent tone, I might add). They are not looking beyond the statistics, the rankings, and their own pride. The college you go to probably carries some weight in the job market, but honestly, I think your ability to implement what you have learned in school is what counts. The name Harvard or Princeton on your diploma may help open some doors, but it's what you do once you walk through the door that counts... and going to a smaller, lesser known university does not mean you don't have what it takes to succeed.
You underclassmen out there probably will not be able to take this to heart right now. I know that I did not even though so many of the former seniors said the same thing to me. But, now that I've gone through the process, what they said has helped and their words have comforted me. And, as this is my last essay to you, I hope it will later comfort you as well. Don't worry, you will graduate and go to a university. After all, aren't I doing the same thing?