College is important, but some are still stressing more than others

Dear my fellow seniors; I know some of you are flying high on acceptances. Some of you are dying of fright and dejection. Others are ambivalent, neither here nor there. This is a stressful time for most of us, with early application results coming in and regular applications due imminently. Our emotions are rampant.

We are in the heart of the college process and it makes sense that we want to talk about it all the frickin time. BUT. SOME OF US DON’T.

I am so proud of all of my peers who are excited and hearing good news. It’s an honor to get to work with you in and out of class and hear about your successes. BUT.  DON’T WANT TO TALK ANYMORE.

Several of my peers and I have not heard back yet and still have a long road ahead in terms of applications.

The constant chatter of college becomes grating and stressful really quickly. It can be hard to refrain from spreading your joy, but I think it is necessary to be a little more conscious about your peers and their individual college journey.

College counselors Britten Nelson and Kelly Harrington are both fabulous, and I am confident that every student will succeed in the end, but that doesn’t make the process any less scary for some of us.

It is challenging because as a class, we are in widely different places. We are made up of students who have already been admitted to their top schools and know exactly where they are going to school next year, while others of us haven’t the faintest clue what their future holds. We have people who finished all of their applications weeks ago, while others of us have barely made a dent in the work ahead of us.

Some of my peers will spend winter break finishing apps that should have been done ages ago instead of enjoying the freedom.  

I’m not ready to be excited/distraught yet. Don’t let this hinder your joy or misery. Please, feel what you have to feel as deeply as you possibly can. But, please watch out for your fellow seniors, and consider cutting down on some of the incessant college talk.

By Yoela Zimberoff