Time To Reflect

What is the college selection process like? 

Reflect back on the time during the process. You have picked up several important skills that will help you succeed in life. You’ve learnt to market yourself through your application. When you step into the working world, knowing how to market yourself effectively can often mean the difference between securing a multi-million dollar contract and seeing it being taken up by your competitor.

The college selection process has a lot in common with finding a boyfriend or a girlfriend. It’s easy to fall in love and a rejection can seem like the end of the world. But soon enough, the reality dawns that there are others who could be just as good as the one who got away.

If you’ve experienced disappointment, think again about the colleges where you did get in. Chances are, they’ll offer just as many interesting courses and world-class professors. A world of opportunity will unfold no matter where you end up. If you’ve picked your list of colleges wisely, you WILL end up in a great university come April.

There’s a saying that it’s not which colleges accept you; it’s how you make the most out of the college you attend that matters. It’s true. The real value of college lies in what it does for you as a person – in expanding your horizons, challenging your beliefs, honing your skills and exploring you to the broadest possible cross section of people and ideas.

Take a gap year

Some students that are waiting to hear whether they have been accepted, or not, can request to defer the admission for a year to escape stress, to volunteer, do public service jobs, and mature. Essentially they are asking for a gap year.

A gap year (also known as year abroad, year out, year off, deferred year, bridging year, overseas experience, time off and time out) is a term that refers to a prolonged period (often, but not always, a year) between a life stage. The most popular gap years are taken pre or during matriculation in a university or college, between college and graduate school and a profession, during a career change, pre or post marriage or having a first child and pre or post retirement.

Charles Deacon, Georgetown's admissions director, said: "Students have to have a plan that we approve of. Mostly it's for some type of cultural enhancement."

You have four of the most exciting and rewarding years of your life just ahead. Wouldn’t it make sense to make the most of them?

------------------------------