| When I studied educational psychology we discussed the differences between students who are motivated by "learning goals" and those who are motivated by "performance goals". Unfortunately, in the race to get into college, a lot of students, such as yourself, who are naturally motivated by the learning process iself, become caught up in the pursuit of a specific "performance goal" - in this case admission to a prize college.
As my dear grandmother-in-law used to say, enjoy your tears. Give yourself permission to vent about how ridiculous the whole process is, and how unhappy you are with the results - because it is a ridiculous process, and you are disappointed! Then, when you are all done with that, please remember what the ed. psychologists say about students who are motivated by learning goals: they are more resilient in the face of academic challenges, and ultimately, do better in school and in life. Learning is truly its own reward. |