Coping with depression caused by the college selection process...

history_mom
Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:46:35 +0000

It’s hard to be disappointed. And as many have said, the numbers associated with the admissions process were crazy. I was at Tufts on Saturday, and they said that of all their candidates, 80% were qualified, but they can only take 25%.

So to some degree, you are a victim of numbers. A smart person once told me that depression and anger can be emotions that are very close together. It’s fair to be angry - you tried to play by all the rules, do all the right things, and you didn’t get the reward you thought you might get.

But, this whole process is about finding a college. So here’s some things to do to help looking towards the future.

Go hit your new school’s web site, and take a look at the college catalog. Find some classes that might be interesting for the fall. Before school gets out, go online and chat with current students about some of the classes and activities they like. Take a look at some of the activities. What appeals to you?

Start thinking about the upside - you are off to college, new people, new ideas, new activities. Exactly what you wanted? Maybe not. But interesting - certainly.

On the day to day, this is a blow, but it won’t end up defining who you are. It’s a shock, but you’ll get over it. Soon you’ll be so engaged in new things, it won’t matter. In the mean time, hang out with friends, get some exercise, have some ice cream.

Don’t worry about the folks that are giving you a hard time for feeling bad. But when you can, start looking forward, not backward.

Best of luck