Satisfied yet anxious - my perspective

Engineerjw
Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:20:48 +0000

Well, I did not apply to Princeton. I am a minor legacy from my father; my numbers are in the lower echelon of the former class anyway. For the longest time I was in love with Princeton, but I did not apply (my father actually discouraged me - only partially for the money). It is unnerving to realize that I will never know if I would get in. Going to a school like Princeton is completely life altering compared to where I am going, UF. A lot of you reading this must think I am silly for not taking full advantage of the famed legacy I hold, no?

In the end I will never ever know if I would get into Princeton. If I had applied and I were to get in, I am not even sure that I would attend. Life is strange and the perspective of decisions after you make them.

Perhaps in many years I will regret not applying based on a few decisions I made in high school. Perhaps it will not matter because I will go for grad school, or better yet, maybe I will be as successful as the typical Princeton grad. Either way, I will not be a tiger, but a gator.

After my long obsession over the top schools, especially Princeton the contagious Princeton quirks, I feel alright not applying. I feel fine.

If you are a junior reading this planning to apply to Princeton, or any elite school, I encourage you to do it. I sound crazy to you being content with going to state school. I was in your shoes - all you want is to gain admission somewhere respectable. Those top schools are the only ones to go to! You must think that I am not like you…guess what: Chances are you will not get into your dream school. You may get into a top school, and I congratulate you. I know how some of you must feel. When I first stumbled upon this site, I was in awe. I could not believe my eyes that getting into Harvard looked so easy! The magical formula to everything; esoteric knowledge I could use to gain admittance and wear that sweatshirt with a smile while my peers envied me with awe. Well, once you are in college, that high school novelty wears off.

I urge you, do not let the school you attend be your label for success. I mainly wanted to go to the tier one schools to try to break into investment banking or just to have pride. While it is true that some jobs are truly affected by "target’ schools, it is not the end of the world if you do not make that cut. Let alone that those jobs are not necessarily enjoyable. A lot of it I believe is simply to be able to go to the school, live the dream, lead a normal life, but have the pride of attending a jaw-dropping top school for pride, which is fine. If my long-scrutinized applicant statistics were a little better maybe I would go out of state, even as a happier person, maybe not.

Do not let your university dictate you; success matters upon the person, so if you are crushed when your decisions comes, or if you realize your family cannot afford to send you to your favorite school, do not worry. Michael Dell went to a state school in Texas yet did not even graduate. Warren Buffett went to Nebraska-Lincoln, then Columbia. Steve Jobs barely had any post-secondary schooling. I could name many more. It is true that a large amount of successes attended the top schools, but they are only the ones in the spotlight. Look around and you will notice the number of successes with non-Ivy educations. I know what you are thinking “Times are different now, Engineerjw. Nowadays that Ivy tag is more important! And even harder to gain!” Slightly true, but the school you attend is not a limit.

I am going to the University of Florida, but, other than a few select jobs in the Northeast, I am not handicapped. Compared to my peers I will be strong. I will graduate with little debt, too.

So please, for the sake of your own health, try to live life to the fullest. You are already a step ahead by looking at this website, and if you are the average student compared to the elite posters, you are not stupid, but different; that is, rather, waiting to bloom.

Thank you.