The day I got into Stanford was one of the best days of my life. And no, this is not an exaggeration. Since eighth grade, most of my concerns were college-related. From internships to tutoring to Advanced Placement classes, I worked myself to the bone to achieve my goal: acceptance into a top college. For all those years, it was the only thing on my mind, and the only thing that mattered to me.
I opened my acceptance letter in an In-N-Out parking lot. We were there because I was in a horrible mood. Why? Because the whole day, I figured that I was about to get rejected from my dream school. So, my parents took me to In-N-Out to make me feel better, since, as much as they believed in me, they knew that the less than 4% acceptance rate would be tough to beat. Suddenly, a “Status Update” email came into my inbox. My heart sank as I read that my application decision was ready to view. I prepared myself for the worst; while clicking on the link to my status portal, I told myself that I had lots of good options already and that I’d be happy wherever I end up. Shaking and already half in tears, I opened my decision and — to my complete and utter surprise — confetti streamed down my phone screen.
All my hard work had finally paid off. I was crying. My mom was crying. Even my dad was crying (and I’ve only seen him tear up a few times). I couldn’t believe my luck: the college application process was finally over for me, and I was headed to my dream university.
I’m currently a freshman, and Stanford has been everything I had been hoping it would be. The campus is beautiful, the weather is lovely (most of the time, though Winter Quarter has proved to be freezing cold; but I’m from SoCal, so take that with a grain of salt) and the people are incredible. Everyone is so intelligent and talented and kind, and everyday I am grateful to be here. With this in mind, I don’t regret much about the way I went about college apps, but in all honesty, there are a few things I really wish I did differently.
My parents, especially my mom, thought that I was pushing myself way too hard throughout high school. She was especially concerned by how sick I was throughout high school, since it seemed like I could step outside in 70 degree weather for five minutes and get sick if I wasn’t bundled up (yeah, that bad). I think the reason for this was related to a combination of little sleep and lots of stress. Getting sick all the time was the worst; it felt like I was constantly dealing with a sore throat or stuffy nose.
My mom and dad grew pretty concerned, and looking back, they definitely had a right to be. Even though I’m glad I put in the work, I should’ve taken better care of my health. Maybe if I prioritized myself a little more, I might’ve also avoided years worth of terrible sleep deprivation, which, again, greatly contributed to my poor immune system.
But most of all, I wish I didn’t stress so much after college apps were submitted. Those extra worries didn’t impact my admission results in the slightest; all the overthinking, the frantic phone calls made to friends and the agony from not knowing were definitely not necessary.
Part of me wonders why I only realized all of this now that high school is over. But everything I was doing — overworking myself and adopting unhealthy habits along the way — was expected of me. While my parents were great about letting me work without constantly pressuring me to be academically exceptional, I had very high standards for myself. This is definitely still the case, but in high school, pushing myself to the limit was fairly standard. My friends — also high achieving — thought the same way and only encouraged my unhealthy mindset.
Now that I am at Stanford, I am working hard to maintain a work-life balance that I began during Fall quarter. Of course, I am still working hard, but I’m trying to be more mindful of what I put on my plate and really listen to my body. After all, it’s impossible to be truly successful without taking care of yourself. My advice to anyone reading who’s waiting on college decisions: prioritize your health. You’ll be happy wherever you go, and if a school is truly meant to be, it’ll be.