Thinking positive for college admissions

December is often the toughest of months for Hewlett High School students to persevere through. With teachers finishing up content just in time to test before the vacation break, students oftentimes feel the pressure in those final weeks before the holidays. The pressure is at an all-time high for seniors, especially, as they spend those few weeks awaiting their Early Action and Early Decision notifications from the colleges they applied to.

While most are unlucky in hearing back from their dream schools with positive news, Hewlett High did have a few students whose hard work and dedication to their academics and future education were rewarded with acceptances to universities such as Duke, Michigan, Penn, Princeton, Ohio, Tulane and Wisconsin, to name a few. For those who were not as fortunate to receive acceptances, it can be a tough reality to come to terms with.

The best advice that I received during this extremely tough process was to remain confident in your abilities without letting your sense of self be altered by responses from various colleges or universities. Surely, this is easier said than done. However, with the coming new year ahead, full of exciting opportunities and possibilities to make changes, there is no better time to work on a new year’s resolution such as this one.

While making new year’s resolutions this year, students should keep in mind that a positive attitude can’t hurt you in any way. I recommend that you keep my suggestion in mind in order to bring yourself towards a brighter, more auspicious new year. And, keep in mind that no amount of success is defined by the higher institution of learning that you will call home for the next four years.

So, enjoy the amazing opportunities that high school has to offer while you can, and take a deep breath — then realize that everything truly will turn out the way it is supposed to. Keep your positive attitude in check in order to make this grueling process significantly easier.