Today I had a student get the acceptance letter of his dreams, another, a crushing denial. All over the country, seniors are learning the results of their college applications. This period lasts well into April and may be full of acceptances, denials, or waitlists. Seniors riding this dizzy emotional rollercoaster should remember a few important facts.

Regardless of the decision – who you were this morning hasn’t changed by the result of an admissions committee in some remote college. You are the same person you were and will continue to be – a person who is hopefully looking to learn, to improve, to grow. A person who still has manners, says “please” and “thank you,” who holds the door open for the person behind you. If a college has denied you, you are no less of a learner or an athlete. Your contributions to the future will be just a great as they were this morning. If your dream, reach school has decided to take a chance on you, pat yourself on the back for the hard work you have put in so far, and take a deep breath, because you still have much work to do. You aren’t any better a person than you were when you poured the milk into your cereal, ignorant of the good news to come. A “waitlist” decision means you’d be great for their school but they didn’t have enough spots yet – so you’ll need to wait and see if they have room in a month or so. Let them know if you still want to keep that option open, but look toward the other options as well. And life goes on. An admissions decision is neither validation for the worth of your character nor a condemnation that you are valueless. It’s about the fit and the dynamic the admissions crew sought to generate for their next incoming freshman class. If you fit that mix, you earned yourself a spot, if you didn’t, then you probably would not have been happy at that school. For those still waiting for positive news, the one thing you need to hold onto is if you want to go to college, then you will – there is no shame in a community college as a start, not to mention the financial burden it relieves for your family.

And for those of you who have next year all set – you know your plans and you’ve made your decisions, remember that you are still accountable for finishing the year honorably. By the end of June, we will be sending colleges your final transcript and if your grades are significantly lower than the ones you had sent them earlier in the year, then you may find yourself cordially disinvited to that college. Don’t think it ain’t so; this is not an urban legend. So, yeah – it’s nice to know that you’ve done the hard part, and make the time as the year winds up to enjoy yourself – but enjoy your classes, enjoy your teachers. Without the pressure to do well, you might just find that you are enjoying what you’re learning and you do well nonetheless. Breath deeply, smell the roses, honor your commitments and stay true to the person you were when you started your journey a year ago.