Our first college decisions have started to arrive! This is an exciting process. I mean, all that waiting is finally over! At least, that's what we thought. Some of us open our decisions, our hearts beating like crazy, and what'd'ya know... we've been placed on the waitlist. A deluge of emotions start to wash over us. Relief, disappointment, and lastly, disbelief. We have to wait another two to three months for our final results?! Oh, heck no. But alas, this is our fate. But then, what can we do about this bubble called the waitlist? Is there anything we can do about it?

Well, first...

Express your interest in the school

Send an email to your regional admissions officer of the school(s) you've been waitlisted at. Make it heartfelt, but don't go overboard. Write about why you want to go to said college, program, or whatever. Basically, write a "Why This School" essay and send it.

Then...

Send updates

Keep in contact with your admissions officer. Whenever you get an A in something, receive a type of award... it's time to send an email. Don't become a pest though. You don't want your admissions officer thinking you're annoying, which gives him/her a reason to reject you in the end.

And finally...

Pretend it's a rejection and move on

Truth be told, getting off the waitlist is... difficult. Don't be overly optimistic and think that you have a great chance of getting in. Focus on your other schools instead. If you eventually get rejected, oh well. You've already moved on, so it won't matter for you anymore. And if you get accepted. Whoop! An awesome surprise just for you!


-Barista Mia-

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We honestly can’t help counting down the days until our college admission decisions are released. I’ve written a couple other college admissions-related posts a few months ago, and I think it is now high time to write a new one. This time, on how to wait for those horrifying impending decisions on March 22, March 27, April 1... all those random dates that are less than two months away *insert panicked emoticon here*.

Don’t spend too much time browsing on the Internet

I am aware that the Internet is a major part of everybody’s leisure time, but when you’re waiting for decisions from your schools, it is a pretty bad idea. Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself on your dream college’s website ('cause you have a need to stalk the school), a prospie forum ('cause fellow prospies are your allies and you must talk to them about everything you're feeling), an application status check site ('cause it might give you a clue as to whether your file's been read or not), the Common App (‘cause you need to reread your essay for the hundredth time although it’s already been sent), or some other site that will only heighten your anxiety. Not good.

Set another goal to accomplish before decisions are out

This is the tip that is getting me going on with my life at the moment. My goal, which I am not going to tell you, is what I’m setting my sights on. I’ve set a deadline for it at March 20 (when my first college decision comes out) and I’m working my hardest to accomplish it. This is a much more productive way to spend your waiting time than just crying on your bed, shuddering as you think about D-Day.

Forget about college

Yeah, I know. Easier said than done. After all, it seems our lives are now revolving around the single decision of all the colleges we applied to. But just try to forget about those incoming decisions. Focus on your studies, having fun, and making the most of your senior year instead of woefully asking about your chances at your dream college on College Confidential.

-Barista Mia-

Image: Steve Slater

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It's devastating to open up a letter with hope swelling up your chest only to find a rejection letter waiting for you on the other side of the screen from your dream school. Yikes. I got my early decision rejection a couple days ago and, thankfully, I was not devastated. Disappointed, for sure, but not sad or devastated. I've been dreaming about this school for years, but I was okay. Many of my friends cried, on the other hand, and had an extremely bad day when the rejections came along. And many of them decided, "OMG I FREAKING HATE THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" As for me, when my rejection letter came, I just shrugged and said, "Oh well. Moving on." I think my attitude to my rejection had a lot to do with preparing myself mentally. I know that none of you want to get so hung up on a school that you become depressed if you get a rejection, so I'm going to give y'all tips on how to handle college rejection letters. ESPECIALLY from your dream school.

Know that the college admissions process is crazy subjective

Yeah. It's not all numbers and facts. The admissions officers also read essays, recommendations, and other stuff that cannot be measured in numbers. Some people will like you, some people will not. Fact of life. People naturally end up judging. And guess what? Admissions officers are people too. Judging through their own opinions about you is inevitable. A rejection is by no means a reflection of your SAT scores or grades at school.

Know that there is another school out there that you will be happy at

*enter dream school here* is NOT the only school in the entire world that you would be happy at. Yes, it's true. There are thousands of school in America alone and *enter dream school here* is definitely NOT the only one that can satisfy you. Honestly. When I started looking closely at the other schools I will be applying to, at least two of them have really caught my eye.

Research other colleges before your letter arrives

Instead of wasting your time daydreaming about your school or watching YouTube videos about your school (seriously bad idea. Do NOT even attempt this idiotic move. It's tempting, but just don't.), look at the other colleges in your list. Keep the school outta your mind.

Hopefully, my three tips will help you, y'know, not freak out so much if you get your rejection letter. IF, I SAID. IF! *ahem* Oh, right. And one last thing before you go...

Reward yourself

I don't care whether you got a rejection letter or not, freaking reward yourself after opening your letter. Celebrate your rejection! Yay! Having an attitude like this will seriously help. And no, I am not joking. Have a rejection party, go out to eat at your favorite restaurant, buy that coat you were meaning to buy for your acceptance gift. Whoop!


-Barista Mia-

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Yeah, I know. The results are out waaaay later in the future, but it's not too early to prepare or write a blog post about it. Anyway, early decision/action to colleges will be out this month, so I figured, why not write this thing?

The day your college admission results are out is going to be a bad one. You won't be able to concentrate on ANYTHING and your butt will be itching the entire day as you wait (not so) patiently for your results to arrive. So what exactly are the do's and don't's of what to do the day your college admission results are out?

Don't tell anybody (except your family unless your mom's a tattle tale)

You don't want people asking you whether you got accepted or not. It's not cool. It's much better to have fewer people know about the places you've applied, because getting bombarded with questions like "did you get accepted?" and stuff like that is not fun. I mean, there IS the possibility that you might get rejected and, well, it's embarrassing. However, if you don't mind the questions, you can ignore my advice. This is just for you people who, like me, don't like the possibility of letting people down very much.

Keep busy and occupied

Do whatever the heck you need to do to keep your mind off of the admission results that are to be released. Go bowling, watch a movie, have a hot chocolate, skip school, go shopping, whatever. Just DO SOMETHING that'll keep your feet and mind moving.

Stay far faaaaar away from College Confidential

Those of you who have never taken part of this horrible website, good on you! It's really addicting and very nerve-wracking to be around people who think getting a 2100 on the SAT is a "weak score". Excuse me? But if you are an avid user anyway (like me), please listen to my advice and stay far away from CC for at least two days. Especially the day the results are released. People on that forum will be freaking out and that's going to double your anxiety.

Don't ever be alone

Don't even try. Or you'll end up on the Internet obsessively checking whether the decisions are up or not. That heart stopping feeling you get every time you refresh. Ugh. Not nice. Not nice at all.

Anyway, those are my tips for all you seniors applying to colleges this year. Good luck to all prospies!

-Barista Mia-

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I'm seriously not an expert at this, but I've had a couple interviews and now I'm pretty sure I know exactly what to do to prepare for my next interview, whenever that is.

First, my background story...

My first interview was the most horrible experience ever. It was for an internship (yes, it's not a college interview, but it's still an interview so it counts) and I was to meet my potential employer at the airport as he was leaving the country. So I head off early in the morning to meet him. I knew absolutely nothing at all about what to do and how to prepare for an interview. So what was the outcome of the interview? Well, it was the most awkward experience of my life. I explained very little about my background and about who I was. I didn't sell myself at all, but instead, dumbed myself down so that I would look humble. The worst part was when he asked me if I had any questions. I knew absolutely nothing about the company he was working for so I said no. The expression that crossed over his face? Is she for real? Yeah. Not such a good idea to go into an interview with no questions about anything whatsoever. Nuh uh. Needless to say, I didn't get the internship.

My second interview was actually held today. It was a phone interview with an alum at my dream college and I had to be extra prepared. Why? I have telephonophobia. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a form of social anxiety disorder where a person has an extreme fear of phone calls. Yeah. I reject every phone call that comes my way and if it's an important call that I have to pick up or make, it takes every inch of my courage to do it. My heart beats like crazy. Also, a second reason I had to be prepared is that I knew that awkward silences are worse over the phone. And I was going to do whatever I could to avoid those awkward silences. It turns out with all that crazy over-preparing, the interview went great! I talked so much my throat was all parched up and the interviewer seemed genuinely interested in me. My interviewer also said that I was a very interesting candidate. OMG.

I believe the reason my second interview went so well is that I had learned from my horrible first interview and I knew what I had to do differently. Well, now that I've learned my lesson, I'm going to prepare you guys for your upcoming interviews for college or internships so you don't end up making the same mistakes that I did in my first interview.

1. Prepare

I already said this in the bulky paragraphs above, but preparing is so very important. Over prepare if you can! Get common interview questions from the Internet and practice answering them over and over again. All that prep WILL reward you. I promise.

2. Have the right mindset

This interview will not be the end of your life. It doesn't determine your life path. Seriously. Have some peace in your mind before you take an interview. Go shopping, pat your pet, whatever. Feel good before your interview. Oh, and FYI, I went shopping right before my interviewer called so that I would be in a hyper, I-was-just-surrounded-by-clothes mood. Haha!

3. Have questions ready

This will make you seem impressive and make you look like you have an actual interest in whatever you're interviewing for. And that's a biiiiiiiig positive.

4. Sell yourself

But at the same time, don't look big-headed. Find the balance between the two and practice selling yourself while looking humble. After all, the reason you're having an interview is to get the job (internship) or get into a college.

5. Be yourself

This is very important. Especially for a college interview. Make sure you're not trying to be someone you're not because fake-ness comes through no matter how good of an actor you are. Besides, people want to talk to actual people, not robots who memorized their lines or wannabes who have no idea what they're talking about.

Well. Now that you have my tips... Good luck!


-Barista Mia-

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I'm a senior and to all you other seniors out there getting ready to send out college apps: DON'T FREAK OUT!

I know. That's the worst advice anybody could give you. How could you NOT freak out at a situation such as this one? This basically determines our life paths! Well, I just sent my app to my dream college and yeah, avoiding PASS (Post Application Sending Syndrome), as I like to call it, is near impossible. But I have learned a few ways to calm yourself down when you send your app and to keep yourself calm after sending the deadly thingamabob.

1. Realize that getting rejected is not the end of the world

I'll admit it. Those big red rejected stamps looks scary. But college rejections don't look like this, so don't worry.

Face it, guys. Rejection isn't the end of the world. It'll probably break your heart, but it could be worse. I'm serious. Getting accepted might be the most important thing to you in the world right now, but you have to step out of your little 12th grade box and take a look at your life. College is only a small portion. Anyway, rejection builds character once you get over it.

2. Be optimistic

You see those orange, red and bluefaces? Those are students infected with PASS. And no, you don't want that. You want to be the yellow face that is immune to PASS.

No, I'm not saying look forward to an acceptance, because it might not happen. Expecting the good is not the best idea. But have an optimistic approach to everything. Let whatever happen happen. If I don't get accepted into *enter dream college here*, fine. And nope.That's not sarcasm, people. Just look at the positive side of everything.

3. Have a backup college that you would be happy to go to

Harvard's my backup. What's yours? (Just kidding!)

Some people tend to pick backup colleges just for the heck of it, but that's not good. It's not like you would ever consider going there if you got accepted. Okay, they might not have the Ivy brand name, but they should be colleges you are super excited about. Do a lot of research, talk to students who go there, and find backups that fit your personality and studying philosophy.

4. Move On

This picture really makes me want to go to the beach. But, y'know, winter and all that.

Instead of waiting restlessly, concentrate on finishing your senior year with stellar grades and having fun. For me, I think I'll be focusing on my hobbies. Dance, write, play, and work on this blog. Do everything to keep your mind off the college apps that are sitting on the admissions officers' desks. 'Cause like I said, life goes on and college is only a small portion of what you'll be going through.

(This may or may not have been my way to calm my own PASS. It's surprisingly helped, so I hope it helps you too.)


-Barista Mia-

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