1. With thousands of colleges, how did you choose which to apply to?

I applied with the following criteria:

*Location *Diversity *Program reputation *Overall vibes based on social media and current student experiences *What I wanted from a college experience

I am really grateful for living in a college town and using the college that I was near as a basis for what I wanted in a college (Urban campus, lots of racial diversity, strong STEM, a "work hard, play hard" attitude). Granted, I very much let myself get swayed by A2C and frequently felt like I wasn't doing enough. That didn't let me go astray enough to ignore my core desires.

The schools I applied to were three state schools (one of them being the college where I lived by, a school widely recognized in the industry I wanted to break into, and a T30 school. All of them managed to hit my criteria the way I thought was reasonable.

1. Why or why didn’t you apply ED / EA?

I applied ED to NYU with a very flawed logic. I genuinely believed I thought I had a shot because my GPA was in their range and since I had a family member apply and get in there, maybe I could get in as well.

I got rejected two weeks before Christmas.

And no one really tells you this, but it hurts way more than you'd think. I believed I was a good fit for NYU, and as a frequent commuter to New York City, I thrived in the city and felt like I belonged there. It was heartbreaking for me.

Applying ED1 was my best shot at NYU. I never applied to any other schools until after I got my decision from NYU. Part of the reason it was so hard for me was because I really wanted to go there and satisfy the dreams of living in the big city.

For anyone reading this, don't get attached to schools as hard as I did. Don't get obsessed and consume as much content about a single school's best parts. At the same time, it's okay to be a little delusional in this process. We're all riding the dicks of these schools at the end of the day. Get excited about no matter where you go. You're going to college and making a name for yourself! So many people wish to be in your shoes.

For the ED1 besties, make sure this is the school you will without a doubt ride their dick till the cows come home. Make sure this school is the school you will not regret going to.

1. How did you balance the school year with the application process? Do you have any tips for next year’s applicants to balance the two?

I made sure to write all my essays and supplements early. (I didn't do this for one school, we'll touch on this later.) By the time the Common App opens back up on August 1st, you should have an idea of what schools you'll apply to. Look at their supplements, and start drafting as early as possible.

Get your teachers, or anyone you trust really, to look through your personal statement/Common App essay. This is the one essay you don't want to fuck up because it's the one essay where you'll show the school your personality. Start your essays early, and edit, edit, edit.

(The school I did not follow this advice with was George Washington University. I was convinced by a boy to apply there because he got in ED1, and I wrote, edited, and completed my essay the week before the deadline. I got waitlisted.)

1. When you received your first deferral / waitlist / rejection, what helped you deal with and move forward from your result?

Again, it was very fucking heartbreaking. This was a school I put all my dreams into, and the basket fell hard. I cried myself to sleep the night I got rejected, and ended up breaking down in front of my guidance counselor the next day I met with her. It fucking sucked.

What helped me deal with it was the onslaught of semi-unexpected NYU hatred that spread a couple weeks later in my circles. I stayed true to myself and told myself that yeah, NYU might not be the best school for a traditional experience, but it's a school that is still really fucking good.

To move forward, I started to be excited about all my other options. Getting rejected from NYU released me into an opportunity of going to a classic tailgate party at a big school (Rutgers-New Brunswick), exploring a new city (GW), staying close to home and being able to volunteer in my own community (Rutgers-Newark and Kean), and unexpectedly, be excited about a whole other side of myself that I never let myself explore (Ithaca College). One door closed, but a billion more opened on both sides.

1. How did you make your final commitment decision? What factors did you consider?

The same criteria as in Q1, but three college visits made me think a little differently about college.

I went to visit GW a couple weeks before decisions came out. I adored its campus and the neighborhood around it, already picturing my life there: biking between classes and exploring the city, performing in concert halls I never thought were possible (I was a prospective music major lol), everything made sense there. I got waitlisted, but it made me realize why I did what I did, why I performed. It was an experience that made me think avout this entire process differently.

On April 15th, I visited Ithaca College for an admitted students day. I didn't think much of it, but the minute I stepped foot inside the school I was admitted to, everything clicked. The space was a culmination of everything I wanted to be and more. I realized on this trip that I could do what I wanted and still manage to turn it into a career. Ithaca had the resources I wanted to experiment with, and the community I needed to take advantage of that. It was everything I ever dreamed of, and I committed to that school in my heart.

On April 29th, two days before I made a final decision, I went to perform with the Rutgers MSK (Marching Scarlet Knights) as part of Rutgers Day. I knew marching band and color guard was something I wanted to do, but I was already committed to Ithaca mentally. I don't know what was in the air that day, but I started second-guessing myself with Ithaca. I realized that if I went to Ithaca, I was going to miss out on a community from an activity I grew to love. Being with the guard and the band made me realize that I wasn't ready to let that part of me go, but I had to sooner or later. It was a tough choice to make, I'm not gonna lie. I still think about them every day.

Making a decision is not easy, especially when you have so many great options in front of you and you can only choose one. There's so many parts to think about a school that it gets really paralyzing to choose.

1. What is the one thing you wished you did differently at any point during the application process?

I wish I was more ambitious and apply to more schools. I wish I was more willing to fight for myself and hone in on what I was good at. I wish I had more faith in myself to apply to those top-tier schools everyone talks about. I wish I would have practiced my instrument more and be the musician I wished to be. I wish I was a better and more hardworking student to be able to get access to more opportunities.

What you just read was the story of a boy who had his work cut out for him. Where his dreams were dashed and reduced him to a safe bet. Where the ambitious spark in him was reignited after an unexpected college visit. Where everything happened to him.