After opening my first college acceptance letter, I was overwhelmingly filled with relief. I was done. Done with interviews. Done with worrying about rejection. At last, finally done trying to prove to some complete stranger that I was unique, talented, creative, and “worthy” enough for their approval—in less than 500 words.
Alas, I was naive.
If you are like me and feel like you are a generally sociable person who prizes a community atmosphere, you have probably decided that you want to live in a “College House,” and you are caught in the midst of yet another application process. Granted, this one may not hold nearly as much weight as that of applying to college, but it’s certainly not without the stress.
Walk through the first-year bricks and you’ll find they are dominated by conversations regarding College House admission. Feelings of apprehension and tension are abuzz. In fact, just a couple days ago I overheard a few students comparing the College House acceptance rate (67 percent for 2012-2013) to the acceptance rate of Bowdoin itself (13.8 percent for Class of 2016 regular admission).
Many students are worried about their blocks, the origin of most application stress.
We were told by Residential Life that a good block consists of a “diverse” group of students. But what exactly does this mean? What constitutes as diverse? Should we try to block with friends from different parts of the country? Should we block with students involved in a variety of activities? Do they want us to try and look like the cover of an admissions pamphlet?
In addition, we were told that, for the most part, we can only apply to houses people in our block are affiliated with. Thus, some who hit it off with a couple of their hallmates, but are not ecstatic about their affiliate house, have begun to reconsider whom they’re choosing to live with next year. It’s a strategic game.
On top of this, the limit of four people per block can cause tension among friends. Indeed, it is very hard to tell someone you have grown close with that you do not have enough room for them in your group. Perhaps it is even harder to be on the receiving end of this information.
And, of course, there is that dreaded box: “If your block is not accepted, would you like your application to still be considered individually?” There is certainly something a little daunting about deciding to leave your friends behind.
Then, when it comes to the application itself, the whole thing feels very reminiscent of writing college essays. The questions may seem simple at first, but because they leave so much open for interpretation, hours can be spent trying to come up with perfect answers.
Unlike college applications, these questions have no word limits. How much one is expected to or should write can be daunting. Will a paragraph suffice? Or perhaps a saga on how your entire life has been a series of events leading up to College House admission is more fitting? All of a sudden that 500-word guideline from senior year of high school starts to look appealing.
Steering clear of stress while applying to College Houses can seem very difficult. Many may be banging their heads against walls or wishing they “could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy.”
However, what we as applicants must realize is that in the grand scheme of things, applying to a College House is not a big deal. Playing “the College House game” is unnecessary. Don’t over think it. Keep in mind that College Houses are not sororities or fraternities. They are not exclusive. Our campus is small enough that you can pop over and see your friends anytime you like.
We’ve all made it into Bowdoin, which was the real feat. We have already proven that we are unique, talented, creative, and worthy enough to be here. In the end, the unnecessary stress and pressure for a silly application is simply not worth it.