Learn to appreciate your safety schools

Zachary Khouri

“Have you received a word back from any colleges yet?”

After months of hearing this question come out of everyone’s lips, the class of 2021 may finally have a definite answer. However, the journey has been far from a typical one.

Between the incredible increase in college applications for schools nationwide, including a 28% growth in applications reported by both UC Berkeley and UCLA, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, applying to college has provoked high stress for seniors of all backgrounds.

Colleges have managed to innovate the application process despite pandemic isolation, such as by conducting interviews through Zoom, taking into account the financial and academic toll induced by quarantine, and shifting the status of SAT and ACT scores from required to optional. Many have come to suspect that the last of those three changes will continue beyond the pandemic.

In fact, according to the New York Times, waiving test scores was the main reason why top schools across the nation, such as Cornell, Swarthmore, and Penn State, evaluated an unprecedented number of applications this year.

Smaller schools, on the other hand, failed to experience the same trend. Instead, these institutions, which had already been struggling financially due to the pandemic, saw a decrease in applications.

For most of us, the schools we must now decide between may not be what we expected. It’s no surprise that a rise in applications causes a drop in acceptances.

Regardless of how these unexpected developments have shaped the process, students will still have to confirm which colleges they will be attending within one month.

We seniors have many scales to balance in the coming weeks, including affordability, opportunity, and location.

Hopefully, you applied to safety schools in case you didn’t get into your top choice. If that is the case, I implore you to start researching those safety schools and learn to appreciate those institutions’ numerous opportunities.

Unfortunately, safety schools have a reputation for not being as worthwhile as their more prestigious counterparts, but it’s time to put it into perspective.

If a school has a 10% acceptance rate, 90% of applicants face rejection. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are inherently less intelligent or unworthy of attending one of these prestigious institutions; it merely reveals that the road to

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

college is far from an easy one.

Being rejected from a top school is not the end of the world. It could be true what they say, that wherever you end up is where you’re supposed to go. Or, just like with all things in life, when you get thrown off track, you have to learn to pick yourself back up and look at the bright side.

Additionally, numerous applicants choose their safety schools not because their dream institutions rejected them but because they did not want to take on debt. Nonetheless, attending a safety school should not make you feel like you’re lesser than those who were financially able to go to top universities.

According to a study presented by the American Sociological Association, the difference in incomes between students who attended competitive over non-competitive schools 10 years after graduation may not be as vast as people believe. Furthermore, one can more accurately attribute the disparity between their incomes due to their socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, the college one attends is not always a precursor to one’s success.

Ultimately, even though many declare that where you go to college will define the rest of your life, it comes down to what you make of it.

If you’re a standout applicant at these safety schools, I recommend that you apply for your safety’s honor program, explore the career opportunities they offer, and learn more about their location. Build connections with staff at these institutions and seek friendships with all of the exciting people you’ll meet there. Take advantage of every chance you get to develop your knowledge. Since only 6.7% of the world has a college degree, it’s already an immense privilege to obtain higher education in the first place.

Rather than harping on what could’ve been, focus on what could be. Learning to love your safety schools can be the best next step to a successful and rewarding college experience.

Furthermore, you can always transfer out if you find out that the school is not the best fit for you or if the programs are unsatisfactory. According to the Princeton Review, roughly 1 in 3 students transfer institutions before earning a degree.

Not getting into your dream college isn’t a sign of failure, but giving up on the work ethic and passions you have devoted yourself to throughout your high school experience would be.

Rejection provides a chance for you to explore the other paths available, including those smaller schools, as mentioned previously, which can still offer you a suitable education.

Most of all, don’t forget to take a moment to pat yourself on the back. You’ve made it to the final stretch before the next phase of your life.