Applications: Hard Work and then the Waiting Game

Jamie Buitelaar, Grade 12 student, describes the "Waiting Game" in the college admissions process. Read on and wish her luck:


It's December and my application has been submitted. I wrote my essays myself, checked off all my references and wore a nice skirt to my interview. 

Now what?

Now, I wait. 

I have to say, it is excruciating. There is a deadline looming and I've been counting the days since I left that Starbucks table in my nice skirt and sweaty palms. I am consistently revisiting my application in my head. There are some things I know I should have done - I should have taken the "additional details" section a little more seriously. Who knows? Maybe something someone else says creates the tipping point. Maybe all the things I wanted to say but couldn't find the space to could find their way into my application through that little "upload" button. 

Memories of my interview are never far behind. Was my skirt nice enough? Did I say what the interviewer was looking to hear? Did I smile enough? Did I fidget? Despite the fact that I was sufficiently prepped-up by the UAC office, and the welcoming air of the interviewer, I was much more nervous than I suppose I had the right to be. Even now, I can't help wondering, did I, did I, did I? 

At the same time, however, it's very comforting to know that I've gotten through it, and this last stretch is no longer in my control. Applying to a liberal arts college is interesting in that sense - it gives you control over so many aspects of the application. Your essays. Your short answers. Your interview. You can sculpt your application however you want. The thing is, there comes a time after that "submit" button has been pressed when that is no longer the case. It is the neater of the beast, and it must be accepted. 

Having gone through the process of application even once leaves me with a feeling of completion. I am so thankful to my teachers and counsellor and parents - oh my gosh, my parents - for the megaton of help they've given me. Now all that's left is to focus on my studies and wait. 

And hope. 

Oh, and wish. Wish on every star, eyelash and 11:11. Let's not forget the wishing. 

Amukelani, Grade 12, on Supplementary Essays

Supplementary essays are coming out of my friends’ ears!

Living in the boarding house, we are in each others’ space a lot of the time so, more often than not, we know exactly what’s on each others’ plates. My dear friends have no space for dessert because the Common App (and all its glitches) have taken up all the space. It’s a little amusing to watch everyone channel their creative juices as they attempt to fit in how awesome they are while sounding humble into 650 words.

I have had to do the same and I must say, having something to say really helps. Filling in my Common App has been a relatively hassle-free process for me, which I am grateful for. I do wish I had some more exciting supplementary essay topics, though!

One friend has to respond to the prompt, “If you were a professor teaching a university course, what course would you teach and why?” I can think of so many. One is “How to come to the terms with the fact that university is closer and closer everyday 101.”

The closeness of graduation and university is an exciting prospect for me and one that I think we are all going to be more than ready for, whether we believe that to be so right now or not. UWC has taught each of us so much and in different ways and thus has given us plenty to write about in those wonderful supplementary essays. The direction you take your essays in must reflect what you see yourself doing in university and, potentially, your life. Like CAS reflections, this is making us think of how far we’ve come and how far we want to go and looking at my peers, I’m proud to report: very far.

My university list is very different to that of many of my friends and we’re realising that this is going to scatter us all over the globe. That’s OK, though, because that’s the extent to which we’re needed.