Mid-December is an emotional time for certain teens (and their parents). It’s when some colleges release early admissions decisions for people who applied early, typically in exchange for a commitment that accepted students will enroll. It’s also, thanks to social media, when these overachieving high schoolers broadcast their full spectrum of feelings to the world.
The flood of all-caps tweets, emojis, and SpongeBob Squarepants screenshots occasioned by Thursday’s early decision announcements proves it: Applying to college wreaks havoc on adolescent emotions. Scrolling through these raw displays of despair and elation is a somewhat nostalgic reminder of what it’s like to be 17, terrified, and navigating an uncertain future.
Meet the student who’d like to remind you that, regardless of whether you got into college, there’s still physics club tomorrow:
There’s the skewed perspective brought on by awaiting word from a dream school:
Seriously, don’t underestimate their anxiety:
The jealousy of those who chose not to apply early decision anywhere:
More regret:
The parents who sought the power of prayer:
The student who can already predict what true happiness looks like:
The student who misunderstood what early decision meant. Oops:
And, of course, the joy of getting into college. Pure, unadulterated joy:
