#CollegeDecisionDay: Where's Sidney taking her talents?
After 13 college applications, five standardized tests, seven decision release dates, and a lot of writing and rewriting in between, I have decided to attend Wellesley College in the fall as a member of the purple class of 2026! I am very excited to be joining this community of a traditionally-women’s college twenty minutes outside of Boston, MA to study International Relations and participate in rowing as well.
The college application process was somehow long, yet quick, stressful, yet exciting, and I cannot believe that it is over. The feeling of submitting an application is like no other: simply pressing a button to send the work you have spent so much time on to people who most likely have never met you is almost indescribable. Then comes the waiting. I completed all of my applications by January 5th, 2022, which I started in the summer of 2021. I did not have all of my decisions back from all the colleges I applied to until April 1st. Then, I spent almost a month visiting schools and weighing options. Finally, I decided on Wellesley for a multitude of reasons.
For Wellesely specifically, the application only had one additional, school-specific question, and that was “Why Wellesley?” The question on the Common Application had a link to their website with a list of 100 reasons why someone should attend Wellesley. I was supposed to pick two and then write two paragraphs about each reason. Although it may seem simple, this was an extremely hard question to answer, because I could not limit my reasons to only two. Wellesley has many wonderful opportunities for me to accomplish my goal and dreams, and I am very excited to start there in the fall. From access to a big city for research and political interests to amazing classes and an environment that empowers women, I decided that Wellesley is the place for me.
This process takes a lot of effort, time, money, and stress, but I am feeling the positive effects of this it now, and am very thankful for all of the opportunities I have been given along the way. I am very fortunate to have been able to apply to a variety of school, and am very thankful for my parents, sisters and brother, friends, teachers, college counselor, and everyone else who supported me along the way (and read the seemingly never ending number of essays I wrote and wanted people’s opinions on.)
Although I am very excited to join this community, I will admit that I am a bit sad to leave Lexington and Davidson County behind, for part of the year at least. At the end of all of my interviews that I did for different colleges, each interviewer typically asked me, “Is there anything else you would like me to know about you before we end?” and each time I talked about the impact my town and community has had on me. A combination of summer swim team, church activities, volunteering at food banks, and a good-natured BBQ rivalry have all contributed to make me the person I am today.
Along with this, I am very thankful for the opportunities and mentorship Ms. Kassaundra and Ms. Antionette have given me as part of the Davidson Local family, and the wonderful experiences with journalism that I have received for the past year. Even though I will be up in the North, my little slice of Lexington in Davidson County, North Carolina will carry me throughout my journey, and for that I am filled with gratitude.
