Celebrate!

With admissions letters/emails going out this week from Columbia and Barnard (Barnard stats when we get ’em, promise), Bwog has been getting nostalgic.  To that end, here are some staff stories of learning we got in.  Share your own in comments–especially you, Class of 2017, congratulations!

• I got into my mum’s car after school the day before my decision was supposed to come. She told me I’d gotten an envelope from Barnard. I was a little peeved that I hadn’t properly psyched myself up for the moment. Then I opened it and found out I got in and then we went to the MacDonald’s drive-thru for a milkshake.
• Watch the fucking countdown on the page for the last ten seconds, hit the button. “Roar, Lion, Roar” plays. I say, “weird thing to play for a rejection” to my father. I see “Congratulations” and think, “that’s kinda funny.” I look at the letter thing for several minutes before I realize it’s an acceptance. I double check that my name and address were at the top, say, “so I got in” to my father who promptly takes me to dinner. Immense amount of stress/anxiety/nervousness/teen angst manifests itself very suddenly and I bolt to the bathroom to puke in relief.
• I’m a transfer but I got the email while I was giving a tour on behalf of the admissions office of the Johns Hopkins University…….
• I came home early from school since decisions were posted at 2 pm PST. I was so fucking nervous I made myself read random articles on Slate and Atlantic, and wouldn’t let myself check until I finished the one I was reading at 2. My dad burst in room before I checked and I screamed at him to get out. I logged on and saw a wall of text, but no “Roar Lion Roar,” so I assumed I had been rejected. After noticing the letter was weirdly positive for a rejection, I saw the “Congratulations” and started screaming. My parents took me out to dinner and bought a bottle of champagne that the waiter got mad at us for ordering because I was obviously underage. I still have the cap.
• I was so nervous about Early Decision that I had to make a rule for myself the afternoon I was waiting to hear: only one cigarette for every 15 pages of Nausea.
• My mom and I were both covering our faces in our hands which made navigating the computer difficult. I was trying to check another tab when I heard some weird band music playing and got annoyed at what must be a pop-up. So I tried to close that tab but realized it was “Roar, Lion, Roar” and an acceptance video. My eyes grew super wide and I could do nothing but stare with chills for a minute before jumping up and down hysterically. A taco celebration commenced shortly after.
• I was in dress rehearsal when decisions came out, so I left my phone with someone backstage to keep an eye on my email. At the end of the rehearsal I ran into the dressing room and the person who had my phone smiled and nodded as they handed it to me, open to the letter. I screeched incoherently and let out a sigh of relief, then was presented with two blue and white balloons from my cast and promptly went home to smoke a bowl.
• I was still at school and my dad called telling me he was checking the mail for the third time that day. I stayed on the phone and he opened the mailbox and his voice cracked and said “there’s a pretty big letter here from Barnard… Do you want me to open it?” I said YES and after a few seconds I realized he was crying (this was the second time in my life I had ever witnessed him crying) and he started reading my acceptance letter to me.

Busting a load via Shutterstock