It’s Ivy Day. The world’s most stressful day, according to anyone on r/ApplyingToCollege. It’s a been a year since mine—let me take you through it.

Well, factually, Ivy Day does exist. Metaphorically, March 28, 2024 didn’t feel real.

Being concerned about Ivy Day, a largely first-world problem, is a ritual for every try-hard high schooler.

Believe me, I know. As an (unfortunate) RD demon, I had nine decisions to open that day, and it was not pretty. I forced my brother to run errands with me. We went grocery shopping. I bought myself pity/celebration flowers (it was yet to be determined) in the clearance section for five dollars. We went to the mall. I utilized my extreme couponing skills to buy an absurd amount at Bath and Body Works: for 60 dollars, the haul included six three-wick candles, one lotion, a hand cream, and whatever else I thought would cheer me up in the moment. Then I drove home, ate my mom’s delicious dinner, slunk up to my room, and opened my laptop.

I signed in, and lo and behold—a video played! It said “Welcome to Columbia!” (Ignore the other eight decisions. They’re irrelevant, and definitely not because I got rejected or waitlisted.) I was happy, although I didn’t scream or cry. My mom and brother yelled so loud they set off an alert on my watch. I called my best friend right before her flight took off. It was a good evening—and we didn’t end up heading to the movie theater to watch Kung Fu Panda 4, which was my backup plan. Probably a good thing, I’ve heard middling reviews.

But, yeah. Ivy Day is a lot of emotions, especially when people have unreasonable expectations of you.

Reflecting on my past year here, I’m so incredibly grateful that I chose Columbia. From the lovely Arts Initiative—seeing Hadestown for cheap next week—to classmates who nerd out on the same level as me—thank you LitHum—I’ve found what I’d like to consider my home. In spite of… recent events in the political climate… Columbians have persevered through it. My friends are passionate; my classmates fight for who they believe in. The city is my campus. Other than not having to pay so much just to go to school here, maybe, what else could I ask for?

Well, happy Ivy Day! Hopefully when you sign into the portal at 7:00 pm tonight, a video plays. But if not, know that your results don’t define you. It’s overused, but it’s true. You’ll find your success wherever life takes you. My worth was not dependent on whether I chose my state school or Columbia, and neither is yours.

Header via Bwarchives