Crystal Wang

So You Want to Join me in the Woods: Musings on the Application Process (Part One)

Time travel doesn't exist, or at least we currently are not in a timeline where it does.

But if it DID, I'd probably do a lot of things differently. From putting down the scissors when giving myself bangs (for the second time) to breaking in my boots a little better before my First-Year Trip, there are many moments that I wish I could revisit. But after all of that, I would set it to take me back to Christmas Day of my senior year, the day I finished my Dartmouth application and sent it into the void of the Undergraduate Admissions Office.

If you happen to be reading this post, it's highly likely that you are in the midst of your college application season, a season that personally left me physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. I didn't end up applying to any colleges for the Early Decision deadline, so my season lasted for the larger half of my senior year. In that time, I found myself growing as a person, and by the time I submitted my application to Dartmouth, I felt confident that I had presented my most authentic side. So, let's break it down from the top!

• Deciding to Apply: I'll likely explore this area more in a later post since I know I won't do it justice here, but Dartmouth was surprisingly the last school on my list of colleges I applied to! (#savethebestforlast) I had actually first heard of Dartmouth nearly a decade ago through a friend's parent who is an alumnus, and I was intrigued by just how big of an impact his alma mater had made on him. As I rounded out my college list, I knew I had to include Dartmouth for its long-lasting influence on alumni.
• Writing my Supplements: Whew, boy, this will probably be the bulk of my post. The supplemental essays at Dartmouth are pretty straightforward, but I will note that they do allow for some more flexibility in expression, which I really appreciate! Aside from the traditional "Why Us?" essay, I found myself detailing my family background and highlighting my intertwining love for classical ballet and medicine. While all of the prompts offered were great avenues for me to really showcase my identity, I found myself most drawn to those two and was grateful for the opportunity to present the sides of myself that are so integral to who I am. For me, writing my supplemental essays felt like talking to a friend, and I genuinely enjoyed the experience. It felt like a break from the traditional hustle and bustle of my other applications.
• Miscellaneous Things I Loved: Similar to my reasons for why I ultimately decided to apply to Dartmouth, there are a few more components to the Dartmouth application that I'll likely explore more in-depth in a later post. From my alum interview to my peer recommendation to my dance portfolio, there were so many ways that I was able to connect with the Dartmouth community during the admissions process that really solidified my decision to commit in the spring.
• Lasting Thoughts: You've made it to the end of this post, but you likely have not yet made it to the end of your application season. Take a deep breath and ground yourself. At the end of the day, you can only commit to one school, and oftentimes, you'll find yourself falling in love with the elements of the school that are completely intangible. My application anxiety stemmed from the desire to attend what was the idea of a school, or what I believed a school would be like, not what it would truly be like for me. As I reflect on the late nights of frenzied writing, I realize that many of the schools I applied to were not going to be the right fit for me regardless of the decision. By letting go of the metrics that stemmed from extrinsic sources, I found myself prioritizing what I specifically wanted from a school. The school that you end up committing to may not be the school you ever thought you'd end up at—trust me, I would know.
  
  
  

  March 28th, 2024, 6:06pm CST. Guess what I'm reacting to.