Decisions Week and Some Perspective

Hey guys!

So I've been hearing about a lot of people getting into Macaulay at Hunter (and other CUNY schools) lately, since it's college decisions week. I remember this week in high school (mine actually went on for about a month). It was nerve-wracking and intense for all the seniors at my school. I was in the special IB program (similar to AP) and all the kids in my classes applied to very high-level schools, like I did, so all the decisions were really important and stressful. Our teachers even let us check our phones during class to see if the decision had been posted. There were screams of exaltation and moans of despair, and ultimately just a time of intense emotion.

Getting into Macaulay was one of the greatest moments of my life. When I got the phone call, I screamed and cried and jumped around in the middle of my history classroom. What you have to understand about it is that I was just so proud of myself for getting into this selective program that would pay for my tuition and dorming and travel. I had also gotten into my top choice, UC Berkeley, but I couldn't afford it. Now, there's something to be said about the decision I made to come to Macaulay. I could have taken huge loans out and moved across the country to California. But I decided to stay in New York City, close to my Long Island home, and save my money.

I intend to go to grad school, and go on to get both a masters and a Ph.D. I can't afford to spend upwards of $50,000 a year on tuition purely for undergrad, and I doubt most people these days can. It's an absurd system that needs to be righted, but that's for another day. The point here is that my decision was strongly influenced by money, as college decisions these days will predominantly be (unfortunately). But there's an upside to this tale. I get to live in the city of my dreams and pursue a double major degree in English and Philosophy for free. I get to have the rich cultural experience of studying abroad in Italy, England, or France with money to spend. I get a top-of-the-line laptop to do all my work on, and it's mine to keep. I get access to some of the greatest museums and culture the world has to offer. I have the opportunities that many would kill for, and I get it for free because I worked so hard for it. There's something so incredibly gratifying about getting a full ride. Your hard work and scholarship paid off, literally. You have essentially paid your way through school with your brain.

The Macaulay Honors College accepted 493 of the 5543 students that applied in my year. That's an acceptance rate of about 8.9%. To put that in perspective, Princeton accepted 8.5% of its applicants in 2012. I want you guys to just sit there and grasp that little fact. Macaulay is right up there with the Ivy League schools in terms of selective admission. It's harder to get into Macaulay than it is to get into NYU, Dartmouth, and Cornell. So, if you guys got in, congrats. Pat yourselves on the back. Twice. Because not only have you gotten past one of the most selective admissions processes in this country, you have effectively ensured yourself a full college education for free, purely with your minds, at one of the best colleges in the country. And that seems pretty smart to me.

Erica