Connor Campbell, Period 2, 9/21/20, Day A

 Connor Campbell

Modern Mythology

Ms. Fusaro

9/21/2020

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

As a senior (which is so weird to say as I still feel like a freshman), I think the main goal on everyone’s mind is getting through what seems to be one of the most peculiar college processes in history. I remember back in January having this set plan on exactly how I was going to navigate the college process: first SAT in March, second in August, subject tests in June, possibly an ACT in October. I was going to start asking teachers for letters of recommendation after school and start drafting my common application essay in the summer. I was going to take a road trip to the south to see all the schools that are hours and hours away. All those plans came crashing down on March 15th, when the mayor announced that all New York City schools would be closed until April 20th. April 20th turned into the end of June, The end of June turned into September 10th, then September 21st, and now the first date of in-person learning stands on October 1st. Between March and the present day, countless SAT and ACT tests have been canceled, with some students having only taken one, some have no score to their name at all. I've watched two of my own tests take the ax and with them, months of hard work seemingly wasted for nothing. Most colleges have gone test-optional, but with that comes even more uncertainty. What do these colleges want to see from us now? Countless magazines have written countless articles, each with their own claim of “How You Can Get into the College of Your Choice!” I’ve read a bunch of these articles myself, and I’ve left them even more confused about the current college process than I was before I clicked that link. My goal at this point is simple, do the best that I possibly can with what I’m given and continue to look forward. I can’t change the fact that I spent hours and hours each day prepping for a test I don’t get to take but I can write the best essay I’ve ever written. I can write a supplement that displays my extreme passion for the schools I’m applying to. I can ensure that I’m a standout without a score that stands out for me. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I do all of that, and hopefully, my payoff is a seat in one of my top schools... hopefully. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I believe my first step is to make up for lost time. At this point, I might have to stay on my computer that extra hour to read through my essay or visit an extra school website to look up specific courses and traditions I want to present back to them in a supplement. My first deadline is slightly over a month away, I don’t want to be in on Halloween with the common application site crashing on me (if there even is a Halloween this year). Very early in my athletic career, I learned that every extra second counts, whether it’s during the last moments of a game, or getting extra shots up during practice, or extra swings in the cage, all of that extra time will be effective in the end. I just have to understand that I have to put the time in now so that I don’t struggle to find time later. Being home is a blessing because I have all this extra time on my hands. No longer am I in school for 12 hours, getting home at seven, and starting my work at eight. Now, class ends at two, homework ends at five, now I have all this time to prepare for my deadlines, as long as I stay efficient. I also believe another sign of resilience is being able to control my emotions. Because everything has been so uncertain, everything can change in a matter of minutes. Both my tests got canceled while I was studying for them. If something like that happens again, I just have to stay calm and brainstorm plans of action for the coming days and get myself back on track. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered those two actions yet, but I’m working very hard at making them second nature, as I know it’ll help me out in a big way come November and January. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

The one thing I’ve been telling myself over and over again is that this same stuff is happening to everyone. Everyone’s tests are getting canceled and everyone is in this same sense of uncertainty about how they’re supposed to go about this process. Telling myself that calms me down a lot to know that I have people in the same situation as me. The hardest part of the college process is the fact that I’m competing with a bunch of other people, that my success is being compared to the success of someone completely different from me. The fact that everyone is struggling just as much as I am gives me a lot of hope for the result of the college process, that I may be able to receive a “congratulations” in my email from a school I thought I had no shot of making. I have a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities and I pride myself on my optimism. Having the confidence to make the top schools even without my best scores might be that little push I need to work a little harder and make my application a little better. Overall, I just hope that the rest of the college process can function smoothly for myself and any other seniors that have been affected by the whirlwind of “what’s going on?” that’s taken over the last 6 months. I’m hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, that’s all we can do at this point.