The Feeling of Anticipation: Seniors Await for College Acceptance Letters

The student begins to type in their username and password as they feel each individual heart beat in their chest, and the time begins to slow as they read the printed letter on their screen.  Reading a college decision letter can be one of the most life changing experiences for a lot of high school students. Each word in that letter represents a change in the student’s future. Currently, many early application students are beginning to receive decisions from the colleges they have applied to, however for some people it only makes the decision process a little bit harder.

Pennridge High School senior, Payton Mann, had applied to a few different colleges in Pennsylvania. One of these schools was York College of Pennsylvania. It had been the college that both of her parents had attended and the college that she had dreamed of going to for years. “York has been my parents’ past, but I want it to be my future,” Payton explained. Weeks after she turned in her application, she received an email from the school, which had informed her of her acceptance along with scholarship information. According to the U.S. News and World Report, 69% of applicants get accepted into York College of Pennsylvania. She was excited to have the opportunity to be accepted into her dream school.

However, her confidence in attending York College changed after getting an email from another college. Not long after her acceptance to York, she found out she was also accepted to Bloomsburg University. Bloomsburg was originally just a backup school for her, but after visiting the campus she was able to really picture herself there. She became conflicted about which school she wanted to attend and it started to worry her.

Payton’s mother, Dottie Mann, explained that no matter how sure she is of a college, she wants Payton to take her time, “I’m glad that she is confused now; it will help her take her time when making a decision.” She goes on to explain that Payton will eventually know what is best for her when it is time.