When asked to write an article in tandem with my mother about how the college application and selection process affected us both, my initial reaction was something like, “What is there to say? That was so not a big deal.” The whole thing seemed so four months ago. But then I quickly remembered that I’d …
I recently attended the GLI reunion in New York, and I had an absolute blast. It was SO great to see the GLI family again. I loved the chance to be silly, and loved being a part of the hug-fest that comes with any GLI event. And, in typical GLI fashion, I left with more …
The other day I gave my backpack a much needed cleaning and came across this to-do list:
Wednesday To Do:
1. 2 hrs AP US reading: Get as far ahead as possible
2.Study for APES test/finish review questions–1hr 3. Hamlet Annotations (Act III and re-read/annotate Soliloquy)—1hr
4.Math Worksheet/get ready for quiz—1hr
5.Spanish Subjunctive Packet+Check Answers—20 min
6. E-mail Jamie about fundraiser plans
7. Check out volunteering for Chesapeake Bay Foundation
8. Plans for weekend??
9. Model UN research-1hr
10. Start WOOSH! Blog Post-:30min
11. Practice Guitar/Music theory sheets
If there’s time: Outline Kenyon essays
And this was only one of twenty or so old to-do lists, scribbled on old scraps of paper and notebooks corners. As I looked them over, I noticed an unnerving trend: I hadn’t finished a single one.
Lately, I’ve been in a lot of situations in which I’ve had to impress adults. For example, last month I held a fundraiser where I tried to persuade people to donate their time and money to bring glasses to people in the developing world. And, being a high school senior, I’ve had to put on my impressive face in the obligatory college interviews. I’ve been working hard to perfect my smart, mature presence, to be someone that these people could take seriously and respect. I’m confident that I’m a smart person and know that adults generally like me. I was expecting to completely rock out these situations. It turned out that flaunting my strengths and earning respect was much harder for me than originally anticipated.
This summer at GLI, we got an assignment; to spend three minutes and share a part of ourselves in a poem, story or skit form. The second that I heard about it, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to use the supportive environment of GLI to talk about something that I’ve never talked about—honestly at least — to anyone. GLI is all about taking risks, and it seemed so appropriate to use my last night there to take what felt like the ultimate one and share a part of myself that creates a pit of stomach churning embarrassment for me to even think about. To let out my own anti-good girl and spend three minutes being totally real.
I chickened out.
