To others, the months of December to April may seem like normal, regular months of the year. To the senior class and myself, it is a time where we express happiness to a “Congratulations,” disappointment to a “We regret to inform you of that,” or dread while waiting for pending decisions, which always seems like forever. With colleges and universities sending out their decision letters to senior applicants, all we can do is anxiously wait for that email from a certain school, announcing that the status on our applicant portal has been changed.

To combat this, the senior class came up with an idea for a “Rejection Wall,” a section of the wall where students who were either rejected or deferred can voluntarily put up their letters to show that other students who meet the same fate are not alone. Names and other personal information must be crossed out of course so that those who post their rejection letters on the wall have their privacy.

The idea of this concept is appealing because it provides a way for seniors to cope with the stress of college decisions. It allows the normalization of rejection and deferrals especially during this competitive time of year. It serves as a great reminder to not just seniors but future college applicants that a decision shouldn’t define our worth as students and people .

We as students have been influenced by the media and higher academic standards of the newer generations, making us believe that the college we go to sets the course for our career paths. I have found that my friends and close family friends inevitably set expectations for us to meet. Yet we must realize that these expectations can’t be realistic for everyone in the world. No individual is the same.

I don’t know about others but this rejection wall serves as a really comforting reminder that we are not alone and should be a good reminder. College rejections should not let us students down and no matter what.