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2. Article by Neeharika Jaladanki on College Admissions
To the Class of 2020:
Congratulations! You are in your final stretch of high school, likely finishing up college applications and stressing about word counts before you finally hit submit. Everything you’ve worked for in the last four years have culminated into these moments as you prepare for the future. In a couple months, everything will start to change—the anticipation, the feeling of starting this new chapter in your life is both daunting and exhilarating.
The excitement of opening each college decision is now a cherished memory of mine from high school. Each envelope symbolizes the limitless potential to grow, change, and emerge as a confident individual.
However, it is easy to forget about the journey ahead amongst the stress that comes with personal, peer, family, cultural, and societal expectations that surround each college application cycle. In the midst of it all, it is difficult to not define yourself by the social hierarchy that comes with your college decision.
Take it all with a grain of salt. While your college choice and decision is undoubtedly important, the defining factor in this experience is you. Remember that this envelope isn’t the culmination of your academic prowess, but the beginning of your adult life.
Regardless of the college you attend, regardless of the program you choose, college provides us all with the ability to design our own transformative experience. Sure, learning to code and understanding the cardiovascular system is valuable, but your college experience will be so much more than that.
Perhaps it’s cheesy, but your college experience is truly what you make of it. In retrospect, my most relevant takeaways from college were the personal and professional growth I experienced throughout the entirety of my four years—I learned how to be effective with the resources I had access to, to network, and to adapt to change and be flexible in pursuing the opportunities available to me. Years after completing my degree, I apply these lessons every day and grow these skills further as I pursue my career.
Undoubtedly, each of you boast diverse, significant achievements from your high school careers, whether it they are in STEM, or student government, or performance arts. Regardless of the decisions that come your way next year, remember that you define your college experience, not the other way around.
Here’s wishing you luck! College is just the beginning—you’ve got your whole life ahead, and we’re all cheering you on.
Neeharika Jaladanki is a Strategy Analyst at Centene Corporation, a health insurance company headquartered in St. Louis, MO. She completed her undergraduate degree at University of California, Davis, where she majored in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and minored in Religious Studies. Recently, Neeharika graduated from the University of Michigan with her Masters in Health Services Administration. Neeharika enjoys continuing her studies in classical Indian dance and music and mentoring students through their college experiences.
Neeharika is available for college application review, personal statement/cover letter design and review, consultation on college/graduate school application cycles, and mentorship for high school and college students. Please contact at neeharikajaladanki@gmail.com for additional information.
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