Soledad en masa

This past summer, when it came to colleges, I was utterly lost. I received many mailings from different colleges representing the best of this nation and each one completely different. There were small liberal arts colleges, large public universities, private schools that enrolled less then twelve percent of applicants, and colleges that offered a Bachelor’s Degree in two years. Resolved to sift through the heap of mail I received from colleges and create a list, I sat down one day and went through all the letters I had received.

A few hours later, I had created a list of twenty colleges that I would look further into; only six were in California, whereas the rest were in the East Coast. The East Coast intrigued me; having never been there, I wanted to know how it felt to live in an area completely different from the familiar. I felt that I had a slight chance of being accepted, but that did not stop me from applying; I knew that if I did not apply to those colleges, I would forever regret not applying and wonder how my life would be different had I attended an East Coast college.

The college admissions process is hectic, more so for those who are Peer Counselors, who not only worry about their own application, but also help other students with their application questions. It was easy for me to forget about my own deadlines and required documentation because I was very involved with other’s applications. At times, I found myself wondering what I was doing to strengthen my UC application and the applications of others, when it hit me that I had not decided on which East Coast colleges I would submit applications. I cut my list down from twenty to eleven through very subjective ways that I recommend no one else follow.

Once I had decided, it became easy for me to apply, write essays, and ask for letters of recommendation because I no longer had to worry about which applications to complete. I applied with far-fetched visions of attending a top East Coast college, not really looking into a future at an East Coast college. While many felt anxiety, I felt indifferent because I did not believe I was qualified enough to be offered admission by the nation’s top research and liberal arts colleges, including Yale University, Stanford University, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Amherst College.

I was wrong.

I received an acceptance letter from Stanford University on February 1st, two months before the university was to release admission decisions; I later found out that only a very small percentage of regular decision applicants are offered early admission by a university. I was gung-ho about attending Stanford University for two months until I received word from the East Coast colleges that I had been accepted and they were inviting me to visit their schools. This shocked me because not only did the top universities of the nation accept me, but because they were trying to sway me to attend their university. I cut down the list of colleges from eleven to five, and then, down to three: Yale University, Stanford University, and Harvard University.

Visiting these three colleges was a great experience because not only did I meet great people and saw new parts of the nation, but also I was able to experience the universities. Yale University surprised me and won me over, whereas Stanford University felt too familiar. I was at both universities for three days, while I was at Harvard University for a total of 28 hours; those 28 hours made me realize that Harvard University was the best place for me. Its location in an urban area, proximity to an airport, and opportunities for someone who wants to study government and history made Harvard University the most suited place for me.

I do feel a sense of remorse for leaving my family, my friends, and the city of South Gate behind to study, but it is best for me to leave everything behind and start fresh in a place where I know few. To really grow as a person in the next four years, I need to be thrust into a place completely unknown and learn to fend for myself; all my life others have sheltered me. Though it will be hard for me to be in such a position, I welcome the challenge and hope to excel at Harvard University.

A South Gate High School alumnus is graduating from Harvard University this year and another alumnus is to graduate in 2009; I hope that in the next four years, more students from South Gate High School decide to attend a college in the East Coast. If anyone does, I will gladly talk to him or her about leaving California for college and whatever is on their mind about college.

Though I do not graduate until mid-June and do not leave South Gate for Cambridge, Massachusetts, until early September, it is with this note that I bid farewell to South Gate High School, the city of South Gate, and my friends, some whom I met in high school, some whom I have known since the first day of middle school, and the small number whom I have had the fortune of knowing since elementary school.

Thank you for everything.

Hello, everyone! I hope you have been well these past few weeks.

I spent this past week flying about the nation in a completely illogical way (LAX -> Yale -> Stanford -> Harvard -> LAX), visiting Yale, Stanford, and Harvard, weighing my options and trying to find my space and a balance of what I look for in a college campus. After visiting the three schools, it became clear to me that Stanford was not the best place for me, leaving Yale and Harvard, which both stole my heart.

After thinking about this long and hard, I have decided to attend Harvard University in the fall because I feel it provides more opportunities than Yale University, especially in the areas of government, politics, and history. Thank you all for your support along the way. I am deeply indebted to you all.

I take US Airways Flight 1488 Sunday, April 15. It departs from LAX at 10:45 p.m. and lands in Charlotte, North Carolina at 6:10 a.m. I then take US Airways Flight 1570 from Charlotte at 7:45 a.m. to Hartford, Connecticut and land at 9:38. I then take the Connecticut Limo from the airport to Yale University, where I will be from Monday to Wednesday, April 18. Wednesday, I take the Connecticut Limo back to the airport; I will take US Airways Flight 3349 from Hartford to Philadelphia, landing at 4:53 p.m. I then will take US Airways Flight 0707 to San Francisco International Airport and land at 8:52 p.m., where I will be at Stanford University until Saturday night.

Saturday night I take American Airlines Flight 0150, departing at 11:15 p.m., from SFO to Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, and land at 7:50 a.m. Sunday, April 22. I will take the subway from the airport to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and be at Harvard University Sunday and Monday. Monday afternoon I take American Airlines Flight 0145 from Logan International Airport to LAX and land at 8:20 p.m. and hope to be back in South Gate by 10 p.m.

Some of you may ask yourself, “What does ’soledadenmasa’ mean?” To begin understanding it, break it up into the words that constitute it: “soledad-en-masa” (solitude en masse). “Soledad” was chosen for three reasons:

• Soledad is one of my favorite names,
• Octavio Paz’s El laberinto de la soledad was sitting right next to me when I started this blog and I needed a name, and
• Everybody is alone in this world at pivotal times. Sure, there are people to help us, but the weight of the world one feels is felt by only one person.

En masse just means “in a mass.” I’ve always enjoyed the concept of being alone in a crowd, which led me to settle for “soledadenmasa.”

Today I received a letter stating that I am a Gates Millennium Scholar. Money is not much of a factor now, only the quality of education, opportunities, and atmosphere that each campus offers.

My day is so bright right now.

It’s April 4th and I’m on Spring Break. I should be doing my work for Economics and I’ll get to it later. On to more important things!

Most colleges send out their admission decisions by late-March, and as stated, I received the majority on the 29th of March. I was accepted by all the colleges I applied to. I am still shocked that I was accepted by these schools:

1. Stanford University
2. Duke University
3. UC Berkeley
4. UC Santa Barbara
5. UC San Diego
6. UCLA
7. Princeton University
8. Yale University
9. Columbia University
10. Harvard University
11. Amherst College

No rejections is hard to pull off, I know. I cannot believe I can say, “I’m stuck between Stanford, Harvard, and Yale.” I would have never guessed this would happen to me!

I am the only person from my high school who was accepted by an Ivy League school; all others who applied to Ivy League schools were denied admission or waitlisted. The only other person who was accepted at a similar institution was our valedictorian, who was accepted for admission at Stanford. There are a few who were accepted at U$C, though.

Now, I have to choose which schools to visit. I want to visit Yale, Stanford, and Harvard (in that order), but that would mean a week and a half of non-stop travel. I’d have to leave LA late on the 15th to get to Yale on the morning of the 16th. Yale’s admit thing runs from the 16th to the 18th. I’d then have to fly (once again, late at night) from Hartford, CT to San José to get to Stanford on the 19th. Stanford’s Admit Weekend runs from the 19th to the 21st. I sure am not leaving Stanford early, so I would miss the first day of the Harvard Admit program (April 21 to 23). To go to Harvard, I would have to fly at night to get there on the morning of the 22nd, only to fly back home the night of the 23rd, get to LA the morning of the 24th, get home, eat something, go to school, and wish my English teacher a happy birthday.

I’m lost as to what to choose… Stanford captured my heart back in November, but I could to go Harvard or Yale. I’ve been chatting with the people who are part of the Facebook Stanford 2011 and they are such great people! They are all equally happy to be part of the Stanford family. I really like them.

I hope to buy a digital camera and take a lot of pictures wherever I decide to visit. I’ve already made a friend who will go to Yale’s Bulldog Days (for admits). She gave me her number and we’re going to meet up and probably go out for coffee at Yale.

Daniel, who I met when I visited Amherst College in late-September, will also be at the Bulldog Days and Stanford Admit Weekend. I might figure out to travel with him from Yale to Stanford.

I am also a semi-finalist for the Gates Millennium Scholarship! I am to be notified later this month if I have received the Gates Millennium Scholarship. I hope to get it! I don’t want to graduate with debt, and they also pay for graduate studies, anything up to ten years after graduating high school.

Ah, high school… I will soon leave you, and it was bittersweet. These past two months have brought out the worst in some people, and the next months promise to lead to the breakdown of a few relationships and friendships.

As for prom…. It’s June 2nd. That is all I have to work with. Grr.

Thanks to all who supported me throughout the years (that means you, Fabián!) and throughout this year. I hope to blog more regularly over the summer.