The Mycenaean

With the end of the school year right around the corner, Leesville’s seniors are preparing for college– well, most of them. A slew of acceptance letters from February to April also means a pile of denials, and whether it was because of that sophomore year English grade or their god-awful essay, several members of the class of 2022 are reading a bit too many “we regret to inform you”s recently. From App State to Zane State, today we’ll take a look at the best ways seniors are coping with all those college “no”s.

1. Eating

Who cares about not getting into NC State when you have a 12 count of Dunkin’ Donuts? No matter which college denied them,  seniors everywhere are eating their way through their pain, and trust us, the infamous “freshman 15”– when college freshmen gain weight because of their newfound freedom– is nothing compared to the second-semester senior 17. Favored foods appear to be M&M’s, boba tea, and the ever-popular Goodberry’s Frozen Yogurt™.

2. Sleeping

Picture this: it’s your dream college. You get a letter from them, open it with excitement… and it’s a no. What do you do? Take a nap, of course. The sting of rejection is nothing compared to the sweet, sweet release of taking a phat nap, and honestly, why not take it during class? It’s not like you have grades to worry about anymore. Senior Max Anderson, who got rejected from Appalachian State University, talked about his own experiences: “Lost a lot of sleep… haunting images of each mascot just roam my dreams.” Us too, Max, us too.

3. Denial

It’s hard to think about college rejections when you’re denying that college even exists. A great strategy among many rejected seniors appears to be blocking out any thoughts of university in general, sticking closely to the first stage of grief; a stage that Anderson adamantly stated he was in. It works in theory, but if your friend posts about how they’re “officially a Tar Heel!!” or if you follow that darn Leesville Seniors page on Instagram, denial might get a little bit harder.

4. Crying

This one’s a classic. The bathroom, at home, heck, in class; it doesn’t matter where you cry, but shedding a few tears — or more than a few — is a great way to get out that agony. Grace Rivera is a senior who recently received that dreaded Letter of No from UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State, her top two schools. “When I saw those letters, it made me really, really sad… like, I cried the whole weekend after,” said Rivera. And she’s not alone — echoes of sniffling, sobs, and even a few dramatic wails can be heard throughout Leesville’s halls.

At the end of the day, it’ll be okay eventually. “I feel like I’m accepting it… I already cried about it,” Rivera mentioned; and you’ll get there too, albeit maybe after sleeping an entire weekend. Most everyone will end up going SOMEWHERE, and even if it’s not your dream school, you’ll probably still be happy with the college you choose. Just make sure you still have that bag of M&M’s and a pack of tissues on hand.