I had signed up for the trip, but on the night before, on Friday, I thought maybe I should not bother going. It was college fair in Doon School down in DehraDun. I had been there for another college fair, a Canadian one, but had got nothing out of it but just a visit to KFC. This time, however, it was a UK College Fair, where three top universities of the UK would be represented.
As I mentioned before, I had slept without giving the trip much thought and decided before falling asleep that I would skip this one. The next morning, however, my friends turned up early in the morning, at around 8:15 a.m., and told me to come along. I protested, but they started blackmailing me and telling me how important it was that I attend and that these were some of the best colleges in the UK. Grumpily, I got out of bed and hurriedly washed-up. I dressed quickly, ignoring my hair which needed urgent washing. I grabbed some breakfast, walked till New Road to get on the bus, and waited there for some of the late risers to turn up. While we were in the bus, our guidance councilor, who was accompanying us on the trip, prepared us for the trip.
Something she mentioned distracted me. She talked about how much importance these colleges gave to academics and grades and scores on external exams. She said that academics and your personal statement were the only things that mattered. I was shocked. This whole time, I thought about developing my personality, doing different things, engaging myself in a variety of activities to be an eligible candidate for colleges. And now, she stands in front of me and tells me how little these things are considered! And when we arrived there, too, the representative said that "we don't want to know you, your interests" and all.
It confused me. So is that all that college, in the UK mostly, was about? Having the highest grades? The best AP scores? Being the valedictorian? What about personality? Character development? Struggling? Overcoming obstacles? They didn't matter, now did they? That day I understood that I had to rise beyond my grades, beyond the academic barrier. And if these colleges don't want to see that, well, it's their loss. I will continue doing what I do and trying to give everything I do my best.
