An open letter to the College Board

by Julia Ross

An open letter to the College Board,

I’ll start out with a thank you. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to apply to your school. Thanks to my parents for sitting with me as I sobbed into my laptop for hours on end while filling out these apps. Thank you to our school system for providing me with the resources I’ve needed all these years to get a proper education. Thanks to my teachers who prepared me for these moments and for my future.

But I just have one small question: Why, College Board, are you putting me through all of this?

Why do I have to fill out all 10 extracurriculars in the Common App, and then write a personal essay, and then a personal statement, and then answer your colleges’ questions, and then write each individual college’s supplements?

Why are you making me fill out all of this information, pay a $75 application fee, pay more money to send you my test scores, all before I go and pay $40,000 (if I’m lucky) a year to go to your school? How much money do you make a year from application fees alone?

Second, for all those non-Common App schools…

Why?

Why?

WHY?

Do you understand how much more work I have to do to apply to you? You’re right — it’s so much more unique to fill in everything I’ve already said on the Common App. I’ll let you in on a secret that you probably already know: Just because you aren’t a Common App school doesn’t mean that I’m writing you a new essay. You bet I’m recycling the Common App one. I spent way too much time on that to toss it away. A couple of minor tweaks and I have a brand new essay … sort of.

Also, while I’m on the topic of non-Common App schools, why do I have to self-report my transcript? I don’t get it! I have to go through each one of my classes all the way back to freshman year and type in my B’s (yes, plural) from gym. To me, it’s just a constant reminder that I will never be athletic. Why can’t I just mail you a cute pic of my transcript and let you look it over? I could even slap some stickers on there, for your enjoyment, of course.

Now I’ll end with an apology. For a couple things. I’m sorry that you have to look through a million applications a year. And I’m sorry I got a couple B’s in gym. And I’m definitely sorry for complaining about the whole process … but that doesn’t mean you won’t accept me, right?

Yours truly,

Stressed high schooler