Student Perspective: Ivey Chaney

By Ivey Chaney
Rising Sophomore, William & Mary

My name is Ivey Chaney and I am a rising sophomore at William and Mary. Looking back on it, the college application process was most definitely one of the most stressful times that I can remember. Whether it’s taking all the hardest classes you can take, trying to get into the most clubs and organizations, and filling out applications and essays, there is definitely no shortage of hard work. Even when the decisions come out, you can still feel like you could have done more.

For me, I had wanted to go to UVA since I was 5. I had grown up a life-long fan, and I really thought I was going to get in. I took the hardest classes, was apart of many organizations, and thought my essays were great, but when the decision came out, I was heartbroken. Not getting into my #1 school was easily one of the best things to have never happened to me, because the next day I got into William and Mary, and I have absolutely loved my college experience. For the incoming freshmen in the years to come, my advice would be is to do everything you can to get into the best colleges possible, but don’t stress yourself to death. There will be classes you know will help your application, but it turns out to be way too hard for you, and that is ok. I have dropped many a class because the workload was too much, and I ended up at a college where I can get a great education with a great social environment. So it’s not the end of the world if a class or two is too much, because I’ve dropped quite a few because some were just a little too much. Also, when those decisions come out and you don’t get into your dream school, don’t get down on yourself. You worked so hard to get through high school, and a rejection or two can’t take that away from you. I didn’t get into UVA, and I turned out very happy.

You never know if getting into your dream school could be the best thing to never happen to you.