Dear University,

The number 3.5 next to my GPA is the price of a small mocha Frappucchino at Starbucks and does not even begin to measure the number of endless nights I have stayed up doing homework. A 1200 or a 2350 on the SAT is not an indicator of how well I will do at your school. It cannot predict how much I will learn and take from your university. It cannot predict the life lessons I will learn or the friends I will make. It does not measure my maturity or give you insight into the person I am. It will not tell you how passionately I would like to change the world, or about the lives that I will change after I graduate.

What happened to the Happiness, Confidence, and Compassion Subject Tests? Getting an 800 on World History means I know facts, but do I really understand them? Knowing there was a revolution in China in 1911 is different from actually experiencing its direct impact. Instead, I am an expert on the history going on around me. I can tell you about the cultures, languages, and colors that surround me, and these are the factors that define me and have sculpted me into who I am – a unique, strong, and beautiful individual.

In life, when we make a mistake, nobody subtracts a quarter of a point from our value. Errors guide us and make us stronger. Therefore, my worth is not measured by a number – not out of 800, not out of 2400, not out of 36. It is a quantity that you cannot subtract from. So, when you plug all these numbers into a formula to determine whether I will be accepted, please remember that they're just numbers and they should stay that way.

Sincerely,

Future College Applicant