I regret checking the box that said, yes, it was okay for College Board to release my email to colleges. Why? Well, let me explain.

Just recently, the PSAT scores were revealed and the juniors were forced to brace themselves against a seemingly endless string of college emails. They all exclaim that “You Rock” and that “You’re Too Good to Go Just Anywhere!” while promising that their college isn’t just anywhere. The emails are all the same; uniform letters with the exact same “appealing qualities” and help guides for college you never actually hear of.

The first email proclaiming that I was the best was pretty exciting, I won’t lie. However, it gets significantly less exciting when it seems like I’m getting at least five emails every day from colleges I’ve never heard of and colleges in places I would never willingly choose to live in. I may only have an idea of what I want in a college, but it definitely does not include living in Minnesota. Or anywhere that can be described as the South, home of unrelenting heat.

While I must admit that a couple of the colleges have piqued my interest, most of them are just colleges faking excitement because I happen to meet their PSAT score range. They’re basing their whole perception of me on a number and that makes it seem like they’re definitely jumping the gun.
My score may have been just luck. I might be a horrible person. But do they care?

No. No they don’t.

But I guess what bothers me the most about the college emails is that they’re a reminder I’m close to having to know where I want to go. I mean, we talk about college. We talk about college a lot actually (especially if you are in AVID like me) but that doesn’t entirely prepare you for the reality of it. We’re going to have to stop talking about it and actually do it, which is just crazy. Not to mention terrifying because I like where I am. I like the people around me and except for the occasional bad days, I like this school. It’s hard to let go of something that’s good.

As college junk snail mail is added to the email spam, my level of terror is rapidly raising. My parents can actually see the mail now and that means having serious conversations about where I want to go and how far away I want to go and if I can afford to go. And I have that awful check box on the PSAT to thank for all these lovely conversations.