- Cry. (You knew it was going to be on the list somewhere, right? Figured we’d get it over with.)
- Binge something on Netflix. Maybe a series of documentaries, to maintain some semblance of scholarly interest, or maybe just all ten seasons of Friends, because you could use a few “friends” who aren’t asking about your college applications all the time.
- Talk to stray cats. (It’s therapeutic, I swear.)
- Pick up a new hobby. Now’s the time to get really into (like, wayyyy too into) knitting or bird-watching or geocaching or something. Now that application season is over, you can pursue interests, hobbies, and extracurriculars for your own enjoyment rather than for the purpose of checking off a box on the Common App.
- If you didn’t apply EA or ED, you can use the time between the end of the year and the spring of the following year to take advantage of post-Christmas deals and go on an online shopping binge.
- Look at your other options – other schools, exotic gap years, work experience. This might be stressful to do at first, but it will also help get you accustomed to the idea that you have almost an infinite number of alternatives at your disposal if you don’t get into your top-choice school. Sometimes just seeing all the paths your life could take is comforting.
- Check out a bunch of obscure and advanced relaxation techniques for when you really can’t deal. Find some relaxing .gifs online, look up ASMR videos to pamper your senses, or maybe try acupuncture? (Although that seems like the kind of thing that would stress me out more.)
- Write a letter. It could be about admissions season or it could tactfully avoid it. It could be to someone special or to yourself or to no one at all; you could send it, or you could keep it for a rainy day. Letters are great for keeping in touch with the more human side of reality, but on the flip side, they’re also great for playing pretend. Write yourself whatever you need most.
- Make a list. Like this one!! Or, honestly, a list about anything. Lists are beneficial because they help you feel organized, and on top of something, even if the “something” you wrote a list about (and are on top of) is a set of totally arbitrary topics. That’s okay. Your brain won’t know the difference.
Tell me what do you do while waiting for a lobby to fill up.
