Dear Dream School, This Is Me Breaking Up With You

Finally I am through with my daughter’s school admission and it is almost weird that instead of feeling upset that she didn’t get through to my dream school, (this despite praying religiously and spending sleepless nights thinking about it), I am actually relieved to strike off ‘mission admission’ from my to-do list. Dear Dream School,If you are reading this letter then I must consider this as a lucky draw win, as I am sure you have received tons of letters from other parents or students who are desperate for admission in your school. I will no longer be wasting my precious time refreshing my inbox to see that admission letter or fret over seeing missed calls from unknown numbers, thinking I may have missed a call from my dream school maybe just maybe calling to confirm my daughter’s admission. The cruel wait list plays a major role in feeding the admission mania amongst parents, the feeling can be likened to checking your waitlisted PNR status on IRCTC, you get to know your if you have a confirmed seat just a couple of hours before the train leaves the station. Thanks to you, I have recently acquired a new skill of filling eight page long admission forms and writing essays on reasons why I am seeking admission in your school.
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Phew! Finally, I am through with my daughter's school admission and it is almost weird that instead of feeling upset that she didn't get through to my dream school, (this despite praying religiously and spending sleepless nights thinking about it), I am actually relieved to strike off 'mission admission' from my to-do list. And even though my so-called dream school didn't even send us a regret letter to the thousands like me that didn't get through, here is my letter to them on behalf of parents everywhere.

Dear Dream School,

If you are reading this letter then I must consider this as a lucky draw win, as I am sure you have received tons of letters from other parents or students who are desperate for admission in your school. Anyway, I promise I don't have any more requests, but I would like to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts that all parents have while going through the rigmarole of admission. I was rejected by you, you were the first choice for my daughter and now this is how I am dealing with the rejection.

1. I no longer have to regret my husband's white-collar job and curse him for not being an army man. I don't have to rue the fact that I don't belong to a minority community. I am so done hunting for a quota we fit into, that guarantees us admission in your school.

2. I no longer wonder why I am not friends with the who's who on Page 3 or other strong influencers. They would have been able to push my application ahead.

3. I will no longer be wasting my precious time refreshing my inbox to see that admission letter or fret overseeing missed calls from unknown numbers, thinking I may have missed a call from my dream school maybe just maybe calling to confirm my daughter's admission.

4. I no longer suffer from "admission hysteria". This experience has enlightened me to the fact that I will never really understand why we were denied admission and why we were not worthy candidates for admission to the school. That will always remain a mystery. This despite both, my husband and I, being postgraduates from premier institutes in India. Our interview (45 minutes long) going very well, and my three year old completely slaying her interview!

5. And the best part? I don't have 'waitlist' against my name anymore! It isn't the first list but the waitlist that gets to parents! The cruel waitlist plays a major role in feeding the admission mania amongst parents, the feeling can be likened to checking your waitlisted PNR status on IRCTC, you get to know your if you have a confirmed seat just a couple of hours before the train leaves the station.

6. I no longer feel anxious and helpless every time I call the extremely rude lady handling admissions.

7. Thanks to you, I have recently acquired a new skill of filling eight-page long admission forms and writing essays on reasons why I am seeking admission to your school. By the way, do you actually read those essays? 

8. I am glad that my 'heartache' has provided a new topic of discussion amongst other applicants who considered me as a strong competition. Total waste of time I now know!

9. On a selfish note, I will no longer have to worry about waking up hours before the school bus arrives. The school that accepted us is so much closer to home!

Finally, this entire admission experience with you has helped me realized one important thing – this is just the crazy beginning! There are bigger experiences and rejections in life that I need to prepare my daughter for. And that means making sure my daughter makes her own way and doesn't blame us for not getting her into the best (by societal standards) school. After all she needs to know she can be whatever she wants to be, backed by her school education or not! So for all this, thank you.

Yours truly,

Neha Savla 

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