CHECK THIS BOX IF YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON:
â–ˇ “There is always someone out there who won’t see your worth. Don’t let it be you.” – Mel Robbins.
Back in 2017, The New York Times posted an opinion piece titled “Check This Box if You’re a Good Person.” The piece was written from the perspective of someone who worked in undergraduate admissions at Dartmouth College. While working there, the writer read applications from many people who poured their hearts out to the college they felt they were destined for. The main idea of the piece is that, so often we are caught up in trying to prove our worth to others, that we don’t even recognize our unique personal qualities when nobody is around to praise us for them. We begin to only see ourselves as worthy as “they” make us out to be. Well, “they” are wrong.
In June of 2023, after a VERY long year, I was working on getting myself back. I was working, soaking in the sunshine, seeing friends, but also spending lots of time by myself and pondering my next steps in my college career. It’s funny because, after my freshman year, I was sure that nothing could ever make me feel as insecure and inferior as my first year at college had. As summer dragged on, I came up with a plan to apply to two colleges for the Spring semester of 2024. In the months to come, I crafted my personal essay in response to a required prompt that asked something along the lines of “Tell us about a setback you faced and how it marked a turning point in your life”.
Here is a snippet from my personal essay, paraphrased:
“Victory is always possible for those who keep fighting”. Coincidentally, this quote was written on a whiteboard I had outside of my first dorm room. I would write a quote that I admired every day. Unbeknownst to me, it would later become less of an inspiration but a living reality. In these moments of confusion, defeat, and chaos, I learned resilience and perseverance. Trusting my gut, I handled situations as a growing individual in a new environment. I felt that I was not defined by these situations, but it was how I worked through them that mattered most.
On November 16th, 2023, I was rejected from the school I thought I wanted the most. I felt like I was the catalyst for The New York Times piece: I felt I was not good enough, although I poured my everything into that application and essay. In that moment I had never wanted anything as bad as I wanted that formal acceptance.
It felt almost ironic, the topic and word choice of my essay, because, there I was, reading back my essay that reminded me the manner of how I work through these tough moments is what matters the most. The rejection doesn’t define me, much like my freshman year didn’t define me. It is all a learning curve, and like they say: “rejection is redirection”. If you believe it, everything works out in our favor, it may just take a while to recognize that.
So, I will check that box. I am a good person in the way that I believe in myself. I am a good person in how I treat others the way I want to be treated. I work hard, I am (painfully) optimistic, and I am a loyal friend. I may not have the highest SAT scores or the best exam grades from time to time, but I will not let myself get lost in what it means to embody goodness.
This is a gentle reminder to please check that box for YOURSELF – you are a Good Person, and don’t you forget it 🤍
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