On Nov. 1 at midnight, hopeful high school seniors across the U.S. submitted their early action applications to secure their spot as part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's class of 2029. With admissions becoming increasingly competitive in recent years, over half will receive a rejection letter this upcoming spring, forcing some to move on from a future they’ve been imagining for years.
Meanwhile, on campus, students in the face of a mid-semester slump find themselves going through the motions to get by — skipping classes, completing coursework at the last minute and retreating to their off-campus apartments whenever possible.
With the stress of college admissions in the rearview mirror, enrolled students have started to take their place at UW-Madison for granted. As a student body, we owe it to hopeful future badgers to give falling back in love with UW-Madison another chance.
Four years ago, getting accepted into UW-Madison was all I could think about. Every AP test, every hour I spent volunteering and every minute I spent studying for the ACT were all building towards the same goal: getting to where I am right now. As a current student, I’ll be the first to admit to you that it’s easy to forget just how badly I wanted the chance to attend an 8 a.m. lecture. Semesters pass, you start to adjust to life in college and one skipped lecture turns into a class you just...skip.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “that’s just part of life in college.” While sliding down this slippery slope of “academic apathy” might be easy, it’s important to remember you’re hurting more than just yourself, you’re wasting an opportunity that would have belonged to someone else. The bottom line is, having access to higher education, here of all places, is a privilege, even if it feels more like a curse when midterm season becomes particularly overwhelming.
Last year, over 63,000 high school students applied to UW-Madison’s admissions office. Of those applicants around 36,000 were rejected. From dripping with sweat in the early morning climbing Bascom Hill to the eleventh hour of an all-nighter in College Library — for some of those students, it was heartbreaking to part ways with even the parts of the Wisconsin experience most of us dread.
So, what do we do now?
If you haven’t already, start by making it a routine to go to class and try to do more than online shopping or the New York Times mini-crossword while you’re there. Next, get to know the material, and even better, your professors. Drop by office hours, talk to your TA and make sure you have a face they remember. Lastly, take your experience here one day at a time.
I know it’s easy for school work to feel like a chore, for lectures to feel like an obstacle in your day and your week to feel like a countdown to your weekend. But if you want to have a Wisconsin experience to remember, you should cherish every Tuesday morning the same way you do a Friday night.
Most importantly, when things get tough — don't forget, there was once a time when you wished to be where you are and have what you do.
Blake Martin is the opinions editor for The Daily Cardinal.
