April 13, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

The beauty of the 'skinny envelope'

by Alexandria Rocha

Dog-eared, tattered and loosely fastened to a wall outside the activities room, dozens of letters flap in the wind at Gunn High School. Throughout the day, groups of curious teenagers huddle to read them.

"After careful review of your application ... ." "The admissions committee has met and I am sorry to inform you ... ." "Let me first thank you for your interest ... ." "It is with very real regret ... ."

It's the Gunn "Wall of Rejection," a tradition in the making where seniors publicly post their refusal letters from colleges and universities. So far, about 35 students have put up more than 60 "skinny-envelope" letters. Across town, Palo Alto High School teens are just getting their "rejection wall" underway. The walls, both in their second year, are proof that the college admissions process has become a stressful, high-stakes event for local high school students -- one that needs an antidote. "It's a good way to cool off," said Gunn senior Erica Klein, 18. "Everybody gets rejected, and it makes you feel less lonely."

Most college application deadlines pass at the beginning of the year, some as early as November. Many seniors say it's the first time they feel truly relaxed in four years -- their future now rests in someone else's hands.

As letters of acceptance and rejection start landing in mailboxes, the gossip starts spreading on both high school campuses. Paly senior Arianna Gianola said within an hour of receiving her acceptance letter to Princeton University, her phone rang with a friend wanting to hear the news.

"I told him to keep it between him and I because I didn't want other people to feel bad about not getting in," Gianola said earlier this year.

Until the rejection walls, news about who didn't get in where was kept to whispers and murmurs in hallways and over the phone. Now, students are proudly stepping into the spotlight with the once-shameful news.

"It's therapeutic. There's safety in numbers," said Gunn Principal Noreen Likins. This year on Gunn's wall, a wide variety of schools are represented. The Ivy League schools have a large presence. So do Harvard, Stanford and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Joey Karp, 18, was the brave senior at Gunn to post his letter from UC Santa Barbara first. "A friend of mine took pictures of me standing there with the note in front of the empty wall," he said. "I think it's a good idea because people see that they're not the only ones who get rejected. People see it and laugh."

With hundreds of seniors at each campus, and such a small number choosing to post letters, the wall's popularity is questionable.

When asked if he would post a letter, senior Bruno Mehech, 17, quickly said, "I got accepted into everything except one that I got put on the waiting list, so I don't have anything."

Although, seniors Daniel Chun, 17, and June Lee, 18, are advocates of the Gunn wall and agree it's a good idea, neither has so far participated.

"I haven't put any up yet. I do have a nice big stack at home though," Chun said. "If I remember to bring them from home I will."

Or as Lee said, "I don't care either way. If it crosses my mind I'll bring them."

While college counselors at both Gunn and Paly recommend students apply to eight colleges and encourage reasonable goals, an increasing number of seniors are applying to more schools. Some teens even apply to all eight Ivy League schools, hoping for admission into one just for the name-brand.

Paly senior Charles Vickory said the walls are needed, "especially living in Palo Alto where there is such an emphasis on going to college.

"Rejection letters can be very hard to ease the tension from. The walls show that college is neither the beginning nor the end," he added.

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