Everyone knows how to react to an acceptance. The camera rolls as you anxiously log into your portal, and the confetti streaming down your acceptance letter leads you to scream in joy as your friends and family embrace you.

A rejection, while brutal, is also easy to react to. You cry, grieve and doomscroll Reddit to read the insane stats of a kid that got accepted to that school.

But what about that weird in-between, the dreaded waitlist offer?

You were impressive and talented, your decision letter reads. By no means were your accomplishments minor, but there just isn’t enough room. Every college received a record number of applicants (shoutout 2007 baby boom) and they just couldn’t accept all the qualified candidates.

But you were different. You were talented, but you missed the mark by an inch, so you get to be on a waitlist. Yay?

Being on a waitlist is a little like a situationship. You both want each other, but circumstances make it hard.

When May 1 rolls around and everyone’s announcing their new four-year relationship, you’re hoping enough people rejected your dream, so you can swoop in and take their place.

So what do you do while you’re waiting? First of all, take a break from Instagram. Stalking the roommate and “I got in!” accounts will not make you feel better, I promise. And get off Reddit. And College Confidential. And unfollow that random college adviser account you found on TikTok.

Take a break from the traumatic journey that is college apps season and go touch grass. Senior Ball is coming, and it’s followed by a fan-favorite, ditch day. Senior year is supposed to be fun, not just a year spent stressing about your future. It’s important to remember that.

Once you’ve done your detox, it’s time to get excited about your commitment. Don’t treat it like a temporary commitment, get truly hyped for it.

Find your perfect roommate and get started on the dorm inspo Pinterest board. Visit the campus, talk to current students, research your classes, do whatever it takes to make your commitment real.

Yes, you may get off a waitlist and decommit from your current school. But unfortunately, that’s a big “if”. Even if you get waitlisted from 10 schools, and everyone tells you you’ll definitely get off at least one, there’s really no guarantee. Don’t lose hope, but don’t rely on it.

For the sake of your sanity, it’s best to just assume you’re not getting off the waitlist and move on.

What’s not good for your sanity is pulling up previous years’ waitlist admit rates and asking all your older friends for all their knowledge on waitlists.

But if you do choose to engage in these toxic behaviors, you’ll learn that getting off a waitlist isn’t impossible.

A waitlist isn’t a soft rejection. Some people do get off. And when they do, you’ll probably hear about it.

Waitlist acceptance waves will start rolling out, and with each one in which you don’t hear back from, you’ll feel crushed. You might even feel the initial pain of opening that decision letter wash over you, but that’s when that excitement you found for the school you’re committed to is important.

But then, maybe, an acceptance wave will roll out, and you’ll get to see the confetti streaming down your own letter. If other people get off the waitlist, there’s really no reason you can’t, too.

Maybe you’ll get off the waitlist, maybe you won’t. Either way, you’ve accomplished great things, and those colleges that only get to see you as a bundle of grades, extracurriculars and essays have no idea what they’re missing out on.

So have fun and celebrate your last year of high school. And to all my waitlist warriors, just know that it’ll all work out the way it’s meant to.