For over a month, my palms were drenched, my fists were clenched, my heart was pounding a million beats per second, and I couldn’t bear to wait any longer for the decision from Cornell University. The funny thing was that it wasn’t even me who had applied, but my best friend, Lindsay.

Finally, the morning of December 15 arrived. Cornell’s decision for early admissions applicants would be available online at five p.m. That felt like a long time to wait, but I had made it through three months so I figured I could make it another few hours.

The drive to school that morning was long and silent. Neither Lindsay nor I, nor her brother, dared to speak. To do so seemed like a jinx. We pulled into the school parking lot with ten hours to go.

That day at school was, hands down, the longest of my life. Whenever I saw Lindsay she had a giant smile on her face; meanwhile, I wanted to vomit. I was more nervous than she!

I stared at the clock in English class. There were still 20 minutes until school ended. My mind was wandering but I could hear my teacher talking excitedly about some Gatsby guy, whoever he was. Finally, the afternoon bell buzzed - only three hours until the decision. To pass the time, Lindsay and I drove around town.

“Adam, I know I’m not getting in,” she said. “There are so many people more qualified than me!”

My jaw dropped. This girl is crazy, I thought.

“How can you possibly say that? Lindsay, in my eyes, you are the most qualified applicant of everyone! You have the grades, the SAT scores, the amazing essay, the outstanding recommendations, and you’re actively involved with everything in the community! The admissions people would be crazy to reject you!” I told her. In my heart I really believed she would get in, but my mind kept telling me that you just never know. It was three o’clock.

We drove back to our houses (we live next door), where her friend, Kim, joined us. We decided I would come back over at 4:45 since I had a lot of homework to do. Meanwhile, Kim would find some way to occupy Lindsay for two hours. Physics seemed like gibberish to me; all I could think about was Cornell. Finally, it was time.

I barely said good-bye to my mom before sprinting to Lindsay’s house, unable to believe that the moment was actually here. I knocked rapidly on her door and a calm Lindsay answered. It was 4:55.

My heart was pounding, I couldn’t bear to wait any longer. We went to the basement with Lindsay’s mom. I still felt like I was going to be sick. Kim was clutching Lindsay’s arm as Lindsay typed in the URL. The page was fast to load, considering there were probably thousands of other applicants anxiously coming on for their decision. We waited until exactly five o’clock and she logged on. Kim couldn’t watch.

“Check your application status,” the page urged. Lindsay clicked and the little bar at the bottom of the page was fast to load. Nothing. The decision was yet to be posted. We waited two minutes and tried again. This was it, the moment of truth. I could barely breathe. Lindsay clicked the link and the blue load bar at the bottom of the screen barely moved. It felt like it took hours to load. We all stared at it anxiously, and then ... “Congratulations” appeared at the top of the screen!

We all screamed. She had done it! Lindsay, my best friend, had been accepted to Cornell University! It was unreal! I was so happy, and so was her mom. She must have been the proudest mother at that moment. When I saw the tears stream down Lindsay’s face, I thought how this could be one of the best moments of my life. I can’t wait until next year when I will find out Cornell’s decision on my application.