Hey, Upper Eastsiders! 

 

Typically Tierney here!

 

Last fall, HBO announced that one of many things to look forward to with the release of their new streaming service would be the reboot of the early 2000s hit, Gossip Girl. I, like many others, was ecstatic about this announcement. Gossip Girl was one of the many shows that got me through high-school and the thought of again being able to follow the lives of Manhattan's upper elite was exciting. So I celebrated the way any true Gossip Girl fan would; by rewatching the series on Netflix.

 

While I don't look at the show through the same lense that I did when I was 15, I have to say Gossip Girl as a whole still holds up. I was still sucked into the drama between Serena and Blair, rooting for the romance between Lily and Rufus, and captivated by Nate's dreaminess. I was even blown away by the number of storylines that I had since forgotten. (Remember when Dan dated Lizzie McGuire, cause I sure didn't. I won't even mention what happens with Vanessa!) All in all, Gossip Girl is a solid show and I'm glad I rewatched it. But I'm not writing this post to recommend the show to you. (If you want to watch, go ahead it's pretty entertaining. I added a link to the photo!) I'm writing this because, during my rewatch, I discovered that I can trace back all the stress and anxiety I felt during my senior year of high school back to this show. 

 

No, I did not start a Gossip Girl inspired blog to ruin the lives of my classmates. While Gossip Girl had many focal points such as fashion, romance, and drama; a huge plot point during the early seasons involved the character getting into college. At the time I didn't realize it, but this really wormed its way into my adolescent brain. I, like the characters, became obsessed with the idea of getting into a "good school". So much so that I believed that if I didn't go to one of the top colleges in the country, I was destined to live a terrible life.

 

Now, I'm not blaming the show or its' writers for this. The stress I felt was totally self-inflicted. Especially since I maintained this thinking knowing (*spoiler alert*) not a single character on this show actually graduated from college. But that didn't stop me from driving myself mad. I worried constantly about admissions decisions and when I ultimately got rejected from my top school, I cried myself to sleep. 

 

Sure it sucks to be rejected, but it wasn't like I didn't get into other schools. Pretty good schools at that. Looking back at my college experience as a whole, I almost want to laugh at seventeen-year-old Tierney, She had no idea what she was in for! At the college where I ended up, I met my best friend, got to work at Disney World, spent a semester interning in Los Angeles, and graduated early with the promise of a job (a job that I've since lost, but we're doing fine). All of that stress was for NOTHING! But, at least we can be glad that I figured it out!

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You know you love me, 

XOXO.

Typically Tierney