With tentative excitement, I opened the attachment in the long-awaited email: Application Results – Action Required. It read, “I am pleased to extend an offer of admission.” My excitement was tempered by the next line, “The number of seats in each program intake is limited and students are admitted or waitlisted only in the order of their paid acceptance.”
Hmm. I already knew I wanted to start as soon as possible. I cleared space in my life. I made arrangements to ensure tuition funds were secured. I was ready to go. So, at 10pm that night, just minutes after receiving the email, I logged into my application portal and accepted the September 2025 start and remitted my application deposit. Luckily, it wasn’t weeks of waiting for the answer. Just 24 hours later, in filters the email: Confirmation of Admission. And with that, my application status shifted to “admitted.”
I could finally take a breath. I could finally take a moment to officially celebrate. However, again, my excitement was tempered by more emails. I needed to set up my e-learning portal, update my student profile, complete an e-learning orientation module, and so on. I became acutely aware that a new beginning was upon me.
- I was eager to move forward with these tasks
- I was curious about what would be expected of me
- I craved more information about the program, my peers, and my instructors
These types of emotions are described in Bridges Transition Model – a framework relevant for all sorts of transitions, whether they are expected or unexpected. William Bridges’ model describes how people move through three stages: the ending, neutral zone, and new beginning.
For me, the ending included a resistance to pursuing programs that weren’t quite the right fit – perhaps discarding some prematurely. There was worry that I’d spend all this time and money and get nowhere. I really needed to weigh all my options before I was ready to make the change. You can see evidence of my readiness to “let go” in my first post, Learning in Motion: A CDP’s Graduate Journey.
My last two posts, Do it Scared and The Waiting Game, exemplify the emotions typical of the neutral zone. Once you’ve “let go” of the old, you don’t yet know where you’ll land. It’s the unknown that creates confusion, uncertainty, and/or impatience.
And now, I’m here describing the emotions associated with the new beginning. The renewal, excitement, and commitment to build again.
Although this is a model I reference in many career resources and trainings, I didn’t even realize I was describing these phases as I composed my earlier blog contributions. It just kind of happened that way.
Are you navigating a change or supporting your clients through one? Sometimes it is helpful to go back to the basics and Bridges’ model is a great foundation. You can learn more about the model at: Bridges Transition Model (William Bridges Associates).
You may also find these prompts helpful in applying the model to yourself (or your clients).
Ending Zone
- How will you help yourself (or your clients) to get closure?
- What support might you (or they) need?
Neutral Zone
- What challenges might you (or they) experience?
- How will you (or they) cope?
New Beginning
- How will you know you (or they) “arrived”?
- How will you (or they) celebrate?
~ On a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again, T. Swift, Begin Again
Did You Know?
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