It's high school graduation season, and thousands of high schools students across the country and countless others around the world are getting ready to make the next step in their lives: college. Over the summer, senioritis quickly morphed into mixed feelings of nervousness, excitement, and anxiety regarding the future. Some high school grads may be taking a gap year while others are pursuing alternate paths apart from college, and some may be attending to their all-time dream school while others are headed to their second, third, fourth, or even fifth choice school. I am writing this letter to the latter group.
To The Kids Who Didn't Get Into Their Dream School,
I say it's going to be awesome instead of being okay because your first year of college isn't going to just be "okay." I know, I know, it's different for everyone. Everyone will have a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout their freshman year, and there really isn't anything you can do about it since it isn't your fault.
Well, it might be your fault, but probably not.
I know. There was one you school you dreamed about going to your entire life. You literally dreamt about it and couldn't wait until you could submit the application and then almost had a puppy while waiting for Early Decision results to come out.
Unfortunately, the decision you received was not the one for which you had hoped. People deal with this in different way; some shrugged it off and moved on to the next round of regular decision applications while sobbed into a pint of ice cream or their pillow for several hours. Either way, you are long past that stage. You decided on a school whether it be for financial reasons, they have your major, or because you love the campus and it's proximity (or distance) from home. But there is still something in the back of your mind: What if?
Seriously. Stop it. Go on a midnight run, take a cold shower, have a summer fling, or get a work-intensive job because that kind of thinking won't do you any good and is a complete waste of your time. It's well known college admissions is more-or-less a game of chance, but it's a game that results in something you can't change after you submit your application.
I'm here to say that everything will be awesome. Go into your first-year with a completely open-mind, say yes to things that put you out of your comfort zone a little bit. Like everyone you meet, you'll find who you are. You might not find that person at the school you're attending next year, and you may decide to transfer somewhere else, and that's fine too. But you have a limited amount of days here, so why not make them the best?
These words might mean little to you, and you've probably heard them all before. But these words come from experience... recent experience. So go out and find who you are, what you love, and who you love, and everything will fall into a place. So you're dream school really doesn't matter because no one can ever dream about the best that is yet to come
Best,
A Kid Who Didn't Get Into His Dream School
