Although I love college and everything that comes with it, I admire those people who tried college and decided it wasn't for them and something else was.
I love that they were able to stray from the pack unapologetically and live the life they were made to live and love unconditionally. I think dropping out of college without a plan isn't the best idea for your future, but I've seen all the magic it can do for someone's life.
There is love, laughter, and an abundance of life's pure magic that comes from straying from the pack and following your heart and your passions. And for that I admire all these people so brave and so fulfilled enough to follow the path no one dares go down. College isn't for everyone, but sometimes it feels like it's the only option senior year of high school.
Here's why I admire the people who dropped out of their universities from my graduating class:
1. They're seeing the world
Yes, study abroad is a thing in college but these college dropouts are traveling the entire nation of America with nothing more than a car and a few blankets in the trunk. They are seeing canyons and waterfalls and states I've never even pondered going to. They're seeing the world simply to see the world. They're living their lives exactly the way they want to, doing the things they want to do, and are going to be better people because of it.
2. They're happy
I understand this isn't true of every single college dropout but there seems to be a particular glow around the people who aren't in college anymore that I know. They enjoy life more and see life in a different, less-forced way that changes their entire perspective.
3. Lost is where they want to be
They aren't sure where they're going and their paths aren't necessarily mapped out but that's okay because they want to be lost. They want the less structured option full of opportunity and possibility to be whoever they want in that moment. I think all too often us college students try to fight the lostness when often being lost is when you find yourself the most.
4. They're defeating the "Millennial" stereotype
These people are more or less doing us all a favor by defeating the self and technology-absorbed stereotype of our entire generation. They're showing the older generations that not all we care about is our phones and ourselves, we care about nature and mindfulness and being the best person we possibly can be.
5. They're chasing their passions
Personally, the people I keep referring to from my graduating class have gotten to find and chase their passions by dropping out of college. Which sounds completely backwards but its true. She has started taking professional photographs of her travels and adventures across the country, gaining experience she could have in no way had in small-town Indiana where her college was. It is so magical to embark on the journey of your passions so young which I feel like many of us in college don't get to do quite as soon as we'd like, we're stuck in prerequisite classes and exams and projects so much so that we don't have enough time to chase these passions freely.
