Passing every class or test or succeeding in everything you do is obviously not the most important thing ever because one test grade does not define how well of a physical therapist you might be. That last strikeout you had on the softball field does not substitute for how well you communicate with others.

Going into high school, I was always a straight A student who was involved in everything I could possibly be involved with; attending sporting events, being a member of National Honor Society, volunteering my time to be around special needs children and playing sports of course! It wasn’t until the end of my freshman fall in college that I learned that it was okay not to receive straight A’s or go to every event possible. College is 100% different from high school from seeing different types of people, learning how to live on your own, different teaching styles and even discovering a different you. Accepting failure is a part of succeeding in college as well as going even further in life.

In college you are tempted with so many different things like going to class or not, deciding to take that first sip of alcohol or go to that super cool party or even doing your homework. The ball is always in your court and you have to decide what move to make. The sooner you accept your failure the sooner you become a better student. If you go into college expecting to get all A’s or to be on the dean’s list every semester you will not be expecting failure and that is when it hurts the most.

I urge you to find the courage to work hard but also do not be disappointed when something does not go your way or that test you studied so hard for turns out to be a C- instead of the A you thought you got or the paper you stayed up till 4 A.M perfecting should be an A but you receive a C because the professor does not see eye to eye with your interpretation of the idea. Learn to accept failure to make you future brighter.