Dear High School Graduate Who Didn't Choose College,
Congratulations on your graduation from high school. This rite-of-passage ceremony symbolizes your successful completion of what is required of you up until the age of 18. Now, you are free to make your own decisions and build your own life in the way that you want.
College isn't for everyone. This is a statement I have heard many times over the years, but never completely understood until I was in college myself. As someone who loves learning, reading, writing, etc., I always knew college was for me, but it wasn't until I was wrapped up in all its chaos that I understood for the first time that college really isn't for everyone. And that's okay.
Many people who complete their freshman year of college do not return for the second year. For some, it takes getting through the first year to realize that college just isn't for them and they would rather spend their time doing something else. But if you are fortunate enough to realize this about yourself prior to investing in going to college, I applaud you. It takes a deep self-understanding and self-awareness to make this kind of life-altering decision at the pre-adult stage of graduating high school.
There is no reason why high school seniors shouldn't struggle in making such huge life choices. When you have lived with your parents for your whole life and have only known the structure of required public schooling, how on Earth are you supposed to choose what to do with the rest of your life when you don't even know who you are?
The decision not to go to college, as well as the decision to do so, takes a lot of guts. Unless your destiny and talents have always been evident and you were born knowing you want to be a nurse, or a teacher, or whatever else, you really shouldn't be expected to choose to go away to school to study subjects you're not even sure if you're interested in and to pay an ungodly amount of money in the process.
I would advise not to select a college or university unless you know what it is you would like to major in and what you want to do as a career. For example, many students choose my school, Curry College, for its wonderful nursing program. So why should you be forced to choose a school when you're not sure what you want to do there?
Even if you do have an idea of what you want to do with your life, it can change in the blink of an eye. At the age of 18, most people don't have an exact career path planned out, and that is perfectly okay. You shouldn't have to. Take the time to discover who you are, what you like, and what you want to do in this world. High school graduation doesn't automatically entail complete self-knowledge. It is what comes after you graduate high school through which you discover yourself.
Best of luck and blessings,
A fellow high school grad
Class of 2015
