Dear High School Seniors,

It’s going to be okay. I promise.

I know it seems like college is the only thing that matters right now, but what schools you get into and where you end up going is not the deciding factor of how “successful” you will be later on in life. The constant Facebook congratulations and admissions celebrations can be taxing for students who don’t quite know what they want to do yet, but I’m here to tell you that not knowing right away is okay.

The most important factor to consider during the grueling process is your happiness. It is imperative to remember that no school is “better” than another just because it may be harder to get into or have well-known alumni. Each university is unique in its own way, and while some are “better” for you than others, they may not be for someone else.

Just because you get into a competitive school, it doesn’t mean it is the most suitable for you. As a matter of fact, details such as size, location, climate, and culture of a school will actually impact your college experience significantly more than how hard it was to be accepted into. Many of my friends ended up choosing to attend their “safety” schools. Not because they didn’t get in anywhere else, but because they felt those schools were the best fits for them.

So, before you categorize a school based on how tough it was to get into, make sure to evaluate the other factors of the academy that will most likely have a greater impact on your experience anyway.

I know it sounds cheesy, but everything truly happens for a reason. You may not be able to see it now, but there is a rationale for why you will end up where you do. Whether you’re supposed to meet a potential spouse, discover a passion that leads you to a new major, or find your bridesmaids, there is a specific school that is waiting for you. Even if it requires transferring once or twice to make it there, you will find the perfect fit for you.

This article would be incomplete if I didn’t mention my firm belief in the fact that college is not for everyone. We currently live in a society that expects teenagers to graduate high school and go right to college. However, that narrative is not meant for every student, and that’s absolutely okay. A gap year, a job, or traveling the world might be a better option for anyone who isn’t quite ready for college or feels he or she is not meant for college. No choice you make is wrong, for there is growth to be cultivated in any experience you acquire.

For the better part of my senior year, I was on a waiting list for what I thought was my dream school. Every day I eagerly checked the online portal to see if I had been granted admittance, only to find the same stale letter telling me I was on hold. It killed me to see so many other students committing to this specific school while I was still waiting in trepidation.

I eventually committed to another school, but still had the idea of the original school in the back of my head. I ended up not getting in, and I attended the latter, The University of Delaware. In short, I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up. The more I look back on it, UD is unparalleled in terms of being a perfect fit for me. Not to say that my school is ideal for everyone, but it is for me, and as I have learned, that is all that matters.