I'm a perfectionist, and I always have been. Before even entering middle school, I had goals of going to an Ivy League university and reaching the top of whatever field I chose (at the time, it was medicine). Along with being a perfectionist, I've always been stubborn and persistent. And while those three traits have given me the drive to work hard and get amazing opportunities, they can also be a deadly cocktail that leads to unmanageable stress and low self-esteem.

And that's exactly what happened to me senior year. Everyone was shocked when the valedictorian, student body president with thousands of hours of volunteer work ended up in the psychiatric ward of the hospital a few short weeks before college applications were due. But when you look at it in terms of the stress put on our students to compete against thousands of others for a few spots in one of the most prestigious places in the world, all while still attempting to keep up with their rigorous lives, it makes sense.

Ultimately, my mental-break came down to the dreaded Common App essay. I spent a week crying at my laptop screen instead of sleeping because I couldn't figure out a concoction of words that would set me apart from other applicants. After all, when the Ivies have their choice of all the valedictorians, student body presidents, CEOs, etc. in the world, how do they decide who gets in? After an entire lifetime of being a big fish in a small pond, suddenly my entire life seemed like it wasn't good enough. And then my mind, already predisposed to anxiety and depression, automatically went to "so what's the point?" Needless to say, a rapid chain of events following ended in a 10-day trip to the psychiatric hospital.

What I Learned:

I didn't end up going to the schools I wanted. In fact, I'm writing this from my second-to-last choice school. But it's okay, which is definitely not something I would say a year ago. Even though I don't get to experience my dream city or dream school, I'm at college with my best friend and only a 45-minute drive from my dog. Like Robert Frost said, "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on"