Later this month, some of the most prestigious colleges will be sending admission letters to thousands of high school seniors. Many students have that dream school they grew up telling themselves they were going to go to. Maybe it was an Ivy League or some other prestigious school that you wanted to go to. If accepted, you could make everyone proud and prove how smart you are, and post it all over social media.

You were probably deeply invested in one particular school that had everything you wanted in a college: good academics, prestige, student life, more career opportunities, location, etc. However, all of that time and energy spent being invested in that one particular college came crashing down when you received a letter that was not of acceptance: a rejection letter.

I went through the same situation. I spent all four years of high school invested in this one university in the New England area. I participated in loads of extracurriculars, enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, and received stellar standardized test scores. Then in the spring of my senior year, I received a letter from that university that stated: “We regret to inform you that we were unable to offer you a place in our university.”

I felt like all of my hard work had gone to waste. I was accepted to my second choice school but had to turn it down because we couldn’t afford to pay the cost of tuition.

I was hopeless. I spent days in my room crying and worrying about my future. I remember scrolling through Facebook and seeing everyone’s happy posts about getting into their dream school. I took the rejection personally — as if I wasn’t good enough or there was something wrong with me.

It wasn’t until I entered my freshman year of college that I realized rejection is not a reflection of who you are as a person. There is no way an admissions director can learn everything about you in a few personal essays and an application. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put into your application: it’s just a piece of paper. Your GPA, grades, and test scores do not measure your intelligence and self-worth, and they especially do not determine your success in the future. Remember, college is only one of many stepping stones toward your profession.

Although the school I currently attend wasn’t my first choice, I’m much more happier here than if I attended the other school that we couldn’t afford. I can say with complete confidence that I made the right decision with my final choice of where to attend college. Everything from the atmosphere to the classes are exactly what I was looking for in a college.

College is just like life itself: it is what you make of it. If you don’t end up at your dream school, that’s absolutely okay. Make the best of your college experience. Make your college years memorable. Besides, once you’ve graduated from college, no one will care what school you attended for your undergraduate years. When you apply for a job and enter your career, it won’t matter where you went to school. What you made of it and how you spent your college years is what will really matter. But, if you still really want to attend your dream school, there is always the option to transfer and graduate school.