With senior year of high school comes boundless fun in the form of senior trip, endless parties, and skip days that prepare you for college-like darties. With senior year also comes the looming responsibility of the most important thing to occur yet in each one of our young lives: the haunted "college application."

I returned home from college for the first time this past weekend and met up with a lot of my still-in-high school friends. We obviously spoke about the only topic high school seniors and college freshmen can talk about, that being, college. I heard too many times, "I want to go here, but my scores don't match up." "I love this school, but I'm smarter than that." "It'll be embarrassing when he doesn't get in there." "She's applying E.D. here, but she can do so much better."

This makes me want to scream for hours.

When you're a first semester senior in high school, it's hard not to be focused on the potential of attending the most academically acclaimed school that will accept you. It's also hard not to brag about all of the top tier schools to which you're applying. It's also hard not to judge others based on their hopes and dreams. It's also hard to keep a level head and realize almost nothing turns out as planned.

As the few acceptances and many rejections begin to roll in, it becomes easier to see a path formed in front of you. A path you definitely did not think you would take. People become less judgmental and become ecstatic to see themselves and their closest friends getting accepted anywhere. Others begin to support you rather than judge you because the reality is: there are a lot of kids in America, a lot of smart kids at that, and everyone is competing for your spot. It's hard to realize you may not be better than the kid in California who helped discover a cure for a rare disease last summer or the kid from Texas who is making iPhone apps out of his basement.

As a high school senior, I too was reaching too highly, my dreams not attainable. When you're in that place, it's near impossible to see the larger image. A year out of this process, there is so much I wish I knew.

First and foremost, the most important thing when choosing a college is happiness and comfort. I do not care if you get into Harvard. If you are not happy there, DO NOT GO THERE. College is a huge decision, a stepping stone to the rest of your life, and you do not want to be stuck somewhere feeling out of place where you cannot do your very best at all times.

The ranking of your chosen college is less than important. There are so many factors that go into those rankings and each published list says something new. The vanity of attending one of those top-ten schools wears off quickly, especially if my aforementioned point is not achieved.

All colleges are plenty challenging, and you know, it might be good to go somewhere where you can maintain a high GPA. When applying to graduate schools or potential jobs, they do not care about your high school 4.0, only the transcript sent from college.

I, for one, wish the college process were not so demanding, forcing students everywhere to aim too high, to feel let down when they receive rejections, and to judge those who may choose a less traditional path. College is college and as long as you are getting an education, you’re good to go. Most importantly, if given the choice, choose somewhere you know you can be socially and academically successful, somewhere in the right proximity to home for you, and altogether, the school that offers everything that YOU need. You make the decision for you, not anyone else. In August when everyone moves in, the rankings dissolve and the SAT scores move to the back of your mind. All anyone cares about, friends, family, and anyone else, is that you’re happy, comfortable, and doing well, and if you're happy, whoever cares about you will be happy as well.

So to all of the high school seniors who may come across this article at one point or another, your rejections don’t define you and almost nothing will turn out as planned. College is a time to grow academically, thrive socially, but most importantly, a time to have fun. Stop over thinking numbers that will not matter in a year. Take some time to really weigh what you are looking for in your future. Go there, and love every second of it, because I promise, if you choose somewhere that brings you happiness, college will be the best time of your life.