It’s that time of year again… with college admissions coming out recently and still a few to come, it may feel discouraging if your plans take a turn. Whether that’s getting rejected from a dream college, not getting into as many colleges as expected, or even having entirely different plans for your future, such as not continuing any further education, I urge you not to be discouraged. While that is easier said than done, I do full-heartedly believe that everything happens for a reason, and everyone is capable of success.
Being the youngest child in my family, I have been fortunate enough to gain a variety of perspectives on college and life after high school in general. With that being said, you must understand that life happens; in other words, despite all the plans people make for themselves, life has its own plan. I asked Payton Baughman (12) about her future plans, and she said, “I’m not totally sure about what my future has to offer in regard to my college plans. However, I am sure that whatever happens, happens, and I know things will work out for me.”
In my experience, I have watched some of the most impressive people get rejected from schools such as UCLA, UCI, UCSD, and so on, while everyone in their lives, including teachers and college counselors, could have sworn on their admission at such schools. Nonetheless, with a bit of time, each of these people ended up having a more than successful time in life. Furthermore, I fully believe that experiencing rejection helps individuals grow as people.
However, I do want to add that this is not to discredit those who did get into the top colleges like UCLA and USC. It is an amazing accomplishment that each individual accepted should be proud of.
My advice to anyone struggling over life after high school is, as annoying as it sounds to hear, just trust the process. While you obviously need to continue working hard, strengthen your motivation and drive, and plan ahead for your future, you have to remember that everyone has a different path, and it is important to keep that in mind to avoid comparing yourself. It can become easy to get caught up in jealousy or disappointment in yourself when scrolling through tens of college announcements from friends. However, you must remember what I have said previously: do not compare yourself to others. Your future should not be scary; do not fear something you do not know yet.
