rejection

I got my first college rejection yesterday. Yup, a straight up “no thanks” from UNC arrived right before basketball practice.

Of course, being the person that I am, my mind instantly started spiraling. Here’s a little reenactment of what happened inside my brain after I got the news:

“Okay. I didn’t get in. It’s okay, I didn’t really want to go there that badly anyways. It’s okay. No big deal!”

“Wait, does this mean all the other schools are going to reject me too? Oh God. This is going to turn into a pattern. It’s just the start. First it’s UNC, then it’s gonna be UofM and then Vandy and then BU and Harvard and then Columbia and BC and Wake Forest and ....”

*insert heavy, panicked breathing here*

“Oh God. Okay. Okay.”

*deep breath*

“I’m being irrational.”

*another deep breath*

“It’s allllll going to be okay. I’ve gotten into schools. Good schools. Even if I don’t get into any more, college is going to be great and fun and no matter where I am in a year, at least I won’t still be in high school. Okay. Okay good.”

So, yeah. That’s how it went. A lot of deep breaths and the word “okay” about 9,000 times. That’s how things usually go for me after I get some not-so-great news. I initially freak out like the world itself is ending, and then I calm myself down. It’s a process.

I was writing about this fun little adventure in my journal last night and realized that what I told myself at the end there really is true. It’s going to be okay (9,001).

My dad has always told me that college is so much more about your mindset than what school you’re going to. You can be negative and complain anywhere, which means you can be positive and upbeat anywhere too. Whether you’re at a state school with half of your high school graduating class, or a prestigious private school with a 4% acceptance rate, you have the power to control your attitude. You can get involved in all sorts of activities and clubs and be successful wherever you go. You can also wake up every morning hating where you are and end up with nothing but a degree four years later.

College culture in the United States puts a huge emphasis on the name of where you go. And no, I’m not blind to the advantages that some schools have because of their prestige. All I’m saying is that, just because a school is considered “great”, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s great for you. Go where you can see yourself thriving and having fun! College isn’t just something to get through. It should be an experience in which you learn about yourself and enjoy your last years of having very little responsibility.

So, maybe Harvard is the right school for you. Or maybe it’s Indiana University. Either way, you are the one who has the power to determine whether it’s a “good” school, because good looks different for everyone.