As the back-to-school season rapidly approaches, feelings of regret or FOMO might be coming up for you. You might see your high school buddies all at a state school having fun together and start to wish you stayed home instead of branching out. Maybe you chose a smaller school and see all the football games and sorority rush videos and wish you had gone somewhere bigger. Maybe you worked your butt off to get into an Ivy League but ended up going somewhere else because you couldn’t afford it. Starting this new chapter, everything feels like life or death but I’m here to tell you it isn’t. The college you choose actually doesn’t matter at all.
The College Experience Myth
If only you got into Stanford you would have a boyfriend, a group of best friends, have bonfires every night, and absolutely no worries at all. Right? Wrong. The college experience is a total myth. You make your own experience, and your campus has nothing to do with it. Once you get to college you’ll soon learn that people are still people. Life is still life. You are still you. Instead of focusing on the environment around you, focus on creating the one you want to live in. Join clubs, branch out, and meet people. It really is all up to you.
You won’t Leave The Same As You Came
If you absolutely love your college, congrats! However, no matter how much you love or hate your school, things are bound to change. There is no security or promise of good days because of the school you attend. You are constantly growing, learning, and leaving old versions of yourself behind. That’s okay! So if you don’t like where you are now, keep going as you could grow into it and develop a whole new outlook.
Status and Legacy
Are you feeling inadequate? Like you didn’t pick the right school to develop your future? Truth is, a lot of these schools that people bust their butts trying to get into only have that level of status because of legacy. Just because you got into Harvard doesn’t mean you’re going to live like many of the kids there. Many of them already had their futures lined up before they even walked on campus. The best thing for you to do is not compare and focus on yourself and how you can take the tools you learned in school and apply them to your future endeavors. You don’t need a fancy school on your resume to be a success.
Overall, college truly is what you make it. It’s the people you meet, the things you do, and the chances you take. There is beauty in every school or situation, sometimes you just have to search hard to find it. You got this, and good luck! Remember, these are your future good ol’ days. Enjoy them!
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