As the first semester comes to an end, seniors continue to anxiously wait for the email of acceptance to the college they hope to spend their next 4 years at. Everything that they worked for and towards is handed over for college admissions, and it is out of their control now. But how they react and navigate the path ahead is in their hands.
“I have applied to 9 colleges so far. I’m trying not to focus so much on getting into [college] and kinda just focusing on applications and doing as best as I can. Whatever school will accept me, will accept me.” says senior Jaylin Ventura.
No matter the college you attend, opportunities for growth and learning are endless. Your plan of what college you believe you are meant to attend doesn’t always work out accordingly, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t where you are meant to be.
Now, I understand that hearing from current seniors may not be the most convincing advice, so I decided to interview a former Broad Run student and current UVA undergraduate, Allen Thomas, about his best advice for college decisions: “Everything happens for a reason, and just because you don’t get into where you want to go, doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be successful or have a good time. It’s all about what you do there, how you contribute, and what you make with yourself.”
So, as you begin to get college decisions in the mail, just know it will work out regardless. More importantly, during this stressful time that determines where your next 4 (plus) years will be held, just remember that nothing ever determines your future for you. You have some control over which college you attend, but full control over how you will spend those years wherever you end up. Trust yourself, trust your plan, but more importantly, trust your control.
And for those who are applying to college next year, Ventura’s best piece of advice (that she didn’t follow herself) is: “Get it [applications] done when it first comes out because you don’t want to procrastinate and make it harder on yourself.”
