I’d like to start with the obvious: congratulations. No, really. I know everyone tells you ‘congratulations’ when they hear you got into a school (and if they say it with bewilderment, it means they’re seriously impressed), so the compliment starts to fizzle into meaninglessness. But please take a second and let the accomplishment sink in. You’ve spent the past couple of years working and hoping (and working some more) to reach that ultimate goal of getting into a good university. And now you’ve done it! So don’t just jump to the stressful part of actually preparing for college. Sit in the success for a minute. Have a cupcake or something.
Alright, you polished off the cupcake? Good. Now, past me, here’s the scoop on what you really should be considering in these confusing times. Because sure, you’ve got good options, but which is the right option? The road is forking in a few different ways that could lead to different career paths, relationships and homes. It’s magical in a stressful way (like the fifth Harry Potter book — the mind control stuff? Get out of here). But through the whole decision process, the one major thing to remember is that the choice you make will be the right choice. Where you were meant to go, you will go; you were never meant to be anywhere else.
For you, it’s going to be UCLA. This won’t be clear at first. Maybe it’s a five-hour flight from home, or out-of-state tuition is expensive and UCLA is huge compared to the little high school you went to. But the quality of education is practically unmatched. The distance is ideal for healthy growth, and the size of the school means the number of opportunities is tenfold compared to that of a smaller school. So, although you may circle East Coast options and even have a majorly regrettable consideration period of USC (I know, I know, it’s taking guts to admit it here, but what do USC and UCLA students have in common? They both got into USC!), you will land at UCLA and never regret it. Sometimes you might wonder, “What if I had gone elsewhere?” but you will never wish you had.
Some of the things you’ll consider won’t matter as much as you think they will: being far from home, prestige, school size. And some things will matter more: the quality of not just the program but the whole school, social environment, campus style. Now, all of these things matter, but some shouldn’t be prioritized (who cares if you’re at an Ivy League school if you’re miserable the whole time?), and some should matter more (girl, please take a tour). In the end, it’s not about where you’d feel the most comfortable, but instead what environment would provide you with the opportunities to grow in the way you need to. Because college is all about growth.
But that’s all in the future. Make your decision, hard launch it with a cheesy (but essential) Instagram post and then take your foot off the gas. You’ve spent the whole year either applying to college or worrying about whether you got in or not. Please enjoy the rest of high school. Hang out with your friends, think about prom and graduation and do all the high school stuff because nothing will be the same again. If you spend these last few months fixated on college, you’ll miss all the memories. Don’t worry, once you get here, it’ll be hard to think of anything but UCLA. And seriously, once more (you’re probably tired of hearing it, but what a good problem to have): congratulations!