Rousing from my three month college application stupor, I find a sea of anxious juniors, curious about the undertaking, yet unwilling to awaken from blissful ignorance.

Meaningful conversations about the college application process are often limited to the reigning senior class. Many underclassmen prefer to remain unaware of the trials, until at last they face for themselves the behemoth of college admissions.

In reflecting on the college application process, I asked myself: what would I have wanted to know before undertaking the admissions behemoth?

Relax, and dream of your most fulfilling future. College isn’t in the picture for everyone. Although societal expectations may convince you otherwise, attending a four-year college straight out of high school is not your only option. Think critically about the pros and cons of attending a four-year college, enrolling in a junior college, taking a gap year, joining the military or joining the workforce. What do you value? What do you need to be happy?  

College admissions is not a competition pitting you against your peers. Yes, on a superficial, meaningless level, you are competing for a limited number of admissions spots. But, understand the flawed process attempts to form a limited profile of your multifaceted personality. Your applications are words on a page; your peers’ applications had no effect on your personal admissions decisions.

This grueling process strains everyone; don’t isolate yourself. Have frank, considerate discussions early with your closest friends about the realities of your struggles. Seek relief from the trying application season as your friends are your allies, not your enemies.

You must make peace with the often opaque, arbitrary, and unfair college application process. Understand that those behind the admission process are human, answering to strict university tradition and federal and state laws, while under immense pressure to admit the “right” students. Despite being the keepers of the “system”, as fallible people, they are equally liable to make mistakes as you or I.

On that note, going into the application process, you’re tasked with best representing yourself to your selected schools, not reforming the entire system. In starting this process, I aspired to completely reform the untenable system. But, I realized, in taking on the Goliath of college admissions, I would welcome undue stress into my life. Instead, I chose to channel my activist energy into my personal statements, eagerly analyzing the educational system as a whole while making informed decisions about my college choices.

Where you get accepted says little about your character, your intellect, your talent, your heart and your humanity. The prestige of your school does not define your worth. College does not guarantee success and vice versa. Many perfectly qualified students are rejected from top universities for words on a page. Don’t be disheartened!  

Here’s a final, liberating truth: You are an independent, fully-capable person. Your peers may pay attention to your life for fleeting moments, but they swiftly return to their own. Those closest to you will seek to understand your decisions and support you without judgement. Do what you want.