Sama Srinivas at NYU

Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your heart on fire.

How I Survived The ‘Getting Into College’ Experience


Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your heart on fire.

There’s a point you will reach, where procrastinating on all of the college related research, writing, and thinking will mean nothing to you. I guarantee it.

Unfortunately for me, I reached this point quite early on and I have to warn you NOT to become me, please, I’m begging you.

#1 thing that I wish I could redo is MOTIVATE myself to start the process EARLIER. Motivation is key when it come to college applications for one reason only:

MOTIVATION + EFFORT = RESULTS.

I’m not saying that doing the bare minimum of research on majors and universities doesn’t work because, hey look at me ;). I’m simply pointing out that my best friend, who had his life together, seemed to have a much easier time during this grueling experience.

College applications are a hellish memory of me staying up and spending the last day before the deadline on writing and rewriting and begging my friends to help me edit. But they also taught me a lot about myself, where I want to see myself, and how I want to spend the next four years of my life.

If you read this and your brain only has the capacity to take away one thing, please let it be this: where you go and what you choose to do should make you happy. Not your parents, not your peers, YOU.

I struggled with hearing people get into amazing schools and being jealous, only to realize if I went to any of those schools, I would be miserable. I struggled with hearing my parents differing opinions on what I should major in and the path I should take in life and what school I should go to. To be honest, at one point I didn’t think I could make everyone happy and impressed by the end of this journey and then I realized I was looking at it all wrong.

You might scoff at my advice, because in your situation your parents won’t pay for your schooling if you don’t major in what they want. You know what, TAKE OUT A LOAN if you’ve set your heart on doing something that will make you happy. You might not have the money in the first place to go to college. Take a year off, get a job, and save up, if going to college is a goal you want to accomplish. (Apply to more competitive schools like the Ivys, you have a better chance than you think. Every college loves a sob story turned learning experience.)

No matter your circumstances, I believe that if you want something enough, even if the path isn’t straight, you can get there. So, if you have any doubts, trust me, we have ALL been there. Take it slow, and get to the finish line in a way you won’t regret.

Surviving the ‘getting into college’ experience is easy. Making the most of out it is the challenge.

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