By Shuva Dawadi

“The end of high school marks the end of one chapter in life, but also the beginning of another,” my dad told me one day. These and other similar words of wisdom quickly age to become irritatingly hackneyed “insightfulness.” Nevertheless, our loved ones repeatedly hammer in this phrase, with increasing frequency as the final days of high school near. The implication, however, is clearly understood the first time they said it to us: college. 

Yes, for most, the end of high school brings the inevitable task of (gasp!) applying to and choosing a college.

This is the time when all those years of rigorous classes, never-ending homework, hour after hour of extra-curricular activities, and those annoying number from standardized tests come into play. 

So, fill out the paper work thoroughly and and write great essays because after that application is mailed, any control you had in the process is over. 

The worst part of the application process, I have learned, is not trying to figure out how to fit your life-shattering experience into 500 words or less. Rather, it is waiting for the mailman to stuff your mailbox with a thick envelope from your dream school. 

Camping out next to the mailbox does not make acceptance letter come any faster; trust me. It, unfortunately, does not prevent those devastating rejection letters from coming either. 

Rejection hurts. It wrecks your self-confidence and stabs at your self-esteem, especially when you see others get accepted to that one college you wanted so badly to get into. 

Life, however, is full of acceptances and rejections; you have to take them in stride. 

Coming up with reasons another person got in and you did not only makes the wounds of rejection hurt more. So what if gender, race, and parent’s alumni status influence acceptance into college? So do intelligence, hard work, and perseverance, and these factors have a greater influence than the preceding ones. 

I see so many worry about what college to go to after they see their chances at their dream school crushed. Some do not realize that their choices are not unchangeable, for transferring is always an option. 

Some go to Harvard, others do not; some go to their dream school, others do not. There is still no need for stress-filled days and sleepless nights, though. College is only the next four years of life, not an eternity. It is just another bump in the road of life. 

Therefore, it really does not matter if you make it into that name-brand school. Just make the best of wherever you go because in the end, college, like everything else in life, will be whatever you make it out to be. 

So, why ruin the rest of senior year with despair and bitterness? Enjoy the few days left because, trust me, in the end, everything works out for the best.