Lately I've been thinking that one of the things I like most about the world is that it exists. I like that this vast planet of diverse locations and cultures exists. I like that no matter what happens on any given day, and no matter how bad your day might be, life will still go on and there will always be tomorrow. I've mostly been thinking this because a lot of the students I work with are applying for college and stressing out about their acceptances, worried that their futures might be ruined by the answer that lies in their collegiate stamped envelope. As much as I understand how important it is to get into college and to finish a degree so that you have the right footing for entering the job market, I still find myself wanting to remind these kids that no matter what school they get into, the point is that they're going to school. No matter what disappointments lie ahead for them with not getting into their first choice, or not being able to go away when they really wanted to live away from home, or not being able to afford the dream school they might have wanted to go to, the point is that life will go on. School will still be school, and the point will be that they're going, and they are going to have opportunities open to them regardless of what school they attend. They should simply be proud of themselves for making the effort to attend in the first place. When they finish that first semester, it's not going to matter if it was the dream school, or if it was a semester spent living at home or in a dorm. What's going to matter is that they made it over the hump. They made it through the challenge of finishing that first semester of college, and it gets easier from there. Sometimes I just want to remind them that while everyone is telling them that their entire future is on the line, this one decision isn't going to decide their life forever. They still have choices, they still have options, they still have opportunities. I just want to tell them to keep calm, and life goes on.
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