Sometimes, life doesn't go according to plan. And when it does, it's time to take the hit and adapt to the new reality. Youth Radio's Stella Lau has this Perspective.
It's the start of a new school year. I'm seeing my friends off to college. I thought I'd be going with them. But it didn't work out that way.
I was rejected from all the universities I applied to: just six very elite colleges, and zero safety schools. I don't know, it was probably an ego thing. I thought that I was too good for state schools. Also, I aspire to be an artist. There's not exactly a straight path. And I didn't want to admit I didn't know what I was doing, so I fumbled by myself through the application process.
When it became clear I wouldn't be attending a four-year college in the fall, I felt like I'd failed. I kept thinking back on my dad's graveyard shifts, my encouraging teachers, and the many hours I studied. It all felt wasted on somebody who couldn't get into even one college.
I mentally prepared myself for negative comments: that I was stupid, a failure, a disappointment. But when I started opening up to friends and teachers, they comforted me and reassured me that the efforts spent on my education hadn't gone to waste. Their support helped me move on.