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The Advantages of Uncertainty

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Sep 27, 2009
by: Jess Gaffney
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As deadlines for college applications loom nearer, I feel I can hardly put it off any longer.  The time has come to narrow down my list of college choices and decide where to apply: a choice that will undoubtedly affect my life dramatically.  Since this has been a source of perpetual stress for many months now, I decided to ask my dad for some advice.  When I told him I was worried because I didn't know where I wanted to go and what I wanted to study when so many of my friends did, he smiled at me and told me something I hadn't thought of before.  He told me that it was better to be unsure, so that you can take advantage of opportunities that come along.  While others are so focused and driven, they miss out on the chance to explore and learn about themselves.  He told me he didn't decide he wanted to go to medical school until the end of his Junior year in college.  If he had been too focused on doing something else he wouldn't have switched his major and ended up where he is today.  So flexibility is a good thing.  He also told me that biology class is always biology, and physics is always physics- no matter where I go.  There is no one "right" college for me, there are many places I can be happy.  So for all the students who are worried and stressed right now at this time of year, remember that life many take you some unexpected places, but that can be a good thing.  Be open to all possibilities and don't be afraid that you need to have everything figured out. 

This is from a list of the top ten common college application mistakes.

5. YOU DECIDE THERE IS ONLY ONE "RIGHT" COLLEGE
There is no single "right" college for you. There are probably several. Before you begin to narrow your options, do everything you can to expand them. Look beyond the colleges that are known to you.

Don't apply to colleges where you cannot compete academically. By matching your qualifications and personal characteristics with the profile of admitted students, you'll paint an accurate picture of your chances of being accepted.

http://www.selectingcolleges.com/home/col/page_214/is_there_only_one_good_fit_or_right_match_college_.html

 

Comments

  Jessica –   I

Submitted by CMoser on Sun, 2009-10-04 14:29.

 

Jessica –
 
I enjoyed reading your post, “The Advantages of Uncertainty” about choosing where to apply to colleges and narrowing down your list of potential colleges.  Like you, I am also very stressed about the college application process in general; however, your article gave me a new perspective and something innovative to consider in terms of my potential colleges.
 
 
A couple of sentences that you wrote that stood out for me is, “It was better to be unsure, so that you can take advantage of opportunities that come along. While others are so focused and driven, they miss out on the chance to explore and learn about themselves.”  I thought that this was a great way of thinking about how to view your own list of potential colleges.
 
 
Another part of your article that really summarized your thesis were, “There is no one "right" college for me, there are many places I can be happy.  So for all the students who are worried and stressed right now at this time of year, remember that life many take you some unexpected places, but that can be a good thing.  Be open to all possibilities and don't be afraid that you need to have everything figured out.”  This stood out for me because it gave me reassurance that I wasn’t an unusual college freshman applicant who just wasn’t sure of where I was going to apply to school, where I was going to attend school, or what I wanted to study.
 
 
I really can relate to your post because these past couple of weeks I have been pouring over my thick book of colleges in the U.S. trying to decide places where I should apply and possibly attend.  I have been stressed also trying to reduce the number of colleges I have on my list.
 
 
Thanks for you writing. It really did give me a fresh new perspective on how to view part of the application process and on my list of potential colleges. I look forward to seeing what you write next.