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A Letter To Rising College Students

You are exactly where you are meant to be and that is enough.

Kate Shannon

Mar 31, 2021

Florida State University

Dear student,

I would like to share my story of college admissions and decisions with you as you are making a similar decision yourself. When people ask me about where I go to school I say "I go to Florida State University". I didn't always answer their question this way though. I used to say "I'm an honors student and political science major at Florida State University". I used to try to justify my school choice to them and to myself.

Whether you're a rising community college student, or about to attend a top 10 public university, you shouldn't feel the need to justify your school to anybody. I used to take time to explain that I was accepted to FSU and UF for the fall 2019 term and that I made the choice to go to FSU. I used to make it very clear that FSU offered me scholarships and other benefits that UF did not and that I was going to FSU because of its location and my chosen major. I was sure to mention that I was in the honors program at FSU and that I felt I had a wider preexisting friend group in Tallahassee to help me feel more at home. All of these things are true, but none of them should matter when you tell someone where you go to school.

As college admissions are released and you make your choices about where you want to go to school, you may feel that you need to try to justify their choice to yourself and others. I'm here to be the voice to tell you that you don't need to justify it. If you're a high school student going into college, you are going to the school you're meant to go to. You made the right choice. Your acceptance or denial to certain colleges don't define your worth as a student or as a person. You're exactly where you're supposed to be in this moment and wherever you end up going to school will be the right path for you. My advice is to let that knowledge be enough for you when people ask you where you go to school. And please let that knowledge be enough for yourself too. I promise you will fall in love with your school and the people you meet there. I can promise it because I walked that path and experienced that growth myself.

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A Letter To Rising College Students

You are exactly where you are meant to be and that is enough.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

We don't buy into these... just like how we don't buy our friends.

8. "The whole philanthropy thing isn't real, right?"

7. "I don't need to buy my friends."

6. "Oh, so I'll bet you love to drink."

5. "Can you tell me some of your secrets?"

4. "What do you do at your meetings?"

3. "Do you guys haze really badly?"

2. "Is it just like in the movies?"

1. "Sororities are so basic."

There are plenty of obstacles that come when taking care of kids, but it's a very rewarding experience.

1. You get excited when the parents purchase season passes to the pool.

2. You've become friends with the stay-at-home moms in town.

3. You get a chance to eat "kid foods" again.

4. You've traded in your cute purse for a large tote bag.

5. You have at least one car seat in your backseat.

6. Their nap time is your happy time.

7. Lunch time can be a disaster.

8. You have to play the same board games repeatedly.

9. You catch yourself using the same lines your parents once told you.

10. Your "mom-mode" kicks in at times.

11. Your heart melts a little when they do something cute.

You'll never find any souvenirs with your name on it

1. You know you are up next when the teacher pauses while taking attendance

2. When “I’m going to do my very best to make sure I know all your names” is said, it may or may be an empty promise

3. “Wow! That sounds so cool! Where is your family from?”

4. You dread when people ask you to repeat your name over and over because it “sounds so cool when you say it”

5. There’s a 50/50 chance that your name will come back either correct or incorrect at Starbucks

6. People try to find shorter, easier nicknames for you instead of calling you by your actual name

7. When someone famous or fictional character shares your name, you get so happy

8. “What’s your name?” “It’s [name]” “I’m sorry, what was it again?”

9. You’ve pretty much seen every misspelling and heard every mispronunciation of your name throughout your life

10. When you find another person with an “ethnic” sounding name, you both get excited

11. Despite the struggles, your name is pretty unique… just like you

Can I be excused for the rest of my life?

Don't Be That Person

1. “Oh, so you/your family are immigrants!”

2. “Is Puerto Rico near Mexico?”

3. “Do you speak Puerto Rican?”

4. “You look too light/dark to be Puerto Rican.”

5. “Do I need my passport to go to Puerto Rico?”

6. “Geez, you are obsessed with your flag. We get it, you’re Puerto Rican.”

7. “Why are you so loud?”

8. “So does your family know English?”

9. “Oh my god, Puerto Ricans are so spicy.”

10. “So did you eat a lot of tacos?”

11. “Are you Mexican?”

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