When I was in high school, I honestly messed around. I went through the friend drama, boyfriend troubles and didn't prioritize school. The second half of my Junior year of high school was when I started to shape up and prioritize my future.

Senior year commenced and that's when my only priority was college.

I met with the advisors, looked into the majors, and studied my ass off. After lots of decision making, planning and applying, I decided The University of Central Florida was where I belonged. I looked into my desired major and talked to advisors. I just knew it was love at first sight.

The goal became UCF and to become a Knight. I worked extremely hard senior year in my classes and got incredible grades. Unfortunately, that's not enough.

If you're reading this because you're in high school and are applying to college, here's a tip. Junior year is the most important year. That's what the schools are looking at. They look into the earlier high school career. Senior year is your last year of high school and it's not finished so schools don't look into that very much. So no matter how great my senior year grades were, it wasn't enough. In November of 2016, I was waitlisted at The University of Central Florida. I applied to a total of five schools. By May 2017, I did not get into one school. Not a single one.

It broke my heart but I knew that was the consequence for not taking school more seriously during my high school career.

After not being accepted, I had some decisions to make. My parents encouraged me to still pursue my dream of living in Orlando and attending UCF. So I applied to Valencia College.

Valencia College is one of the best community/state colleges in the state and in the country.

August 2018 rolled around and I was an Orlando resident attending community college.

Truth be told, I hated it. I loved college and college life, but I hated the community college. I hated it because all of my friends attended the big and wonderful UCF.

Then I got involved in my major classes and dedicated every moment to homework.

I really enjoyed community college because it was a stepping stone into my future at UCF.

@vanessachenkova in a @kellicollinss Instagram photo Source: @kellicollinss on Instagram

I went to a high school with no more than 1200 kids, 500 max in my graduating class. It was a bit of a relief to go to Valencia because of the population alone. That transition from 1200 to 60,000 would've frightened me. I was eased to the fact that yes the Orlando population is larger than my previous school in West Palm Beach.

I have worked night and day at my studies. Summer classes, five classes in a semester, extracurriculars. I have worked my butt off to get into The University of Central Florida. Valencia College is a great transition for any kid needing a comfortable start to college.

They have activities and tutoring centers, seven different locations, and tons of classes and majors to chose from. A huge plus I found at Valencia College was that you could get a professor that taught at the other universities. My SPC 1608 teacher freshman year also taught at UCF, Full Sail, and Rollins. Two of my roommates had the same professor and one went to Valencia and the other went to UCF.

Group photo at UCF Football Game @kellicollinss on Instagram

Valencia was a wonderful start to my school career. Community college is a great resource for anyone of all ages to go to school. It was a great motivator for me so I could get into the University of my chose as soon as possible.

Also, a big plus to community college that is a pretty well known, is how much you can save. I did not dual enroll in high school. My school did not make that known at all. Another pro tip, if you can dual enroll, DO IT! I had to take all of these general education classes and I'm continuing to until the end of my sophomore year of college. Next semester at the university, I will be taking 3 gen ed classes and one major class. But at Valencia, I paid one third the price of the gen ed classes than my friends were and are paying at the university. It's worth it.

All in all, I am so honored and privileged to say I will be a student at The University of Central Florida in Spring 2019.

Kelli Collins, writer, at College GameDay Football Game @kellicollinss on Instagram

I wouldn't have gotten there without the help of my family, my boyfriend Conor, friends and Valencia College. I do not regret any of my decisions. It would have been easier to actually prioritize school in high school than boys and drama. It would have been nice to get into one university. It would have been nice to be at the UCF a year and a half earlier. But if all of these things happened, I wouldn't have learned to take my education more seriously. I wouldn't be the dedicated, optimistic, and motivated woman that I'm proud to be today.

@kellicollinss on Instagram

If you're in high school and reading this, take school seriously. From the first day of high school, it matters. Look into dual enrollment, save that coin for your folks and yourself. Go to college and do the fun classes for your dream job. If you're almost done with school, prioritize college if that's the path you're interested in. And look into community college. Again, save the money!

Going to community college was the best decision I ever made.

Conor Malone & Kelli Collins at College GameDay Game @kellicollinss on Instagram