For a long time I've been told that the smartest way to live life was to learn from the mistakes of others. And for a long time, this made a lot of sense to me; why would I put myself at risk when someone else has already tried and failed? While this way of thinking does have some merits, I've found that mistakes can turn into opportunities, even if it isn't immediately obvious.

Before college, I came from a pretty competitive high school in southern California. I wasn't at the top of my class, but I took a decent amount of AP's and did well on the SAT and ACT, so I figured that would be enough to land me somewhere high up. So, I applied to the University of Minnesota, along with a myriad of other prestigious colleges my friends applied to.

A couple months later, I found out that I had been rejected by every single one of them.

Once the bad news had finally settled in, I felt like all the years I spent procrastinating had finally caught up to me, and these were the consequences. Because of my mistakes, I had to commute to and from my mom's house to a community college while I watched my friends kick it with their dorm mates and enjoy university life. I'd have to spend another year cooped up in my small town bubble.

I was so frustrated that I almost didn't see how important my time in community college would be for me.

As I took the time to dive into the community, I realized that there was still a lot left to experience in my bubble. For one, I noticed that many of my classmates had plenty of real-world experience that I don't find as often here in Minnesota. The friends I made there helped me understand that community college is more than just an institute for university rejects; it's a place for people to start anew.

I also noticed that my bank account was significantly happier. Due to all of the financial aid I received, I was essentially taking 25 credits worth of classes for free over the course of two semesters. On top of that, my failure to reach university helped me realize that my current study habits at the time weren't enough to succeed, so my motivation skyrocketed. And it's not like my social life was suffering for all my hard work; I had enough friends nearby to explore new parts of California with and a car to take us there.

In short, I had gained a new perspective on what it means to be successful, experienced new events in my home state, and saved at least $10,000 in tuition fees. By the time I successfully reapplied to the University of Minnesota two semesters later, my life had changed drastically for the better.

All because I failed to get into my dream schools.

Mistakes are opportunities.