Dear High School April,

There is more than one path after high school. I know you’ve applied to fourteen four-year colleges, that you react with surprise and confusion when you encounter people choosing to take a gap semester or gap year. I know you may not believe me, but you don’t have to graduate high school and follow a linear path through college. Life isn’t linear, and college doesn’t need to be either. You are you, and the mold that fits someone else doesn’t need to fit you. Your capabilities and wants and needs are different.

Today I sit at home as I take a semester off from school. Last semester I took three classes, and when I go back I might take two. I don’t think I’ll ever take a full three classes. Maybe it will take me five and a half years to graduate. Maybe my gap semester will turn into a year. Maybe I’ll transfer. Maybe college isn’t right for me. And all of those things are okay. And I am confident that whatever I choose will be the right thing for me, even if they wouldn’t be the right choice for someone else.

When I dropped a class last spring, I was disappointed in myself because I felt like I wasn’t “normal," wasn’t up to par. As I missed the first week of classes this year and accepted that I’m now part of the class of 2018.5, I had the same feeling. But what I want to tell you is that that “normal” path isn’t for everyone, and it doesn’t have to be you. Trying to fit into a box made for other people will only bend you out of shape and make you hurt.

Take a look at yourself. Think about what you want, not what other people want. Do you need a break from the pressure of academia? Do you need to take a semester to explore and learn about yourself before college? You will be happiest if you take a look at yourself and choose the path that is right for you. Sitting at home now, I know that taking this semester off to grow and learn and explore will make me a happier, more self-assured and more confident April when I return to Middlebury.

To all the high school students like me, taking the road less traveled is okay. Don’t bend yourself into shape trying to fit into a box that isn’t made for you. You don’t need to fit into society’s “norm”. As a matter of fact, I think it’s time to normalize the road less traveled. Our norm should be that each person should choose their own norm, their own path. I want to be in a society where we can each look at our own lives, our own paths and know that they are ours and whatever we choose is the right thing for us, even if it doesn’t look like the path of the person next to us.

Go forth and pick your path. And be confident in the path that you choose. It is okay. You will be okay.

Love,

April