Like hundreds of thousands of high school students annually, at this time last year, I was submitting my UC application. I feel so far removed from the college application process, even though I was going through it mere months ago. I submitted my application to UC Berkeley, the school I obviously now attend, on November 29th, 2023 (the night before it was due, less than a year ago).
I applied early decision to a small, private university on the other side of the country on Halloween of 2023. On Halloween of 2024, I was embracing Halloweekend here, a large, public university less than an hour from where I grew up. Furthermore, by Halloween of this year, I’ve had a complete change of heart about what I want to study and do after college, which would shock me on Halloween of 2023.
On December 15th of this year, I’ll be gearing up for my first finals week and preparing to enjoy winter break. This is a stark contrast from how I spent December 15th of last year: opening up my first college rejection letter directly before my AP Lit final, which was enough to squash my Christmas spirit.
If I could have a conversation with senior-year-of-high-school-me at this exact time last year, (most college applications in, mistakenly confident in what I want, anxious about college decisions, awaiting hearing back from the school I applied early decision to, not thinking about attending Berkeley at all) I would only tell her one thing: be open to everything.
I thought things would only work out for me if I followed one, hyper-specific path. In my seventeen year old mind, I had to attend a specific school, major in a specific thing, and move far away from my hometown. I couldn’t be happier that what I wanted at seventeen didn’t work out for me. I’m not super evolved, and I haven’t matured all that much, but I know so much more about flexibility at eighteen than I did a few months ago. Being closed off to new experiences, ideas, and paths would give me no room to grow.
Life is more exciting when things don’t go how you expect them to. This is probably the last place I expected to be last year, and I’d say it’s not half bad. I’m confident things will continue to work out how they’re supposed to in time, as long as I’m patient, try my best, and pursue what I care about.
The cusp between fall and winter is always strangely nostalgic to me, but for the first time, that feels warranted. The last time the weather was like this, I felt like a whole different person, and I wanted completely different things. I’m excited to keep embracing the unexpected path as 2025 inches closer, and I hope I never forget how much I enjoy being open to the strange, the confusing, and the new.