If you got rejected from dream uni, just some advice from an 07
It's that time of the year when people get rejected from their top choices. Last year, I got rejected from UW Tron, and it really affected my mental health for months. PLEASE DO NOT BE LIKE ME. BE BETTER. You have to realize that life is too short to be worrying about something like this. You guys are all 17/18, life just started for y'all. If you continue working with purpose/passion, you'll be successful no matter what.
I don't want to give any cliche advice like "You're so much more than what they define you" because I'm sure you know that already.
I think the reason why most individuals struggle mentally is not that "This uni is the only pipeline to success," but rather comparing yourself to the individuals who got in. I fell victim to this too, but the most important thing I learned is to surround yourself with good people and friends. Let's be real here, HS is a hella toxic environment, everyone is so competitive with each other, so if you feel like the people in HS are shit and you think your friend group is toxic asf, picking up some sort of volunteering/job could help out. That's what I did over the summer, and it's nice as you're exposed to people with different backgrounds and forms of education. Also, maybe doing a passion project that you're proud of can help as well. I didn't do any, but whatever your interests are whether it's healthcare, business, engineering, etc, there's plenty of projects/competitions you can do to interact with like-minded individuals.
Also, I'm sure a lot of you guys have really strict parents; you have to realize that no matter what, they are still very proud of you. Obviously, I can't speak in everyone's case but they are always gonna have your back no matter what school you go to.
For me, what truly got me over the Waterloo rejection was getting my first interviews for co-op, as for me, it showed I was good enough and did have the potential to do something great. Even getting rejected from multiple internships taught me how to handle rejection better. I cut off those toxic ass mfers from High School, and honestly, I'd say I'm balling. Got a co-op for the summer and aiming for SF next year(I'm delusional asf). So yeah, don't worry, it will all work out, trust me. NOW GO ENJOY PROM, SUMMER AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, YOU'LL NEVER GET THIS TIME BACK AND GET THE FUCK OFF REDDIT!
