What is the best way to get me to stop telling myself that I'm not 'good enough' for a certain college?

Hi Felicia,

Really great question. I think it's awesome that you are confronting the lie that not getting into a "good" school somehow determines your worth. The truth is there are many times in life that you will have to wrestle with the lie that something external such as a "good" school, your dream job, instant success right out of college, or whatever determines your internal worth.

So how do your combat that lie right now? Start by making a list of what you are looking for in a college. Is getting accepted into a competitive program important to you? Would you be happy at a larger school in a busy city or a smaller school in a little college town? Is it important to you to be close enough to home so you can drive home on the weekends? What about student life on campus or housing options?

Next write down your number one school. What makes it a "good" school, your number one choice? In my experience a lot of high school students determine how good a school is based on a lot of their friends planning to attend the school, or perhaps their parents graduated from that school, or maybe the school has a great football team or is known for being a party campus. Or maybe you consider your number one choice a "good" school because they offer a competitive program that you really want to major in. Whatever defines your number one choice as a good school write it all out. Next prioritize your list of reasons. Now list out other colleges that are options for you and list reasons why they would be good options as well. Try to list at least 6 schools. Take a little time to look at each schools website and maybe talk to your school counselor to see if they know anything about your top 6 choices.

Look at your lists side-by-side. I'm willing to bet that at least 3 of those schools will have what your are looking for in a college. The bottom line is that by broadening your perspective and making your search for a college about what you are looking for and what you need in a school you may be surprised to find out there are a lot of good choices. Not being accepted into the college that is your number one choice is in no way a reflection of your worth. Don't forget that as much as a school is looking for students that fit their criteria for acceptance, you are looking for a school to fit your criteria. And odds are there are several colleges that will be a good fit based on what is important to you.

I hope you find this helpful!

Hi Fleicia,

You already gave the answer or I can say you have the answer in yourself. Look at some biggest achievers in the world, they didn't achieve their name, fame or goal by going to a nice rich colleges, they became G.O.A.T cause they believed in themselves more than anything else and never giving up on themselves. Whatever college or school you study you will feel it has nothing to do with your life. Life is more about practicality. What you study matters more than where you study! Some of the great scientist achieved that position without even going to school or college.

Good Luck!