As the end of the year steadily sneaks up on us, despite the current weather, students are beginning to hear back from the various colleges they applied to earlier this year. This is a particularly difficult time for seniors. Goals are being met, dreams are being shattered and coming true, and disappointment is setting in for some students; it’s an emotional rollercoaster. But, seniors need to know that, from a third-party point of view, you’ll be fine.

 First of all, wherever you go to college is the best plan for you. If you’re going to a Virginia college this fall, you’ll be in good company. Virginia arguably has the best collection of public schools in the nation. Just because you aren’t going to UVA or William and Mary doesn’t mean you aren’t intelligent or that you’re lackadaisical.

 There’s a general consensus among the academic cut-throats of Northern Virginia that schools, like James Madison for example, are institutions that people go to as back-up’s if they don’t get into “better” schools like UVA or Virginia Tech. The fact of the matter is, sticking with the JMU example, we have some of the best schools in the South, East, and even mid-Atlantic, depending on who you ask. Don’t think that you’re settling. Students from other places would give a lot to go to some of Virginia’s public universities and colleges. Do your best to avoid the Hunger Games-esque environment that is NoVa academia. Schools like UVA, William and Mary, and others don’t like offering us NoVa overachievers admittance to their schools because we are all overachievers in our own right. That’s just the little world we live in. Anything less than an A is egregious for some students. Anything less than a B can make you wish Clarity was never invented. I’m pretty sure I would–or I will–go missing if I get a C in any of my classes.

 This extreme academic pressure makes anything less than perfect, whether it’s grades or colleges, feel inadequate. But the truth is, getting into college is a tough task. Earning the grades necessary, doing the extracurricular activities, and the entire admissions process is painful (almost as painful to watch from the outside). No matter where you’re heading off to or whatever you’re doing this fall, it’s the best path for you, as cliché and parental as that sounds. You should be proud of yourself. You’ve reached the summit. You are about to finish high school and go on to vastly bigger and better things. You should take pride in where you attend college, even if it isn’t Harvard or your dream college. While remaining proud of yourself, remember that someone is proud of you. If you don’t get into daddy’s alma mater or the college your parents met at, don’t discourage yourself. I can guarantee that your parents will take pride in whatever path you choose regardless because it takes a heap of hard work and just as much heart to get where you are and to get where you’re going.