At Foothill, college is dramatized by students and faculty. As we enter a new year, most college applications are submitted, and some early decisions have been made.

College is important, but the stress and worry has gotten blown out of proportion.

Foothill’s college issues aren’t normal. The problem isn’t getting kids to apply themselves or start caring about their future, it’s that they’re so motivated that they end up self destructing by senior year.

At this point, I’ve witnessed a few senior classes go through this process. It’s the same every year.

I do believe in working hard to achieve your goals, but the amount of pressure students are putting on themselves isn’t necessary. Here’s why: you will go to the college you’re meant to be at.

If you applied to Stanford and didn’t get in, you aren’t supposed to be there, no matter how much you wish you were.

You don’t get rejected from a college because you’re not great, successful, or full of potential. You get rejected because it’s just too high of a level for you.

Foothill is a wonderful school to go to, and everyone here appreciates the supportive atmosphere, but as the high school that’s known for preparing its students for college, we’re obviously doing something wrong.

EDA is where it all begins. It was a useful class that supplied me with enough college researching devices to keep me busy until I graduate.

The quizzes that tell you what to major in and where to apply, the research reports, and the endless websites get freshman gears grinding early on.

It’s frightening, so people scramble to get an idea of what they want to be.

This is where everyone, teachers and students, start asking what you want to do with your life. They just want to help, and that should be appreciated, but it’s an extremely intimidating and invasive question.

Suddenly it starts to seem like everyone at school knows exactly what they want to do.

It also starts to seem like everyone wants to be a doctor or an engineer of some type.

This is nerve racking because fields such as these are very competitive.

The hype of Foothill’s attitude towards college can make you want to aim for something more impressive, which is good.

Unfortunately, this attitude also seems to make people more inclined to abandon a career they are actually passionate about pursuing.

A student may have wanted to pursue a career such as graphic design, but might end up going into pre-med because they feel it’s what’s necessary, what’s lucrative.

Perhaps people are ashamed of studying for a less lucrative career because they feel that it looks less authoritative, less impressive, or worst of all: easy.

Everyone works hard and wants their effort to pay off (as it should), but a desire like this shouldn’t be changing futures for the worse or getting people stuck in careers they despise; it should be benefitting them.

In such a competitive environment, everyone starts setting unrealistic goals. People just can’t seem to comprehend that being granted admission to an ivy league is very difficult.

It’s not impossible, but counting on something like that is putting a burden on yourself.

If you’re a freshman in EDA, and have made your goal to get into Columbia, you’re basically just promising yourself tears in four years.

But like I said, it’s not impossible to get in, so yes, do try. You know what they say: shoot for the moon and you’ll land among the stars. Having a wild goal may win you a ticket to a different, equally prestigious college.

Goals are a good thing: they’re what gets most of us through school, but having just one can be dangerous. There’s always the chance that you could get attached to that college.

Being obsessed with going to a specific college is particularly damaging to students because it absolutely devastates them when they don’t get in.

What if your friend gets in? Then you’re just perpetually jealous of them. What if you get wait-listed? Now you’re just an anxious wreck that’s constantly hoping for something that may never happen.

This disappointment can ruin a student’s motivation and confidence.

It’s just a real let down to get denied by the college of your dreams. So when you’re drawing out your future and setting goals, try picking several colleges. This will ease the pain of rejection.

Everyone at Foothill, staff and students, seem to be on edge at this time of year. As the acceptances and denials begin to flow in, everyone should keep in mind that they will end up where they’re supposed to be.