College acceptance season. One single email that will control your future, as a result of your high school academic past. Choosing the school for your next four years is exciting, but also a time of uncertainty. For high school seniors, college acceptance season is the finish line to a plethora of essays, research and applications. 

Picking the right college for you is no easy feat, but when you do, you want everyone around you to share the same enthusiasm. Therefore, if you’ve ever been “college shamed” it can be quite discouraging. Phrases such as, “Oh, that’s your target school? Well, that’s my safety”, “Why would you want to go there? It’s in the middle of nowhere and they basically accept anyone.” Uttering backhanded comments that are seemingly harmless to an individual can cause a world of hurt. 

A social problem in this day in age is the stigma that a college acceptance rate equals a student’s worth as an individual and a scholar. Many aspects go into picking a college, such as your financial situation, the major you want to study and deciding how far you want to be away from home, on top of much more. 

Also included in the college stigma is the idea of community college. Simply put, community college is not for losers. Frankly, I think it is the opposite. Community college is a great option for students who are in search of more flexibility in their major, lower tuition or those trying to complete general education before they transfer to a two-year university.

Your education is merely what you make of it. It matters not where you get your education, but what you do with the education you were given. Esteemed journalist Jim Lehrer got his associate’s degree from Victoria Community College and his bachelor’s from Missouri College. He did not need a fancy degree from an Ivy League school to have the determination and drive towards his incredible goals. Eileen Collins, the first female Space Shuttle Commander for NASA first got her education from Corning Community College.

During this college acceptance season, look past your predispositions about colleges that don’t fit your personal criteria. Although you might strive to attend an Ivy League school, it is not the perfect fit for everyone.