A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a staggering statistic: 60% of college students lied in some way on their college applications. Only a third of these students were caught by admissions officers.

As a junior preparing to apply to college, I was immediately disheartened. Could my efforts have gone to waste? What about my peers who are so deserving of their dream schools? What if someone who embellished or flat-out lied on their application got in over them? 

The simple answer is that the world is just not fair. At that moment, I truly felt the stress that I know some of my peers feel about the college application process. 

But taking a step back to look at the bigger picture, while the anxiety around college admissions is completely warranted, it isn’t necessary. Honest applicants don’t need to worry about getting caught. Yes, colleges only audit a small percentage of applications, but the significant consequences for fabricating or exaggerating are hypotheticals only those who choose to do so have to worry about. And it’s not just college admissions. Dishonest applicants will have to live with the potential consequences of their dishonesty for the rest of their lives. 

The college application process does a great job of stressing out high school students because it seems to encourage extravagance, which invites dishonesty, which creates more anxiety, and the cycle continues. In order to not get caught up in this mess, remember your ultimate goal in life. This doesn’t have to be specific. What do you want to do with your life? How do you want to live it? 

Whatever your end goal is, I promise you there are many paths to achieving it. You may know of the conventional way, but there are so many unconventional paths that no one could have imagined existed. 

Even if your end goal is to get into Harvard, there are many more options than applying as a senior in high school: transferring in, taking a gap year, graduate school, professorship, and so much more.

For many of us, the end goal transcends getting into a specific college or “tier” of college. College may be a step in the conventional path, but no college can make or break your future. Only you have that power.

You may have heard of the phrase “rejection is redirection,” and I wholeheartedly agree. There’s always an open door somewhere, whether it’s a massive gateway or a side door hidden from most people’s eyes. No one can guarantee acceptance to any university, but everyone can choose to make the most of the opportunities available to them.

For example, Stanley Zhong, a 2023 graduate of Gunn High School in California, was denied admission from 16 out of 18 colleges during his application process. During this wave of rejection, a new opportunity opened for him: He was hired by Google as a software engineer. This job is highly sought after by computer science majors, but Zhong didn’t go to college. He took the unconventional path and made the most out of the opportunities available to him.

By similar logic, no matter what schools you may get rejected from, what you did in high school did not go to waste. The knowledge, time management skills, communication skills, the initiative you took, the friendships you built, and everything else you learned in high school will benefit you for the rest of your life.

To my graduating class, the class of 2025, I know we’re all a little nervous about the upcoming college admissions cycle. But knowing the crazy talent in our class, we’re bound for success. If you’re ever feeling stressed about college admissions, remember to keep your integrity and look at the bigger picture. Keep calm. You’re on the right track!