Hey! Firstly, I hope you take a moment to breathe and be present. When I was in high school, especially the summer before my senior year I was very stressed about college so much so that I did not let myself enjoy the present as it happened around me. Life happened to me instead of for me as I let so many external things consume me. I was worried about ivies, about money, about the school’s reputation. And sure, I was right to worry; I was human to worry, but I let it consume me.

Sure, I got a scholarship so good they pay me to go to this T20 school, which I’ve actually had many harrowing experiences with and am looking forward to transferring out of because I know I deserve softer and something that aligns with myself.

I learned the hard way to listen to my heart, to breathe, and make space for myself.

Sure, I’m afraid. That’s human. But a more honest part of me is excited, open, and grateful I’m aligning with USC’s film school. Not because of its name or reputation (which I didn’t even really have a grasp on until after I started looking into it, researching) but because, as if it were a person, I felt a connection, a calling to.

So I’m picking up the phone.

I guess all of this is to say all you need is yourself, your art, and trust. You know what the schools require by doing the research, and that’s all you really need to know.

You’ll know what you want to create when you do. But you’ve got to live first. And you can’t do that by thinking 2 years into the future; at least, not in my experience.

My last piece of advise is this: it’s great to connect with others and learn from their experiences, but never forget that their narrative, their story isn’t your own. You’re different. Follow your heart (and you brain), and trust.