The decision. If you are a senior, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The decision of what you are going to do for the rest of your life. High school will soon be behind us, and we’ll take our first steps into the real world. For some of us, that big grand decision is college, whether it be community college or a university. For some, it’s going into a trade and right into the workforce. Some will serve our country. Others will take a year off and just do their thing. The possibilities are endless for what you could do. However, no matter what your decision be, say it with me: Trust Your Gut.

Let me tell you a quick story about myself. I know with every ounce in my body that I want to go to a university post high school. I want to go to a big school, a good distance from home, that has lots of clubs and activities that I can choose from. I applied to Michigan State University, got in, and felt like I had everything figured out. However, for those of you who know me personally may know that there are some… how shall I put this… “complications” with going to MSU. Now, I know most of you don’t care about said complications so I’ll just get right to the point. For about three months, I tried to come up with every possible reason why I shouldn’t go to MSU. I probably shed all of the water in my body in tears, lost way too much sleep, was mean to god knows who because of how stressed out I made myself, and overall, I made this decision that is supposed to be so exciting and enjoyable an absolute miserable disaster. So, why am I telling you all of this? If you’re a junior, it’s to warn you right now. Don’t do what I did! Your gut is there for a reason! But don’t be ashamed or disappointed if it’s a little bit harder for you to decide. And if you’re a senior, and you felt the same way that I did, I want you to know that you aren’t alone. 

Listen. College… is scary. There are a lot of factors involved that you need to think about when making your decision including cost, distance, people in your life, health issues you may have, and the list goes on and on. Some factors are more important than others, it just depends on your values. But, what I’m about to say sounds very Disney, so just bear with me. Money… it’s not everything. MSU is stupid expensive. If I just strictly looked at the price of the school, there is not a chance in Hell that I would be going. However, if money is what you’re worried about, there are ways to save. The process is mentally painful and exhausting, but there are scholarships waiting for you in every direction. You aren’t alone if you’re applying for scholarships too, I’m right there with you. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that just look at something other than money for a hot second. Think about your overall happiness. When I was deciding where I wanted to go, I was told over and over that I would be happy no matter what I decided to do. And don’t get me wrong, I believe it. If you make the conscious effort to be happy somewhere, you’ll make the most of it. But the “what if” thought will always be in the back of your head. No matter what it’s about in life, thinking about what could have happened if you had made a different decision is going to pop up over and over. For college, most of you have probably asked yourself that question. It’s hard to tell you not to worry about it, because then I would just be a hypocrite, but seriously, if your mind keeps going back to the same thing, that might be a sign for you to just go for it. Speaking for myself, I thought about going to MSU everyday to the point where if I didn’t put my deposit in and set up an orientation date when I did, I would’ve driven myself mad. Now, if you’re worried about leaving Pittsburgh, all I want to say about that is that there is so much world out there. If you have the opportunity, just see what could happen, you never know. 

Now I get it, some of you may read this and think I’m selfish or stupid for basically telling you that this shouldn’t be a hard choice and you should just do what you want. I get it, life is life and everyone is dealing with different circumstances. But that’s not the message I want you to take away from this. I want you to remember this. You are your own person, who has the potential to be great. Life is scary, growing up is scary, making decisions that could put your life in a totally different direction is scary. But being scared of life will actually make you so much stronger than you will ever realize. Being scared forces you to work harder, it forces you to keep your head held high and to never give up. After all, anyone can give up. It’s one of the easiest things in the world to do. So do yourself a favor. Hold it together even if everyone would understand if you just fell apart. Don’t let this process of growing up cripple you. In fact, trust the process. And I might as well just say it one more time before I sign off on this article… trust your gut. Good luck to all of you.  No matter which path you decide, it’s right for you.