Yesterday, millions of students across the world committed to a U.S. college or university. Some are still buzzing with joy – they got into the school they dreamed of. Others are quietly nursing disappointment, trying to make peace with the one they didn’t. For most, the emotions are more complicated than they expected.
Here’s what I want to say to all of them – no matter which box they checked: Congratulations. Not because you “won” or “lost,” but because you’ve made a decision. And now the real work – and the real freedom – begins.
We spend so much time hyping up May 1 that it starts to feel like a finish line. It’s not. It’s barely a starting gate. Whether you got into your dream school or didn’t, whether you chose a safety or reached beyond your comfort zone, what matters most from this point forward isn’t where you landed – it’s how you move. How you meet the opportunities ahead of you. How you rise when you stumble. How you stay open to being changed by the experiences you can’t yet see coming.
I know this firsthand. When I was 18, I started pharmacy school. It seemed like the smart choice: a stable career, a clear path to taking over the family business, a respected field. But it didn’t feel right. Fortunately, the American education system gave me room to pivot. I switched to genetics and cell biology – subjects that fascinated me far more – and later, with the encouragement of a mentor, pursued a master’s degree in higher education. That one shift reshaped everything. It wasn’t part of the original plan. It wasn’t even a plan at all. But it set me on the path that led to where I am today.
And that’s the point. Life doesn’t ask you to get it all right on the first try. It asks you to stay open, stay honest, and stay in motion.
If you had told me back then that I’d end up building a company that helps students across the world navigate their own educational paths – paths that rarely go in a straight line, or that I’d travel the world speaking about technology, access to education, and the future of learning – I wouldn’t have believed you. But here I am, living a life that no college acceptance letter could have scripted for me. Not because I made the perfect decision at 18. But because I had the freedom – and eventually the courage – to revise it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned: Where you start matters far less than how you move.
We put enormous pressure on young people to make the “right” choice. But the truth is, there is no single right choice. The idea that one college will unlock the perfect life is a myth. What matters far more than where you go is how you move. Your curiosity, your resilience, your openness to change – those will shape your life in ways no acceptance letter ever could. Your future isn’t found in a college brochure. It’s built through the decisions you make after the decision.
We have to stop asking 18-year-olds to predict the rest of their lives. Instead, we should be asking: What lights you up? What do you want to try next? Who do you want to become? That shift – from pressure to possibility – can and will change everything.
So to every student who made a decision yesterday: breathe. Celebrate. And then get ready. Because what you do from now until that first day of college – and especially in your first year – can be even more powerful than the decision itself.
Here are five things to focus on between now and when school begins:
- Start reading widely. Fiction, nonfiction, biographies, opinion essays. Read what stretches your thinking. A broad mind is a prepared mind.
- Learn to manage your time. Not with apps or hacks, but by understanding how you work best. Practice self-discipline. College won’t babysit you.
- Have awkward conversations. With adults, with peers, with people who don’t think like you. Your ability to engage and disagree respectfully will be your greatest asset.
- Get uncomfortable on purpose. Do something that challenges your confidence – volunteer, intern, start a side hustle, speak publicly. Your comfort zone won’t take you far.
- Write down your ‘why.’ Before the rush of orientation and syllabi, articulate what you’re hoping to get out of college – who you want to become, not just what you want to study. Revisit it often.
And once college starts, treat your first year not just as an academic year, but as a life lab. Be intentional about who you surround yourself with. Take courses that have nothing to do with your major. Ask questions, not just in class, but about everything – your beliefs, your habits, your direction. Seek mentors. Learn how to learn. And don’t be afraid to change your mind.
To the parents, counselors, and university staff reading this: your work isn’t done either. Students need less pressure and more perspective. Encourage curiosity, not comparison. Praise effort, not just achievement. And remind them – again and again – that it’s okay to stumble as long as they keep moving forward.
May 1 was never about being right. It was about being brave enough to take the next step. The real transformation begins now.
Because in the end, you are never just the sum of your decisions. You are the sum of your becoming.
And the world doesn’t need more perfectly planned lives. It needs more curious, courageous ones.
Be one.
Ex cogitatione, progressus.
Girish
