As a 17 year old, stressing endlessly about the perfect university is almost a right of passage. It’s cliche: the late nights, creeping deadlines, excited Instagram acceptance posts and adding #InsertCollegeHere’22 to every social media bio. It’s an exciting time—a time of change. I, on the other hand, have yet to unlock the opportunity of wearing my college t-shirt and telling all my family where I’m heading in August. I spent months on end stressing about where I wanted to go to college, and not in a good way. The Common Application tab stayed open at all times, and my email was constantly refreshed to ensure I hadn’t missed any important deadlines or acceptance letters. Hours per week were spent in my room, in the dark, crafting the perfect essay to guarantee colleges would fall in love with me. Do I sound like the typical high school senior? Probably. Would I consider myself that? Absolutely not.
Throughout high school, my dream was always to attend N.C. State University. I spent months researching programs, acceptance rates, SAT scores and more. This college quickly became my concrete school of choice. I toured it, emailed admissions counselors, explored programs, and applied early. So, as a high school senior, I was notified one day late in January that my decision was ready.
And it was deferred.
While this wasn’t the sole deciding factor that sent me on some wild journey to find myself, it did send some ideas churning through my mind. What if… now this is a new one… I didn’t go to college?
I spent a couple of weeks pondering this idea. I have always wanted to travel far and wide, but that costs money. Plus, I’m not even 18 years old, and the world can be a scary place. No, I began to think, I just need to suck it up and go to a school I don’t really love. I just need to stick with the system and graduate, and then go to some school and find some job someday. I mean, I hadn’t even been declined from N.C. State; it just wasn’t an immediate yes. I just needed to wait it out or pick from one of my handful of other acceptances. Then, one of my closest friends told me about this program, Wwoof— Worldwide Workers on Organic Farms. From there, I spiraled uncontrollably into a world of farms and plane tickets, and there was no going back.
Late February, I officially made the decision to be an American nomad and spend time farm-hopping through the entirety of the country, from Maine all the way to Hawaii. I’ve never been “that girl” who was enthralled with the idea of moving away from public school right into another four years of education, so taking a short break before seemed like the perfect idea to me.
The past few weeks, I have been obsessively researching farms and cheap flights to get where I need to go. What I’ve taken out of all of this is sometimes plans fall apart for something a little better, and taking on the unknown is okay. It’s more than okay, it’s great, and I am a firm believer in chasing your dreams, no matter how unconventional they may be.
So, come August, if you need me, I’ll have many different homes to call my own. I’ll spend time in San Francisco, Las Vegas (New Mexico), Seattle, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Boulder and more. What I want everyone to know about my decision is that it is my own and that’s all that matters. College, while beneficial and a great choice for many, doesn’t have to be for everyone, especially not right after graduation. Taking alternative routes can be looked down upon by some, but if the decision feels right, then it shouldn’t matter to anyone but you. I couldn’t be more excited to see the world, meet new people and expand my horizons.
So, Common Application, N.C. State WolfPAW account and FAFSA: I’ll see you again. Until then, bon voyage—I’ll be back in a year.
– By Zoe Willard
