To Young Girls With Big Dreams

Hey loves!

Over the past few weeks, I have received an increased amount of messages concerning self-doubt, insecurities, and a lack of confidence. I can fully understand these issues, especially given that this is the time of the year during which many students are applying to universities. I remember looking at the list of universities I was applying to and thinking that there was no point in even trying to get into any of these schools because I would probably not be good enough anyway. This feeling of doubt only intensified when I was deferred by my dream school in mid-December.

At that point, I was truly tempted to change my entire university list to only safeties. But there was one thing holding me back: My dream of attending a university where I could learn from professors whose work would inspire me, having tons of opportunities to contribute something positive to this planet while being at university, and studying somewhere where I would be proud to study. So I went for my very ambitious list. I ended up getting rejected by my dream school, but I also got accepted to Princeton and Cambridge.

This experience taught me something: You can doubt yourself, but you should not allow your doubt to make you not even try. Try anyway. Go for it. I have adopted this attitude with many applications and I have received many rejections - but I have also received many acceptances. Very often, I apply for programs which I do not think I am qualified or good enough for, but I go for them anyway. And sometimes it is frustrating when you know that you put hours into perfecting an essay and it still was not enough. But sometimes it also makes you really happy because you end up getting something you did not even imagine you could have.

I still consider myself one of the young girls who have big dreams (and also big doubts). But my advice to myself and to others like me is to not let your doubts stop you. There is no point in telling yourself not to doubt yourself - it is not realistic and your doubts are important because they keep you grounded. Having them also makes the experience of getting something you worked for even better, because you did not know whether you could get it. But do not let your doubts make choices for you.

If you are currently in the process of applying to university, this can be a scary time. But it is also a time full of opportunities. You get to choose which universities get to learn more about you through your application, which school you might attend in the future, and which subjects interest you. Embrace these opportunities rather than thinking about what a rejection letter might look like. If you would like to know which universities I applied to and how these applications went, you can find out here:

I hope that I was able to help some of you guys with your doubts. If you would like to message me, you can contact me here.

Lots of Love,

Elena