By the time the spring comes around, most seniors are refreshing their emails with fervor, waiting for an answer from a college that seems like it will define the rest of their lives. But what if it didn’t?

When it comes down to it, being accepted into your dream school won’t necessarily equate to happiness or success later on in life. Instead, the relationships and connections you make along the way will. Despite this fact, you would never be able to guess that walking down any high school hallway in America. 

Society has built   a culture where college acceptances, especially to big name schools, equate to a person’s wisdom or ability, and college rejections suggest failure. This line of thinking has distracted students from what actually matters most in their college experience–the people.

According to the Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, 76 percent of students say that the application process feels like a life-defining moment. An astounding 52 percent say that it is the most stressful academic experience that they’ve ever faced. This level of pressure shows how distorted our priorities have become.

The fact that students are experiencing this much stress is nothing short of absurd. Why are we stressing, constantly trying to achieve the most, when we will be successful, expand our knowledge, and meet important people no matter where we end up attending?

“I think the thing that stresses me out the most is not knowing where I am going to be in a couple of months,” senior Taimur Khokhar said. “It really stems from the fear of the unknown.”

These “unknown” variables are what is causing students to misplace their stress. Not even sure themselves where they see their future, the “big name” schools suddenly start to take unnecessary priority over the valuable connections students should be making along the way. 

Yet the question remains that beneath the inevitable anxiety and anticipation, why are people still treating college decisions like the balance between life or death? The truth is, that once the initial excitement fades, the name on your sweatshirt will never matter as much as what you do with the opportunities and people you find along the way. 

“In addition to college applications, I am also the editor in chief of this year’s yearbook, a part of the school’s Model United Nations team, and a cross country athlete,” senior Cayla Matsumoto said. “But being a part of these teams has given me a community to rely on, and a sense of ambition that will help me curate bigger goals throughout college and my future.”

The saddest thing is that Matsumoto’s realization is relatively rare among the senior class. The idea that communities can formulate success is so widely overlooked, and needs to be realized. 

In an article discussing the value of relationships in college, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Tim Stickel attributes his success in higher education to the connections he made along the way. 

“While the efforts are important, the people and connections you make matter,” Stickel said. “In your life, put people over any practice or problem you are entrenched in.”

In other words, when it comes down to it, the college you post on your social media feed, or the color flag you will wave on game day won’t determine your likelihood of becoming a well off lawyer, doctor, or any profession of that matter. Rather, it is up to you as the individual student to cross the line between average and exemplar. 

The value of networking over college prestige was further  found in studies where personal referrals (25%), internships and prior work experience (22%) and interview skills (20%) ranked higher on influence when securing future employment than a college degree, which only equated to 17%. 

“We are humans and we thrive on connection,” math teacher Sara Fram said. “Having a professional circle of people around you is always helpful, but we should all use whatever we have–whether that be environment, connections, or opportunities.”

So next time you find yourself biting your nails or pacing back and forth about college applications, don’t do it! Not only is it counterproductive and anxiety inducing, but the short story is, you will be fine. 

No matter where you go, strive to excel in relationships with friends, counselors, professors, and anyone you meet. It might just end up benefiting you more than you’d think.

Continuous worry and anxieties don’t get goals and life dreams accomplished. It really is the people you surround yourself with, and those you encounter along the way, that slowly build you up to individual success.