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As the weather changes, there is a palpable anticipation in the air. No, I am not talking about spring break or Easter, but rather the time of year when high school seniors—and their parents—torment themselves with a decision that some believe will set the trajectory of their lives. It’s time to decide on which college to attend. Some students are lucky enough to have been accepted by their top choice while others are deciding among several options. Others are balancing affordability and geography, obtaining vocational or technical training, or forgoing further education to start working.
I recall struggling with this decision myself, back in a time before email or cell phones, social media or even the internet—a time today’s generation may equate with the Dark Ages. The anxiety and pressure were immense: at the age of 18, I was being asked to make a decision that would impact the rest of my life, or so I was led to believe. It would determine my life experiences, my life-long friends, my spouse, my career path, how much money I would make, the opportunities I would encounter, and even the life trajectory and opportunity set that my children might one day have.
It’s been more than three decades since I decided to attend Yale. Over that time, I’ve gotten to know admissions officers at leading colleges, taught hundreds of undergraduate students, spent almost twenty years as an alumni interviewer, and visited dozens of campuses. And here’s what I now know about the decision: it probably didn’t matter. Sure, it gave me experiences that impacted other experiences and introduced me to people who introduced me to others. So, it clearly influenced my life. But if I hadn’t gone to Yale, I suspect I’d still have friends, I’d still have a career, and I’d still have a rich set of life experiences. Yes, they’d be different, but it’s impossible to know if they would have been better or worse.
Further, it’s unclear that a college choice has any direct impact on “success” (however you define it). You see, I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world and meet some of the most successful people from all walks of life: doctors in South America, entrepreneurs in Asia, academics in Africa, politicians in the Middle East, and military professionals in Europe, among others. Even in America I’ve met billionaire ranchers, Nobel Prize-winning economists, successful entrepreneurs, decorated military leaders, and life-saving doctors. Surely such a breadth of exposure would point to some consistent characteristic necessary for success.
What matters more than where you go is what you do once there.
It doesn’t. Sure, career counselors, business book writers, and motivational speakers may come up with a bucket of common traits and a pithy name for it, but my experience suggests otherwise. The most accomplished people I know include high school dropouts, community college graduates, college dropouts, college graduates, and those with piles of degrees. I’ve seen Harvard graduates struggle and community college graduates succeed. It seems to me that what matters more than where you go is what you do once there. That has always been – and still is – the story of America.
So, here’s my advice to those struggling with a college decision: write the names of the schools you’re considering on different notecards. Put them into a hat. Pull one out and send in your enrollment forms. Stop stressing about doors you may be closing and start thinking about what you might do when you go through the door you opened. Forget about where you’ll be and focus on what you’ll do. Because ultimately, life, like college, is about opportunities and what we make of them.
VIKRAM MANSHARAMANI is an entrepreneur, consultant, scholar, neighbor, husband, father, volunteer, and professional generalist who thinks in multiple-dimensions and looks beyond the short-term. Self-taught to think around corners and connect original dots, he spends his time speaking with global leaders in business, government, academia, and journalism. He’s currently the Chairman and CEO of Goodwell Foods, a manufacturer of private label frozen pizza. LinkedIn has twice listed him as its #1 Top Voice in Money & Finance, and Worth profiled him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. Vikram earned a PhD From MIT, has taught at Yale and Harvard, and is the author of three books, The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World [ [link removed] ], Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence [ [link removed] ] and Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst [ [link removed] ]. Vikram lives in Lincoln, New Hampshire with his wife and two children, where they can usually be found hiking or skiing.
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