Growing up, it felt like I was raised with the sole purpose of attending an elite college. I took AP classes, did SAT prep, and signed up for all the right extracurriculars, but my heart was never in it, and I couldn&#x27;t force myself through in the end.<p>I ended up getting rejected from all but my safeties when applying to colleges. It felt like I was dead inside; I&#x27;d go through my daily motions, but I basically lost my interest in living for a while.