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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most inspiring leaders of all time. As a civil rights activist, his dedication to non-violent protest and advocacy for civil disobedience as a vehicle for change are enduring lessons for us all. He was an impassioned orator whose sermons and speeches invited people everywhere to imagine a better future, one of equity, peace, and justice. Unlike many of today’s leaders, King unabashedly held up unity over division. He asked us all to consider identity and to strive for greatness in ourselves and others. As a college counselor, I work with young people who aspire to earn a college degree on a path to a meaningful life. King’s words transcend issues and time. They are undeniably influential and powerful reminders of what really matters.
As we begin a new year, many college-bound high school juniors are thinking more seriously about searching for schools and planning for their post-secondary education. Often, young people are at a loss for where to start and how to approach this impending transition. They wonder how to build a list of colleges and what steps they can take to present themself as a competitive applicant. Meanwhile, it is not uncommon for students to harbor feelings of doubt, insecurity, and uncertainty. They question: “Am I good enough, smart enough, and/or talented enough?” They wonder, “Am I worthy?”
On October 26, 1967, King spoke to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, just six months before he was assassinated (if you have not heard it, please listen to this inspiring address in its entirety). He asked the young people assembled a foundational question: “What is in your life’s blueprint?” For students applying to college, this is a wonderful question to jumpstart your experience. Let’s look at some of King’s wisdom and how it might inform the search for higher education:
“And whenever a building is constructed, you usually have an architect who draws a blueprint. And that blueprint serves as the pattern, as the guide, as the model, for those who are to build the building. And a building is not well erected without a good, sound, and solid blueprint. Now each of you is in the process of building the structure of your lives, and the question is whether you have a proper, a solid, and a sound blueprint.”
This holds true for the college search. Before students begin to develop a list of schools or try to determine how to stand out in the application process, they need to draw out who they are, what is important to them, what they value, and what they are hoping for in their future. Most students will not have the answers to all of these questions, but this reflection is important in constructing and designing an intentional college search. As college-bound students start to sketch out this structure, among many others, here are some questions they might consider:
What brings you joy?
What makes you the most afraid?
What values are most important to you?
What do you care about most?
Which adjectives would you use to describe yourself?
What moments have you felt at your best?
What are you grateful for?
What concerns you the most?
What do you wish was different?
What has changed about you?
When have you felt conflicted?
What do you need?
What kind of person would you like to become?
What opportunities do you want the college experience to provide in the future?
What does it mean for you to live a good life?
What obstacles do you face if any in living a good life?
What does success mean to you?
What is a problem that you want to solve?
“Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth, and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you’re nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.”
College admission can often feel high stakes, as though it is a referendum on you as an individual and what you have to offer. Students must resist the temptation to view the assessment of them as an applicant as any indication of their worth. If young people can stay true to this premise that their lives have “ultimate significance,” then regardless of the outcome of their college search and application experience, they will feel more confident, resilient, and whole. They will know with absolute certainty that they matter and have a tremendous amount to contribute to whichever community they ultimately enter.
“Secondly, in your life’s blueprint, you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You’re going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold, what you will do in life — what your life’s work will be. Set out to do it well.”
There are many paths that students might take to earning a college degree. There will be challenges, successes, missteps, and redirection. For most students, this will begin in the admission process. What does “doing it well” mean in this context?” It means a commitment to their best and an intention to approach their search with aspiration and openness. As they build the blueprint for this experience it is important to have honest conversations with family and others who support them about financial limitations, goals, and expectations.
“And I say to you, my young friends, doors are opening to you–doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and your fathers — and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to face these doors as they open.”
Some students are overwhelmed or stressed by the college admission experience. They default to viewing it as something they must endure or get through. Meanwhile, others dismiss applying to college at all because it seems out of reach or they do not have support at home or at school to tackle the steps to college admission. This is especially true for those who will be the first in their family to apply to and attend, college. King reminds us that opportunity exists if we are ready to seize it. Instead of focusing on the few closed doors of admission, students are well-served to explore the many doors that are open—to approach their search as one of opportunity, not limitation.
“If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl, but by all means, keep moving!”
The college admission experience is different for every student, moving at the pace that is appropriate for each individual and their circumstances. It is important for students and those who support them to appreciate that their unique search and application experience will not be the same as their classmates’, siblings’, parents’ or friends’. The timeline, schools, programs, selectivity, and the match will vary greatly from student to student. King would point to that fact as beautiful and powerful. All applicants, however, must realize that this is not a passive endeavor and it requires thoughtful reflection, planning, and effort and they do not have to do it alone. So, as you embrace your college search, allow King’s words to spur you on, and “keep moving.”
