When it comes to picking the right college, Michelle Obama says, do you.
In a new interview for Seventeen magazine, the first lady shared the college advice she’s given her daughters, Sasha, 14, and Malia, 17, along with young women and men across the country, looking to better their life through education. First things first: don’t sweat it if you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up (that applies to grown folk, as well).
“I always tell people, the question of what you want to be when you grow up is one that you will eternally be answering. I’m still asking myself that question!” Mrs. Obama says. “What am I going to do when I leave here? How do I want to impact the world? I’ve gotten used to the fact that I don’t have to know. I’m always going to be discovering new parts of myself, and you’ll find that you will be too,” said Obama.
“The one thing I’ve been telling my daughters is that I don’t want them to choose a name,” she said. “I don’t want them to think, ‘Oh I should go to these top schools.’ We live in a country where there are thousands of amazing universities. So, the question is: What’s going to work for you?”
Of course, Obama is speaking from experience. Despite doubts from her high school counselors, FLOTUS attended Princeton University, graduating cum laude in 1985. She later went on to earn a degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. “When it was time for me to apply to colleges there were some counselors who said, ‘Maybe, with Princeton, you’re reaching a little high,’ ” she recalled. “And I thought, ‘You really don’t think I can do it?’ ”
As for how she pushed past her naysayers, Obama said, “I decided to ignore the doubters. I plunged ahead and I got in. I went on to Harvard Law School and every step of the way I used those doubting voices as motivation.”
President Obama has also given similar advice to his eldest daughter, Malia, who will begin college this fall. “One piece of advice that I’ve given her is not to stress too much about having to get into one particular college,” Obama previously said. “There are a lot of good colleges and universities out there, and it’s important, I think, for everybody here to understand you can find a college or university that gives you a great education.
“Just because it’s not some name-brand, famous, fancy school doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get a great education there. So one is, lower the stress levels in terms of just having to get into one particular school.”
In other words, whether you want to be the president, a journalist, rocket scientist, or a teacher, you need to face your challenges, stay true to yourself and work hard in school so you can shine.
