What Getting Turned Down by 15 Colleges Showed Me About Life

So, I just got rejection letters from 15 universities over in the U.S. Honestly, it was pretty shocking and a big letdown. For years, I’ve been hitting the books, dreaming big, and pushing myself to make it there, only to fall short when it counted most. Back during Ramadan, the main thing I took away was to have faith in Allah’s plan. But when these results came out, I won’t lie-I really wondered about that plan. Think about dedicating years to a goal, making du'a for it, and then seeing it not turn out at all like you pictured. Around the time of the results, I kept having all these weird moments-talking to my dad or seeing things online-that kept steering me back to one truth: trust in Allah’s plan. So what did I learn through all this? Put your trust in Allah’s plan. I honestly have no clue what’s next for me now, but this roadblock brought me some realizations I never saw coming and even helped me sort out personal issues I didn’t realize I had. It’s pushed me to see that I need to hustle even harder. Part of me wants to just walk away from Allah and quit, but I’ve learned that when I do that, that’s when I hit my lowest. So to anyone out there struggling with anything, no matter what it is: trust in Allah, and keep pushing forward. Don’t let yourself get swallowed up by sadness. You’re not down; you’re just needing a change in your situation, and no one can shift your condition better than Allah. I’m positive my future has a purpose and will make a good difference for others. If it weren’t meant to, Allah would have taken me already, Alhamdulillah.