Art schools are really different breed. And people accepted the fact, that when signing up for art hs/university, you’ll have to try 3-4 times before you have the chance of getting in (unless you are a genius or have immaculate luck). Crazy stuff. No one has time for that, right?? Since I’m a talented child, a hardworking student with strong motivation (and definitely not feeling like a fraud ahaha), I should get to any school I want, no?

Wrong.

So there are 3 high schools I want to apply to. One I decide I do not go for because the people seems scary to me. Other two? Didn’t pass. Everyone is shooketh. Be aware that the talent exams lasts about 2 days each and then about a few weeks of waiting for results, so I am exhausted at this point and starting to lose my marbles. What now? I don’t know, logistics sounds interesting.

My friend calls me.

“Hey, this DUKE high school is still accepting students, get yourself here.”

Alright, can’t hurt. Another week of studying for the literature exam and composing a portfolio. It’s a day after both exams and I don’t believe I will get in because I didn’t know what “chronological” means and I was the only one who didn’t bother to mix and paint with realistic colours (still avoiding using paint palette to this day). But somehow I got in.

After a few classes of typography and many more classes of studying nakey people (and “you came here and already knew and can do everything we have yet to learn”), here we go again with applying to schools. I’m basically pro now, so there won’t be an issue.

Wrong.

Applied to two schools in different cities and went thru draining talent exams and interviews. And, you know, things just sometimes don’t work out and that’s okay. But it’s also okay to let yourself feel disappointed.

“I don’t know, you are just missing something...”

Oh, I’m probably missing a lot of things. Well, that’s rough, time to move on. You know what? I don’t need a Bc in design to do design. But let’s apply to some university anyway. I’m learning Chinese, I can learn more graphic design stuff myself, let’s go for marketing! Look, this school has a marketing program. But man, why am I not feeling it. There is a graphic design program too... Won’t hurt to try, amirite? Let’s also try the school I was too scared to apply to before.

I got in both?? Sweet. Or bittersweet, cuz I can still feel the failures.