<p>Okay, take a breath. You are going to be FINE. The ACT is just one test in your entire life. You have to realize now that this is where you are and you can’t go back and apply to WashU and get in as a graduating high school senior. Instead you have to work with what you have. Firstly, you have to improve your mental health, or nothing will improve. Talk to your parents about getting some sort of counselor, and learn to stop beating yourself up and start celebrating things that you are good at or enjoy doing. Secondly, you’re in community college now, and what you should do is work hard there, get a high GPA, get involved in things outside of academics, and then apply to transfer to WashU. From your senior year GPA, you have a great shot and getting a good GPA in community college and transferring.</p>
<p>I know many people who were smart but somehow or another ended up in community college, and they all either transferred to or are getting their master’s at good schools like UCLA, UCSD, UC Berkeley, and one even went to Yale. Your life is NOT over, plenty of people start out in community college. The ACT is one small piece of your high school career and your 4 years in high school are just a fraction of your life. Don’t beat yourself up over just a few years.</p>
<p>No matter what happens, I’m sure you’ll go on to get your masters or at least graduate from this community college and begin your career. You seem hardworking and I think if you work through your mental health issues you’ll be able to put all your efforts to the max. Eventually you’ll be successful and look back on all this and be glad you didn’t give up and continued to work hard despite having momentarily “screwed up.”</p>
<p>Good luck and don’t be too hard on yourself, you have so much left going for you!</p>