<p>If you’re not ready for college, don’t go. Trust your instincts. You want to go to college when you are ready to take full advantage of the opportunities it offers. There are too many students who go to college not ready or not wanting to be there and spending a lot of money to make their lives miserable. :(( </p>
<p>Stop dreaming about traveling the world because that isn’t happening next year. I want to do that, too, but then there are these bills to pay and mouths to feed. Put that off until you can afford to do it. </p>
<p>Tell your father that an ivy league school is unlikely at this point and that you’re going give yourself some time to mature and firm up your college resumé. Also, around your dad you might want to quiet the talk about majoring in English and instead spend some time doing some creative writing on the QT. </p>
<p>Try to find substantial work (even if that means digging ditches) so that you can take courses at a community college and pay for them yourself (and with the help of any financial aid). This is an inexpensive (usually) way to take college courses (gen ed requirements often) and then transfer into a (more expensive) four-year school. A long hard work week combined with a couple of college courses has a marvelous way of focusing the mind on what’s important to you. Compared to college, work often really sucks and serves as a good motivator to climb out of the ditch and get that college degree–but only when you’re ready.</p>
<p>Your parents will probably fight you on this, to some extent. After all, what did your parents struggle all those years for if you’re not going to college? You ARE going to college, just not on their timetable or anyone else’s.</p>
<p>College is not an escape from hard work, but it’s a very different kind of work and, when you are ready, much more pleasurable than most kinds of work. </p>