Some setbacks have staying power. If you get convicted of a felony, that record is going to stay with you for a long time. You can’t refund your life savings overnight if you lose it in a bad investment. These are long-term setbacks. Particularly bad cases may even be permanent.

But almost every perceived setback related to college admissions is temporary.

One grade, test score, or admissions decision from a college does absolutely no long-term damage. No permanent scarring. That’s why you’ll never meet a 40-year-old who’s lamenting that his high school Spanish teacher gave him a B, or that he didn’t get the SAT score he wanted, or that his dream college said No.  People move on.  High school becomes history.

The best way to deal with a setback of the high school variety? Learn from it and move on. Don’t dwell. It’s called “temporary” for a reason.