Oh gosh.  Well, I’m still trying to figure things out myself, as far as that goes.  I have a pretty harsh confidence problem, I know that, but I think it’s really important to just focus on your work as yours, and not constantly compare it to others.  You need to embrace what talent you have and appreciate it, acknowledge that, no matter what level you believe you are at, it’s still there and is still something you can polish and hold dear.  There is no ‘learning stage’.  You’ll always be learning and always be changing and developing your style, like how your cells are always replacing themselves and your nose just never stops getting bigger.  That’s what’s really beautiful about art, and not necessarily big noses (which I myself adore), no matter what you do it’s always growing with you.

As far as schools go, it’s not the school you go to, but how much effort you put in.  I myself don’t go to an art school, though I am getting an art degree and the art department of my school.  You don’t need a fancy collage and really well known teachers to do well or to become more experienced or talented.  You just need to put in the time and effort and love what you.  And you need to learn to respect your work and care about it because if you don’t truly care about your work, it will be hard for others to care about it themselves.

Your best bet, is to just focus on practice practice practice.  College will help, but try not getting too tied up in what school.  It’s better to select one you’ll enjoy, and work to get as many scholarships and loans as you need to get there, but remember that it’s not the school that makes you the artist you are, or the teachers, it’s you and how much you’re willing to work with your ability to help it flourish.