My college journey began on April 3, 2015. It was the day I got my admissions decision to my dream school: Syracuse University.
I had been anxiously awaiting this email for weeks, as I was in the third batch of admissions decisions that were sent out and had seen so many people get their acceptances before me. As soon as I saw the notification pop up on my phone, I quickly logged into my web portal and skimmed the admissions email. I then saw the word I was dreading the most:
"Waitlisted."
I was crushed. I felt like I had failed. I got into every school I applied to except the school I had been dreaming about since I was a freshman in high school. Was it my grades? Was it my SAT scores? Was it my essay? Was it my recommendation? What went wrong?
I ended up deciding to go to my very last choice, San Diego State University. Months after I accepted my admission, I went back and forth on how I managed to not achieve the one goal I had set for myself. For a while, I considered taking a gap year and reapplying to Syracuse in the fall. I knew this probably wasn't the best decision, but it was better than being at a school I didn't want to go to.
June turned into July, July turned to August and before I knew it I was moving into my dorm. On the first night, I laid in my bed and just thought about where I pictured myself to be, and where I actually was. I couldn't lie and say I was happy, because I wasn't. Despite how beautiful San Diego was, all it did was serve as a constant reminder of my failures. Every part of me wanted to be in Syracuse where I felt I belonged.
But as the weeks passed, I got into the swing of things. I quickly became best friends with my roommate, I loved my classes and oddly enough, my gross, old dorm began to felt like home. The people who lived on my floor were somehow the best friends I was looking for all my life. I started going to activities on campus, sporting games and joined clubs where I finally had an outlet for all of my interests. Accidentally, I fell head over heels in love with San Diego and all it had to offer me. Somehow this school that I originally wanted nothing to do with had become a place I never wanted to leave.
In retrospect, I didn't belong at Syracuse. Now more than ever I couldn't picture myself living in the freezing cold. San Diego gave me opportunities that are just not available in upstate New York. I'm not doubting that I would be any less successful there, but it's not where I belong. If I wouldn't have come to San Diego, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people I have probably ever met. I've met my best friends, my boyfriend and my new family all in one convenient place. The experiences I've had here, along with the memories I've made, are some of the most precious things to me and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
The takeaway from this isn't a cliche like "it gets better" or "everything happens for a reason," but rather, getting denied from your dream school isn't the end of the world -- I promise.
Where ever you end up, it'll be okay. You'll make amazing friends who will make your less than perfect college experience a little better. Just remember that college is what you make it and looking on the bright side of things will make your experience that much better. Take it from me, just because didn't work out the way you planned doesn't mean they won't work out.
