Don't get me wrong, I love the University of Florida, and I can't imagine my life any different than it is now. I am the happiest I have ever been, but UF was never my dream school.
I didn't even know UF existed until my sophomore year of high school, and I definitely didn't begin to consider it until the summer before my senior year. I thought of it as a safety school, and not like "I'll definitely get in" safety school, but a "I wont go" safety school. I definitely didnt want to stay in state and I hated the idea of UF being a typical state school. I didnt, and still dont, lets be real, understand football, and hated the idea of a big pond where I'd be a little fish.
But things didn't work out the way I wanted them to. Some schools were too expensive, too far, or too difficult to get into. When it came to choose a university to attend, in-state tuition ruled above all else. And while now I can say that UF is the best thing to ever happen to me, it wasn't so easy in the beginning. All I could talk about for months was how upset I was that I wasn't going to NYU. I had spent the past ten years of my life working towards NYU. Everything I did, every class I took, every exam I studied for, was with NYU in mind. It was devastating to realize that I wouldn't be attending the college of my dreams because it was way too expensive.
I didn't want to go to school in the middle of rural Florida after having spent my whole life living in a big city. I didn't want to go to school with the same people I had seen in my classes the past four to thirteen years, and I definitely didn't want to stay in Florida so close to home.
The first semester was horrible, I didn't do as well in my classes as I was used to, and I didn't really make many new friends. However, I realized that change, no matter how small, is good. It wasn't the change I expected, but it was change nonetheless and I had two options. I could sulk, or I could make the most of UF. It was the complete opposite of my life plan, but it was a life plan nonetheless.
Being a gator wasn't my dream, but it definitely isn't a nightmare. I go to a top ten public school, and I never let anyone forget it, I have made so many friends, I'm far enough from home it was a huge culture shock, but close enough I can drive home every few weeks and eat some delicious Colombian food. Those friends I had had my whole life, or all of high school, that I didn't want to keep going to class with, are now some of the most important people of my life.
To the high school seniors, that await college decisions hoping and praying they get into their dream schools, congratulations if you get in, and don't sweat it if you don't. Dreams change and plans change. Where you end up, demonstrates how hard you worked, and any chance for an education is such a privilege you should take it. I am a firm believer in that you tend to not regret the things you do, but rather regret the things you don't do. If you don't like your university, you can always transfer, but you need to at least try.
