Two years ago, I began my college admissions season with pretty reasonable optimism. I was coming off the high of an excellent SAT score and an overall solid junior year after having a tougher time in my first two years of high school. Senior year, however, was the pinnacle, the culmination year. I knew that, no matter where I was going to end up, I was at the very least going to leave my rich, predominantly-Caucasian suburban New Jersey town, if not my home state of 18 years altogether.

The only question was, where exactly would I end up? I applied to 14 universities all across the East Coast, stretching from New England all the way down to central Florida. I knew that my intentions were to remain in the Northeast; my main focus was on Massachusetts and New York. But of all the schools I had browsed through, the one that I was particularly attracted to above all was the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

UMass was my first choice from April of my junior year to January of my senior year. I was so eager, so enamored with the school that I even applied on the very first day that the Common App was live (August 1st). From my then-18-year-old perspective, what was there not to like? A large state flagship university that was out-of-state (sorry, Rutgers) that had a large, beautiful campus in a prime college town, in addition to being rated one of the top five or so in campus dining year-after-year? I may never have visited, but I was impressed enough say to myself, "sign me up, please!".

After my first two acceptances in November came a rocky December where only one of the four admissions results was a large envelope. Then came January, where the burning desire that had made me sick to my stomach with nerves a month earlier had been replaced with nonchalant indifference. From my perspective, UMass had taken too long to get back to me considering the fact that I applied as early as possible. I would eventually be denied (and later shut out of Massachusetts altogether), but not before I received my acceptance to UNCW one and a half weeks prior. UNCW had already overtaken UMass by the time I had heard back from the latter.

Two years later, I thank God more and more each day that things turned out the way they did. Not only am I much happier at UNCW than I probably would have been at UMass, but the swanky, chill beach city home to Port City Java (AKA heaven on earth) is a far better fit for my own personality than the town that calls itself "the People's Republic of" Amherst. I am most certainly glad that I go to a university that doesn't think that Harambe jokes are somehow racist or takes issue with its students having fun on Halloween.

UMass, I harbor no resentment towards you for rejecting me; as far as I'm concerned, y'all made the right choice. God has led me down the right path, and I am blooming where He has planted me. However, I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't waiting for the day that we Seahawks face (and crush) you Minutemen in sports.