Growing up I was really lucky; I had a loving family, lived in a safe town, had a great group of friends, and everything in my life was practically perfect, yet all I wanted was change.
The little bubble that was my wonderful life was just not cutting it anymore, and when it came time to start looking for colleges to attend I was not settling for something I just “liked.” I obviously wanted to go to a school that had my intended major, but I also wanted much more than that. I wanted to pull up to a university and fall in love instantly. This ended up being a lot to ask for with my ridiculously high standards. I was looking for a college that was modern but with that old time feel and look, a school with a killer sports team with an even better fan base to go along with it, somewhere people didn’t actually complain about the food in the cafeterias, and where even on the dreariest of days everyone would be smiling and appreciating life at this wonderful university…and to my dismay I did not find this anywhere… until the day I decided to tour The University of Maryland. It was like my dreams came true and fireworks went off as I walked from building to building, rubbing Testudo’s infamous nose along the way.
After the tour that changed my life, I returned home and went straight to my computer to apply. To this day, I remember feeling like I nailed all of the short answer questions and truly felt confident in my application despite it taking so long to finish. Trying not to jinx my odds of getting in, I tried not to talk about how much I loved this university, but I was just so excited I couldn’t keep it together most days. I was sure I was going to get in and didn’t even take the time to apply to many other backup colleges.
Fast-forward six incessant months later and I finally got a letter in the mail, sealed in red with three crisp letters on the front and a big ol’ terrapin on the back. By the size of this letter I was sure it was one of acceptance. I tore it open faster than a child unwraps their gifts on Christmas morning, and what do I see? The worst combination of words any hopeful, prospective student could lay their eyes on; “…after reviewing your application we regret to inform you that we are unable to offer you a place in our university…” I was devastated. When I say I cried myself to sleep every day for the next year, I am not exaggerating in the slightest.
In the following months, I begrudgingly accepted admission to a university I only applied to because of how short the application was and also tried to seem happy for my friends who got into their first choice universities despite damning them to hell behind their backs.
Fast-forward again to a year and a half later and here I am, at a university I didn’t want to attend, the happiest I’ve ever been, and here’s why:
1. I made a ton of amazing friends. Sure it was hard at first, especially since I was trying really hard to hate where I was and didn’t want any ties holding me back from transferring after my first semester, but some of the biggest blessings in my life came out of this second choice school.
2. I’m still getting a really great education. While it’s not the one I had anticipated while I applied to colleges it still is really good and I’m fortunate enough to even be getting an education in general — something that millions of people would kill for.
3. I learned to work for what I want in life and appreciate the fact that not everything can just be handed to me.
4. I took the biggest rejection of my life and came out on top, despite having shed many tears and gaining some weight from stress eating.
5. Being told I wasn’t good enough gave me the push I needed to work harder and accomplish greater things so I will never be told "no," again.
