Senior Reflection #2

  I think the absolute most memorable part of this year was the entire college process.  When this year began, I was dead set on getting into UNC Chapel Hill.  I worked my butt off and tried really hard and I really believed I had a chance to make it.  I ended up applying to UNC, UVA, Tech, JMU, Villanova, Notre Dame, and University of Pennsylvania.  It was definitely a process I do not want to go through again.  I think if I handed my dad one more essay to look over he never would have talked to me again.  I think all the schools must conspire against us diligent applicants, because I tell you not one single prompt was the same for any of my applications.  Go figure.  Not to say some of them weren't fun to write - because they were, my personal favorite being what's your favorite word and why, courtesy of UVA. However, I'm not going to lie, I personally was not a huge fan of UVA when the whole process began.  I really didn't want to end up there and I was dreading it a little bit.  Oh, but how the tides changed.  One day, I took a day trip down to UVA with Kaija for Days on the Lawn, and it was there that I realized the true potential of UVA.  Being a particularly superstitious person...the signs were all laid out for me.  We passed a Chik fil A and got free coffee and chicken biscuits on the way down.  There was no traffic along the way.  The campus was in full bloom, especially the Rotunda.  The sky was a bright clear blue and the leaves were waving in an almost-welcoming fashion.  The second we started walking on campus, I saw an Australian Shepherd puppy, coincidentally, the same type of dog I was looking into buying just a few measly days beforehand.  We happened to be there on the same day as one of my best friends from middle school who I hadn't seen in ages.  But, what really did it for me was the second I stepped into the commerce school seminar.  I had never in my life felt that a place was so perfect for me until that moment.  It was then and there that I made my decision, despite my pending UNC decision and despite everything else.  It was clear then and even clearer now, and I can't wait!