Disappointments, Expectations, and Reality.

Hello, Liliana here!

I thought that it would be appropriate for me to follow up with the promise I made in my last post. It has been more than a month, and I’m pretty much set with my college decisions. (Go to my last post so you don’t feel lost.)

Well, first things first. Sadly, I wasn’t admitted into MIT. Apparently those dreams didn't have a hidden message. Hold on to your tears tho! I’m more than satisfied with the things that I accomplished at MIT and am well aware of the high amount of applicants every year. I knew how unlikely it would be for me to get in (I remember confessing my terrible low SAT scores and lack of academics) but I don’t regret giving it a shot.

I think my topic for this post will be disappointments, expectations, and reality.  To start off, let me tell you what a difficult month this has been for me. I applied to 12 colleges/universities this year, and have only been admitted to 6. That’s half of my list (This is the part where disappointment comes).  I have been offered admission to most of my state schools and some good private schools in MA. You may want to know that Purdue University (one of the top schools for Engineering in the country) is also among the list. GO BOILER MAKERS WOHO!

Now you may think, “Wow, I’m so happy for her. Her dream of going to a good college came true.” Well, not really. But I didn't know that at the moment. You see, when I got my acceptance letter I was elated. Beyond shocked. Excited enough to start packing my bags to move to Indiana (not really lol). When I decided to come to the U.S., I had big expectations for myself. I dreamed about being successful, being able to provide for my family, and receiving the best education out there.  Purdue definitely represented all of those things and I couldn't wish for anything else.

However, not everything is as it seems. All of my plans changed when I received my financial aid package and realized that not even in a million years could I afford Purdue. (This is where reality comes to play). No matter how much I begged, how many times I called their offices, how many scholarships I applied to, I couldn't pay for my dream school. Of course, taking loans came to my mind right away. But after thinking about it non-stop, and having crazy dreams about counting money, I came up with a decision.  

Why worry so much about something so simple? Education is education, no matter where you go. It doesn't matter if you go to a community college, a state school, or an Ivy League. You will get an education! What matters is what you do with it. That’s what’s gonna define how your life is going to be.

Short story short, I denied my Purdue offer. I’m actually thinking of attending to a state school during freshman year. But my story doesn't end here, no no! This is only the beginning for me. I hope to find my true passions, draft a plan to pursue them, and then set the plan in motion. After that is done, I plan to transfer out. To where? I don’t know yet. Ask me next year and I’ll tell you.

I’m really excited for the fall. I can already see amazing things happening. Being positive always helps even in the worst situations. We don’t always get what we want, but we can keep trying until we get something similar to it. That is what I’m planning to do. I’m gonna keep trying, keep applying, keep studying, and (of course) keep being positive. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up on the top of the world one day.

It is not that cold in MA anymore. The sun is actually out even though it is 6:00pm. Summer is approaching, and with it comes the start of an amazing internship opportunity I was offered (will explain in other post). Life is great. Hope yours is as good. Keep dreaming big. Best wishes and good luck to all of you who are trying to pursue something big. (Wish me luck, too).

Shades on,

Lily-