When I was a senior in high school applying to colleges, I chose UVA, Virginia Tech, and Penn St. I applied to all three. The results were as follows: Penn St. accepted, Virginia Tech, accepted, UVA…waiting list. So anyway I went to visit all three schools. I pretty much knew what I was getting into at Penn St. But then we made the trip to Virginia. When I saw the VT campus, I was shocked. It is very beautiful. It seemed more organized and a bit smaller than Penn St. The same day we drove to Charlottesville, but it was rainy. It was a long day and I was tired. As I said it was raining. We ended up doing a quick drive by and I was not particularly drawn to the appearance of the campus, so we didn’t stop or get out. I decided to eliminate UVA as a choice. However, instead of leaving that option open and waiting to see the result, I wrote a letter to UVA saying I wasn’t interested anymore and to remove me from the waiting list.
I really regret this decision. I never found out if I would have made it into one of the most prestigious schools in the country, nor did I attend which I believe would have left me with more options for my life. I chased engineering, which turned out to be a field that I didn’t particularly like. I followed the myth of making a good salary and having a lot of job prospects. UVA is more well rounded and is very prestigious. It would have been interesting to see how my life turned out had I gone there. It would have been interesting to see the friends I made and if the mistakes I made would have been avoided. There’s nothing I can do now but continue my life and try to keep my eyes open for a similar opportunity.
