When I began looking into colleges my sophomore year of high school, I stumbled upon Belmont University—a small Christian college in the heart of Nashville with an amazing music business program and plenty of notable alumni. It was at this point in my life that I decided Belmont was the college I not only wanted to go to, but that I was going to go to.
I have always been interested in music and while I’m not one to be up on stage in the spotlight, I knew I wanted to pursue a career within the music industry. Belmont’s music business program stood out above the rest; located in the music capital of the U.S., what better place to live out my college years than right next to Music Row? As I continued to keep my options open, I always knew in the back of my mind that if I got into Belmont, I was going.
When it came time to apply, Belmont’s application was the first one I submitted. When I received that big envelope in the mail, I knew I was moving to Nashville. I joined the Class of 2018 Facebook group and met my future roommate, Taylor, through posting about myself (turns out we were basically the same person…we lived in the same town just in two different states). I went to orientation and fell in love with the campus, the people, and the city of Nashville—but when I finally moved in and started classes, my picture-perfect college experience was not living up to my expectations. I knew going into it that Belmont was a dry campus (as most schools are) and had a strong religious presence, but I quickly found out that night life on campus was almost nonexistent. If you didn’t have a car, chances are you were not going to get to adventure around the boroughs of Nashville. Public transportation was not reliable and when you’re an introverted 18-year-old in a drinking city, there’s not much to do other than go to shows and restaurants, both of which required money (which I lacked).
I wasn’t all that disappointed with the fact that by staying in my room every weekend I bonded with Taylor and our friends from down the hall, Alyssa and Kaitlyn, but when I would talk to my friends back home and hear about how much fun they were having, I felt as though I was missing out on so much.
It took so much to muster up the courage to call my mom one day and tell her that I wanted to come home after the first semester. She knew that Belmont had been my dream school since I was 15 and went above and beyond to make sure I was able to attend. When I called her, she kept asking if I was sure, if I wanted to wait it out and finish up the year there. But I knew that I wouldn’t be able to make it through another semester and get good grades when being there is the last thing I wanted to do.
So, it was decided. My dad would fly down once classes were done and we would pack up all my belongings in a U-Haul and drive back to Connecticut.
Instead of taking a semester off, I decided to get a part-time job and take two night classes at a local college so that I could stay in the “school mode.” While working and taking classes, I decided to look back into schools. I knew I wanted to go to school in a city and living only an hour and a half away from Manhattan, I decided that that’s where I wanted to be. I was between Pace and Marymount. After attending both open houses in the same weekend, I decided on Marymount.
I can honestly say that I have never been happier. I love this school, my classes, my professors, all the friends that I have made and continue to make, and I love living in Manhattan. Actress Myrna Loy once said: “If you’re bored in New York, it’s your own fault. Something’s always happening,” that could not be more true. As if Manhattan didn’t offer enough for a 20-year-old college student to partake in, Marymount has a vast array of clubs and organizations to join as well as panels, talkbacks, and shows on a regular basis.
Marymount stood out to me from Pace because of its inclusivity. Marymount accepts people from all different walks of life and I have learned so much; not only from my classes, but from the individuals that sit beside me in the classroom. I’m from a small town in Connecticut that lacks any real sense of diversity. Coming to Marymount has opened my eyes to so many different ways of living and although I’m from a town that would probably reject these differences, Marymount embraces them and that’s what makes this school standout so much.
I look forward to every single class I take at Marymount. I know that my professors are knowledgeable and approachable, so even if I’m having a problem outside of class they would be willing to sit down with me and talk with me. That is something I didn’t necessarily experience at Belmont due to large lectures instead of small, personalized classes like Marymount offers. At Marymount, you’re not your ID number. You are a person with individual needs and a someone who will thrive no matter where you come from. Marymount pushes you to be the best possible student you can be, and I am so grateful for that.
If I were to tell my 15-year-old self that Belmont isn’t everything I dreamed of and more, I would probably be devastated. If I told myself that I would wind up at an even smaller school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, I would have laughed. Without Belmont, I may not have ended up at such a wonderful school, so in that aspect, I am grateful I got to experience it. I am grateful for the friends I made while attending Belmont, but I am even more grateful for Marymount Manhattan College accepting who I am and accepting me where I was in my college journey. Transferring to Marymount is hands down one of the best decisions I have made in my 20 years on this planet. I am the happiest I have ever been, living in the greatest city in the world, studying to become an event planner, and enjoying every step of the journey.