I want to write this candidly because of how genuinely sure I am about one of the few choices I have made by myself and for myself. I want to recognize that my experience might not be the same as yours, but also that the experience of making a life-changing decision is one that many people go through at around the age of 17-18. This decision I made to research west coast colleges, tour them, apply, and accept my place at Seattle University stems solely from my desire to venture forward without the chains of my family holding me back. My recent move from a small town in New Hampshire to Seattle, Washington was the healthiest decision of my life.
I want to address the stress, confusion, and fear that my friends along the east coast have expressed they are experiencing during this time and what I have learned from it. Since I graduated from high school at sixteen after only three years I wanted so badly to find my place in the world and I think I did. But it wasn’t easy.
You can’t get discouraged. There will be late nights where you might be crying over your computer screen while you weigh your options. You might not end up where you expected, either. If my freshman year self were to tell myself now that I would be living in Seattle, at my dream school, with supportive friends, I would have taken it as fiction.
While this might sound like distasteful advice, I want you to be selfish. Put yourself first when deciding where to apply or where to transfer. This is my future and this is your future. Do you what you love or want to experience no matter the shame you may receive.
It won’t be something that will come with no financial cost either. We are told to go to college and study what we love but there is such a high price tag on it. Just don’t that set you back if possible. There’s millions of scholarships for all types of people and backgrounds. Use what you have to help you with the finances and then the college and area of study will all fall into place.
I know I faced this greatly when I told my republican family that I wanted to move to one of the most liberal cities in North America. I’m so glad I did though because I have found the rhythm of life to my success. I found my people, I am engaged during class, and I am finding who I am. I’ve even, along the way, found acceptance from my father, especially now that even though this wasn’t his idea for my future, he couldn’t see me anywhere else.
So I guess that’s my message to anyone in high school, who is a college transfer student, or those who doubt themselves: going through life making decisions that are controversial shouldn’t silence your bravery, but push you to your future and no one else’s.