Like most teenagers, I had no idea who I was in high school. I started to really realize this when I began looking at schools. My very patient mother was subjected to this, every week I had a drastic new idea of what I wanted my college experience to look like. I remember the confused look on her face when I said I wanted to go to school in Vermont so I could go hiking often (I have never gone hiking in my entire life). She was always supportive of my ideas but by the time she had started to look into scheduling a tour I had already decided on a completely new type of college. In the end, I decided to apply to large schools, most of which were state universities. After many months of going back and forth I finally decided on James Madison University in Virginia, 6 hours away from home. I was so excited to be going to a big school that had energetic football games and large lectures.
After my first week at JMU, I knew something was off. I found it hard to focus in big lectures, where the professor didn’t even know my name. I felt like I didn’t fit in with most of the people there. I began second guessing my choice and I felt like it might not be the right fit for me.
After a full year and a half of a semester, I decided I would no longer force myself to stay at a school that I was miserable at and I moved back home. “Now what?” repeated in my head constantly. I had no idea where to go from here. The fact that I had no plan terrified me, and I often got anxious thinking about my future. After thinking things through, I decided to attend my local community college and I fell in love with the small class sizes and small campus. I began applying to small schools, and after touring Skidmore in the winter, I fell in love.
The day I received my acceptance letter from Skidmore was one of the best days of my life. I had worked so hard to turn my life around and it had finally paid off. I called all of my friends and family with tears in my eyes, so excited for what the future would look like for me.
Now I am almost a month into my first semester at Skidmore, and I am so happy. I love the campus, the people, the professors, and all of the opportunities Skidmore holds for me. If you are reading this and you feel completely lost in life, just know that you are in control of your own future and that it is completely normal to have moments where you feel like you have absolutely no idea what you are doing with your life. What felt like the end of the world for me at the time, has turned into the biggest blessing.