“It’s the oldest story in the world. One day you’re seventeen and planning for someday. And then quietly and without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And that someday is yesterday. And this is your life.” – (One Tree Hill).
This quote stuck with me and I never really took it seriously until a couple years ago when I made a huge decision that would drastically alter the path of my life.
I started my college journey at TCU, and I truly could not have asked for a better freshman year experience. Making the decision to leave my hometown of Los Angeles to go to Texas was scary and being a quiet and family oriented girl, I had fully prepared myself for the worst and hardest transition of my life. However, as the days and weeks went by, I was constantly proving myself wrong. I joined a sorority and made a close group of friends that I do not think I could have survived my freshman year without. Being away from home, I learned how to be an individual, and that I had the power to face my fears. After taking a required speech class, I learned that public speaking isn’t as scary as I had thought, and that I was actually pretty good at it. I explored my love of writing by joining Her Campus at TCU and I loved every minute of it. I had somehow managed to not only survive on my own in a completely new state, but to thrive at it as well.
The summer after my freshman year can be noted as my summer of, as Kylie Jenner would say, #Realizing #Things. In the weeks leading up to my sophomore year, something felt off. I had spent all summer doing internships and planning my path to law school, and to be honest, I was dreading having to go back to Texas. I planned every piece of my future and for some reason, TCU was not fitting into the puzzle anymore. Regardless, I pushed these thoughts aside and labeled them as move in jitters. So, when the time came, my family and my 6 massive duffel bags made the trek from LAX to DFW to move me in for my sophomore year of college.
Being back in Texas was weird, as the person I was when I left TCU in May was not the same person who had just landed here now. I felt distant, detached, and discontent as I wandered the stores with my parents picking out bedding and other necessities for my room. The days went by and the final night before move in had arrived. I was in a horrible mood and I just wanted to be alone. It was in those moments that I drafted a letter to my parents explaining how I felt. After a long and emotional talk, my parents were fully supportive of my decision to leave TCU and thus we spent the rest of the night, and into the early hours of the morning, planning my future. My plan was to transfer to UCLA, so first thing the next morning, I was on the phone with a local community college to set up an appointment so I could put my plan into action. With each phone call I made to TCU to withdraw myself, my decision became more and more real, but at no point did I regret it. When everything was finalized, I repacked all my duffel bags and got myself a one way ticket home.
Now I’m not going to lie, the adjustment to being back home was hard. Friendships were severed, and while my parents were fully supportive, the rest of my family thought I was ruining my life. It was hard checking Instagram to see pictures of all my sorority friends getting ready for recruitment. It was hard seeing everyone move on without me. Nevertheless, I worked hard in school and began my applications for the following year.
It was mid-April when I began receiving my acceptance letters. When I told my mom I got into UCLA, her alma mater, she started crying. And, well, so did my dad since he went to USC. Throughout the month, I received one acceptance letter after the other, until I’d been accepted into every school I applied to. My family was so proud and ecstatic. And I was too, although it didn’t really hit me until I stepped on campus for my first day of classes.
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. My year at TCU taught me so much about myself and the person that I am capable of being. It taught me how to be independent and it showed me who my real friends are. It taught me that I have the ability to take my life in whatever direction I want to. I used to say “someday”, but now, that someday is today. And I can confidently say that I am so proud of where I am and who I am, today. Today, I am a student at UCLA, rated top public university in the US by Times Higher Education.
It is never too late to start over, and if you won’t take my word for it, I’ll leave you with this quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald: “For what it’s worth: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.”
Photos Courtesy of Carly Steinberg