The Road To Isla Vista: Why The Best Opportunities Aren’t Always The Ones We Plan For

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

ROMANTIcizing THE UNKNOWN

Sometimes, you imagine yourself achieving something that changes the course of your life. You fantasize and romanticize the possibility of becoming that version of yourself, daydreaming, scheming, and believing that you’re destined to be living in that reality.

This often happens in the process of college decisions. We apply to our top schools, pray for the best, and wait eagerly as decisions begin to roll in a few months later. Often, you’ll find yourself imagining a life at each of these schools, going about your day, skipping class, instilling routines, and creating your own community away from home.

AUTUMN LEAVES AND CRUSHED DREAMS

A few weeks ago, the UCLA transfer decisions came out, and I couldn’t help but fall back into the familiar thoughts I once had about a year ago when opening my decisions. I had applied to UCLA as a transfer student with a 4.0, numerous extracurriculars, work experience, and PIQs that I thought would’ve ensured my spot in the Communication major.

After I had submitted my application, I spent the next few months dreaming of life as a Bruin. I’d imagine myself listening to my Gilmore Girls playlist as I skipped through the Autumn leaves, attended football games at the Rose Bowl, spent days exploring LA and treating myself to my favorite banana bread from the market at The Grove.

It seemed so right, so I planned for the moment it would all come true.

When it was time to log into my portal and review the decision I was given, I was hit with an unexpected reality. I had been waitlisted.

not the decision I’D planned for

Literally in what world was I not supposed to freak out the way I did. Because, what do you mean my blood, sweat, and tears (and even more tears after that) were not enough to receive an acceptance from the school I was destined to graduate from.

The school I’d assigned to myself was the only place best suited for my years as an undergrad, where I’d find the love of my life, meet my best friends, and stroll around campus mapping out study spots for my next exam.

students walking on campus — Photo by Zen Chung from Pexels

Yea, we’ve all felt this way. We’ve all cried and contemplated life, questioning where we’ll end up, and then questioning even more if our decision was even right to begin with.

rejection is REdirection

But, as you start to go through the motions of living out the Plan B you never knew you had, you start to realize that maybe Plan B was really Plan A all along. What you don’t immediately understand is that your mind had created a version of you that was never meant to be.

I guess this is truly just my way of saying that you didn’t miss out on the opportunity. You simply miscalculated what the outcome would be.

When I initially opened the decision, I, like many, tried to reason with myself as to why this was a mistake. I conjured up logical explanations to the questions I’d been forming. I called my family. I called my friends. And then I sat in the sadness I felt in that moment for all of two days.

TRADING WESTWOOD FOR ISLA VISTA

Eventually, I ended up here, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where my life is completely different than what I had anticipated. Where there is a version of myself that now watches the sun set beneath the horizon from the bluffs, who loves walking along DP on a Friday night, and making trips downtown to shop at the local markets. Where there is a version that was not wanted but what was always meant to be.

sunrise on beach — Photo by Douglas Bagg from Unsplash

So, I encourage you to not be discouraged when something doesn’t go your way, because like you and I have heard many times, “rejection is redirection”. That goal you had, that person you wanted to be, just wasn’t going to sustain you the way you thought it would.

If you didn’t get accepted to UCLA, let me encourage you to stay positive, because I’m so much better off here at UCSB than I would’ve been there. I’ve been given endless opportunities (like being an intern at Her Campus) and met the most amazing people that have shaped me into the person I am today!

The best is yet to come

You truly don’t know what’s waiting for you until you get there, so don’t be quick to assume that your life’s over. It’s really not. It’s just beginning. You’re probably opening a new chapter that seems so unfamiliar, but soon you’ll see that you’re exactly where you were always meant to be.

Graduates thrown their caps in the sky. — Photo by Pang Yuhao from Unsplash

And yes, I do still wonder whether I would’ve gotten off the waitlist or not, but that notification is long gone, and I’m on to better things anyway. I’ve already established my life as a Gaucho, and one day I’ll look back reminiscing my days as a college student in Santa Barbara.