I never thought about my life after high school. The future was always too far away for me to consider it something to worry about. It wasn’t until I started my senior year of high school that I actually began to think about my next steps.
My college major was the first aspect that concerned me. My family always made sure that I knew I had their full support on whatever career I decided to pursue. Knowing that, I began to analyze all my options. I wanted to be a physicist, a writer, and a historian. I even considered English as a possible path for me. It didn’t take me too long to discover that later on, after being admitted into a specific major, you can ask for a change. Once I knew this, I decided not to focus on the major and focus on where exactly I’d be going to instead.
My first option was the University of Puerto Rico at the Río Piedras Campus (UPRRP). And after rigorous research and multiple conversations with active students, I decided on attending it. After all, UPRRP was the perfect university for me. I then proceeded to tell my family and close friends about my final choice, and their reactions were not at all what I expected. Some of my family members celebrated my decision. I would be the first in my family to study at a UPR campus, which filled them with an inexplicable joy that I rarely see in them. The other side of the family had a more negative reaction. Their thoughts were fully translated in their facial expressions. I knew what they were thinking. We’ve all heard negative things about UPRRP at least once in our lives. The university certainly doesn’t have the best of reputations and I was aware of that.
As the time to submit my college application came closer, I lost all my ability to sleep well in the weeks leading up to it, fearful of making the wrong decision. The possibility of taking a path I would regret later on appeared before me, and so I became unsure of a choice that, for an instant, I thought definitive. In the end, it was in my hands to make that decision so instead of retracting myself, I gave the UPR at Río Piedras Campus a chance. I decided to see for myself if everything I had heard was true.
As soon as I arrived on campus for my first day, I was immediately struck by its size. It was huge, a place you could easily get lost in—intentionally or unintentionally. Each faculty had its own beautifully unique architecture, so it was easy to identify each of the buildings. And the professors greeted me and my classmates with lots of warnings about attendance, deadlines, and the rest of our responsibilities as freshmen. The first day was, in a way, a wake-up call.
My first friendly interaction was with another first-year student who asked me where she could find the university’s pool. I didn’t even know there was a pool to begin with! Good thing I was carrying a map with me, otherwise I would have freaked out. This first conversation gave me a glimpse of reality, and I realized that I wasn’t the only one starting a new phase. It gave me a sense of peace to realize that there were other people in the same situation as me.
After a few weeks, I started to make friends. Before then, however, my experience wasn’t bad. I never felt “left out” despite how lonely I was, because everyone around me was so kind. Of course, not everyone will be considerate of you, not everyone knows the doubts that go through your head, but I never felt lonely.
When I finally made my first friends, things started to fall into place. They were a group of first-year students from my major and, as I got to know more people, each and every one of my doubts and fears began to disappear. Indeed, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Of course, not everything is perfect. There are many things I would change about my university, but not everything people tell you will end up being true. Starting college can be a new, uncomfortable, scary, and messy experience, but it is certainly beautiful.
What was the truth, then? Is the University of Puerto Rico really like people describe it, or is it actually a nice place to get an education? UPRRP is where I want to obtain my bachelor’s degree from. I love my university and the people there. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything and, for now, that’s all that matters. I would say that UPRRP is the place to pursue a postgraduate education, but only you can know for certain which college will suit you best so follow your heart. It’s better to try things out rather than live with the regret of never trying.