it’s just getting too real!

Hi guys! Okay, so it’s been a while… as usual. My site’s been down for a bit because I exceeded my bandwidth, and I can’t really understand why. I’m pretty sure it’s because of my knitting blog, which has lots of pictures and gets a lot more hits than my regular blog does. I guess people are more interested in that portion of my site because it actually provides something (other than wonderfully interesting blog posts, of course!) while this one doesn’t. My wonderful host Amber helped me out a whole lot, and I’d definitely like to thank her for it!

Today, I received my very first college acceptance letter. I’m thrilled! It’s my first bit of college-related mail that I’ve actually cared about. I’ve been accepted to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, one of my top choices, and I’ve also received their Presidential Scholarship worth a few thousand dollars a year. I decided to do all of my applications early to get this whole process out of the way. Over the past month, I’ve been working really hard on my applications and my essay, and it feels so wonderful to see that my work paid off. I still have three more schools to hear from and two more to apply to. I still need to apply to my local community college and my dream school, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I originally wasn’t going to apply to RPI because of a few reasons, most having to do with money. Their tuition is through the roof, far more than I’d ever be able to afford; even their application fee is $70! I used their net price calculator, and apparently I can get a ton of money through the school’s private scholarships, but I’m not going to trust that information until I actually have my taxes and my FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form done. That’s why I figured I’d go for it and apply, because they may give me enough to make the price acceptable.

So I have finally decided that I really want to major in Computer Science. I’ve floundered around with career ideas for many years now, from photography to psychology to pharmaceuticals to engineering, and, in the end, I keep coming back to computers. They’re just something I’m so passionate about; not so much the electrical work and engineering, but the programming. I’ve always wanted to figure out what makes programs like Word and Firefox and all of those things operate, so I figured that Computer Science would be the ideal thing to study while in college. I’ve already touched the surface of the computer world through web design, and I think I’d really like to minor in it. My mom wants me to minor in business because she thinks it would go really well with a Computer Science degree, but I’ll have to discuss that with my guidance counselor or an adviser.

Anyway, sorry for the college rant again. I’m just too happy about being accepted. This whole process is just getting too real for me. I feel like I’ve seen college as nothing but a vision of my future, and now that it’s actually becoming reality, my mind is completely blown. I’m nervous and excited at the same time; I want it to start, but at the same time, I don’t want high school to end because I don’t want to start a new life somewhere else and leave my friends and family behind. That’s what’s scaring me the most about college right now: being separated from my friends. I really do have the most wonderful friends in the world, and I don’t want us to grow apart while we’re in college. I’ll definitely miss them, without a doubt. Perhaps a few of us will stay local (which I am legitimately considering, too) and things will get a bit easier. At the same time, I’m looking forward to meeting new people and developing new friendships. Like that old Girl Scout song said, “Make new friends, but keep the old.” I’ve always tried my best to do that. Unfortunately, some things have gotten in the way, but I’m still amazed at how close I am to most of my friends from middle school and even a few from elementary school. Funny, isn’t it?

December 13th, 2011. Life, College. 6 comments.