Even from those of you who have followed my blog all along, I’ve kept much of my personal life a mystery. Partially, I was worried about privacy. However, I also simply didn’t think anyone would be interested in hearing about my daily life. But since I seem to be wrong (I love hearing about others’ lives too), here’s a little more about what I’ve been up to these past few years. I won’t start at the very beginning, even though Julie Andrews says it’s a very good place to start. Instead, I’ll start with my senior year of high school.
During my senior year of high school, I unfortunately did not go about college hunting in the best way. If it wasn’t Ivy League, I didn’t even want to look at a school. I very much wish I could go back and tell my high-school self how crazy her thinking was.
I fell in love with UPenn as soon as I set foot on campus. The only problem: Nobody told them that Katie was destined for their school. When the college letter arrived, it was suspiciously thin.
My dream school waitlisted me?!
Looking back, I know the waitlist letter, which ultimately turned into a rejection, didn’t have anything to do with my worth; it simply meant the admission department decided I wasn’t the right fit at the time. To me, though, it felt like I wasn’t good enough. Even now, I still feel a little ashamed admitting my rejection.
After shedding many tears over the matter (and literally throwing the waitlist letter in the fire. Burn!!!!), I settled on Bryn Mawr College. It was quiet and peaceful but also close to an urban setting. It was a good school, far from home, and it even participated in a consortium with UPenn, meaning I could take classes at my dream university.
Bryn Mawr was a terrific school, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting great girls and taking advantage of the school’s close proximity to Philadelphia. I even prefer Philly to NYC, because it’s smaller and more manageable whilst still being jam-packed with fun. But the school just wasn’t right for me. You know how sometimes you can feel—in your heart—that something’s just not right? For me, Bryn Mawr was too small. It was difficult to get into all the classes I desired, since most only offered one section. I found myself signed up for classes simply because they fit my schedule: NOT cool when you’re paying for each course. After my first year away, I transferred to SMU in Dallas.
Update: click for My College Story – Part 2.
Question of the Day:
How did you choose what college to attend, if you attended one? (Or, how do you plan to choose?)
I can totally relate to being embarrassed by a rejection like that, despite having succeeding at so many other things (in all areas of life, not necessarily getting into college). In high school, I always heard that I could go anywhere I wanted (despite going to an extremely small public high school without even AP classes). However, I only applied to one place – a small, public university only a couple hours from my house. I didn’t even really think about it, I just knew I wanted to go there. I heard lots of comments about “oh that’s just a party school” yada yada yada. Well I had the most incredible experience of my life. I learned so much, met so many amazing people, had countless wonderful experiences, and I could go on and on. No, it wasn’t the best school in the country, or even in the state for that matter. But I received attention and opportunities I wouldn’t have had at a bigger school. A professor told me that people who are motivated and enthusiastic will “bloom wherever they are planted”. It’s not about prestige or reputation of a school (or job), it’s what you make of it and what’s best for you.
I can’t wait to hear the rest of the story!
Love this post Katie – it is really interesting. 🙂 Looking forward to part 2!
I got into every school I applied to EXCEPT for Stanford where my mom went (back in ’55 when it had to be a LOT easier to get into). It was a hard choice after that…did I want to go where my two best friends were going (yes!), but did I really want to go to a girls’ school after a small private (read: no dating) high school (no!). I ended up going to Santa Clara University because it meant a lot to my dad (it was a BIG deal among his cronies, though he didn’t go there). I knew right away I didn’t belong there but, frankly, I made the best of it and it seemed harder to transfer than to just tough it out. I do not keep in touch with one person I went to school with. Many of them got married at 22 or 23 and just started to pump out the kids. Not for me.
I don’t spend a lot of time regretting it, but I do wish I had put a little more thought into it and didn’t settle for what was comfortable (I’m sure if I’d stayed in the Silicon Valley and become a gazilionaire I’d be singing a different tune altogether).
yay a ‘series’ post on school! love that ur sharing!!
k first of all u look absolutely STUNNING in your little black dress. you are so gorgeous Katie!!!
I really like this post because I relate a lot to having been rejected from colleges. when I graduated high school i spent 3 years worknig a bit and then dealing with health issues. i felt liek a failure and put my self worth on the shoulders of people i felt had the motivation to get their life together. As you can imagine this was dumb, and only added unecessary stress in my life.
when i ended up applying to 2 school i was rejected and felt even MORE terrible… not only did i feel like i spent too long avoid furthur education, now i only felt justified that i was stupid and couldnt even get an education if i tried. the only positive that came form this was realizing that the only reason college never worked for me was because i truly didnt want it, my life direction didnt align with what i was trying to be or thought i should be.
i signed up for a yoga teacher training which starts in september, and since getting accepted (rather quickly;) i realized YES I AM SMART! its all about finding what works for you and is something/some type of education that will fulfill you and motivate you through passion!
and in the end, thats all that matters 🙂
xoxo <3
Isn’t it funny how things look when you look back? Gosh, if I just had a little bit of the wisdom then that I have now. Well, not sure if it is wisdom or that reality kicks in? As for schools, I went to culinary school at The Art Institute. I wanted to study nutrition, but my parents thought that having a chef in the family sounded better. My parents are more of how things look. Me, I really just wanted to do something I was interested in. Oh well, I enjoy healthy food and going to school there has taught me how to deal with our food restrictions now.
Have a great weekend!
Well I had to choose from a bunch of California schools that I applied to. Being from Austin, TX, I didn’t know much about California, so my college visits were very important. I didn’t like UCSD or USD very much for differing reasons. I didn’t want to wait until Spring to go to USC (I had turned in a paper late so I got in for Spring instead of Fall) and I didn’t really want to go to Pepperdine because of the religious aspect (I wanted as liberal an education as possible). And when I visited UCSB, I really liked the triathlon team and beautiful scenery! So I went there, but it turns out it hasn’t been quite the fit I was hoping for. So this coming Fall I am transferring to UC Davis! I am nervous, I hope its a good fit! I will be majoring in Nutritional Biochemistry, so if all else fails, at least I will be studying something I love!
I can relate to the sadness of being rejected from a dream school. I had my heart SET on Berkeley and did some pretty nuts stuff (like attending two schools at once…) in order to get in to transfer this coming year. But I didn’t get in. I hope in the long run that it is a blessing in disguise! Perhaps grad school…!
I loved reading about your college story! I found it very interesting considering I’ll be applying for University in a few short years. I’m actually going to start online courses this next semester – eek! I’m nervous, to say the least.
Aww, you are so sweet! Thank you for the shout-out, and thank you for zooming in on the appetizing part of the bowl. The messy edges certainly were not pretty. 😛 You’re the best! <3
Such a great story, Katie! It must have been so disappointing not to get into the school of your dreams, but things end up working out even when we don’t think they will. 🙂 I chose my college based on my major (dietetics). At that time, there weren’t a lot of private schools with a dietetics program, so it sort of made it easy. 🙂 As for grad school, I chose Ohio State based on the research that the professors were doing and the fact that they offered me a full ride. I ranked my dietetic internship based on my desire to go into a pediatric specialty. I think that my job search process is similar to your college search process…it’s very hard as a new grad to find something that I’m both passionate about and that is available to an entry level person.
Can’t wait to read more!
Stepped onto the grounds at UVA and knew that was it for me…luckily my early decision deferral turned into an acceptance. 🙂
I’m still choosing! But I’m going based on courses, location, and name! I want to go to either University of Southern California or Ohio University 🙂 But if by chance I got into Brown or Stanford I would literally jump for joy!
It’s too bad you got rejected from your first choice. I think everything happens for a reason though. I know what you mean about just feeling like something is not right with the school you’re in…I went to culinary school for 3 years before switching schools and majors. I had fun in culinary school and learned a lot, but deep down I knew that it wasn’t right for me. It was also a very small (and snooty) school and I really couldn’t stand the people there. I started at UNC last fall and I absolutely love it. I am not sorry that I went to another school first though, because if I didn’t I don’t think I would have ended up where I am right now.
I’ll admit that I had the same attitude when college hunting, although when I applied to Duke I figured I wouldn’t get in. Lo and behold, I was accepted despite my doubts, and that’s how my college career was born.
Great story, Katie! When I was graduating, my fellow classmates were pretty much split between going to the two major colleges in Alabama. I didn’t want to, I refused to go to a common school! I wanted to go to Florida Univ., somewhere in SC, back to TN..anywhere but Alabama. Ultimately, I ended up choosing Auburn (in AL) on a whim ’cause freshmen didn’t have to live on campus. It turned out to be a fantastic choice and I’ve loved it. They have a program perfect for what I’m going into so everything worked out. 🙂 Glad it worked out for you, too!
What a good story, Katie. It just goes to show how crazy and unpredicatable the process has become. Many of the adults I’ve spoken to can’t even begin to comprehend how competitive it is now. I’ve found that what you say about public vs. private schools is true…I think private schools really help students get their name out there. There are some public schools that are really well-known by top schools, but otherwise it’s just so. hard.
Of course, the Ivy League is simply a sports conference! Bryn Mawr and SMU are top schools too–tons of people overlook great schools because of name obsessions…where I come from, that happened a lot and I’ll admit I wasn’t immune to it either. My friend was a big history buff and wanted to go to Bryn Mawr more than anything (she got in 🙂 and is attending).
I thought I had all my ducks in line this winter when I picked my dream school (Yale), got in touch with the running coach, got on his “short list,” committed, and then had all of my scores (not perfect like yours), grades, etc. Come April 1, I got rejected. Then I narrowed my options down to two schools, and I chose based on my gut feeling and by asking several teachers and people in academia where they thought I should go. The answer was basically unanimous. Finally, I got in touch with people at the school…professors, researchers, etc. and found that they had everything I wanted–interesting research I could participate in, an awesome cross country team, etc. Oh, and substance-free housing!
Like you, I was interested in a big university, not a small college. I like the atmosphere with grad. students around and I like all of the resources…like more lectures, seminars, courses, etc.
Hope you’re having fun in NYC…I was there on Tuesday…it’s a great place to be.
I picked my undergrad and (as of this fall!) grad schools based on their programs. My undergrad is in French Literature so a really great study abroad program was important to me. I loved my undergrad but at the same time I felt that it could have been a bit more openminded and intellectual. My department was great by the rest of the school-eh. For grad school I’m studying Literature and Gender Studies so I really had to be carefully in choosing what type of philosophy was involved with the department. I wanted to find good matches for my memoir. I hope it goes well! And I cant wait for part 2!
Thanks for stopping by also! I’m such a sucker for black cats too. 🙂
Sometime during my junior year of high school, thinking I would go into the field of teaching, I decided that I would go to San Francisco State and save loads of money, since I was anticipating going into teaching. By the time I got to senior year, I settled on San Jose State, because of its proximity to Santa Cruz (which is where I thought my boyfriend was going to school). Boyfriend went to Santa Barbara, and I, having only applied to SJ State (early admission), stayed there. It all worked out because I changed my major to Comparative Religion (SJ has an awesome RelS program) and my boyfriend and I broke up at the end of our sophmore year anyway. Sometimes things work out better than you expect. I’m not teaching now; I’m working in a field more relevant to my study of Comparative Religion and am contemplating going for a M.Div. in the future 🙂