Since my freshman year of high school, I've had my eyes on what was to come after my name was called at graduation and I had received my diploma. During freshman seminar back in high school, we were tasked to write down all the colleges we had interest in, regardless of the fact that applications were not a primary concern for two more years. My list? 30 colleges, all division one, and get this... not a single one was located in Colorado. As long as it was a D1 school who had a football team and was not located within the borders of my home state, I had interest. Sophomore year, the list grew shorter, 15 schools, still all located out of state. Junior year came along, not only was it time to begin the dreaded Common Application, but narrow my choices down to at least 10 schools. My list was cut by 60 percent, but one school was added - Colorado State University. After touring the campus in September, I got this special feeling in my stomach, something I hadn't felt before.....
November and December of Senior year starting rolling around and acceptance letters starting arriving in the mail. December 4, I was on my way to Disney On Ice (hey, you're never too old for Disney), and received an email from Colorado State University, "Welcome to the Ram Family!". Truthfully, I was more excited to have received another COLLEGE acceptance letter than I was about the college that I was accepted to, at this point I was still determined to attend school as far away from Colorful Colorado as possible. Acceptance letters from Michigan State, Kansas, Tennessee, and Alabama were soon to follow. Tennessee found itself as my #1 choice and CSU falling as my last. I got around to tour Tennessee and surely loved it, but I didn't see myself having a future on the campus. You know that feeling you get in your stomach like when little butterflies are having a friendly pillow fight? or when you feel all tingly inside and your entire body warms up as if you're standing by a warm fire? That's the feeling I was longing for, and after touring Tennessee and researching the other schools, I found my top choices falling down my preference list. Meanwhile, CSU -- somehow without my knowing -- was quietly making its way to the top. After at first touring CSU and then after researching everything about the school for countless hours, that feeling that I mentioned earlier, the butterflies? Yeah, I got that feeling I longed for, a feeling (ironically) of belonging. That's it. Jackpot. I longed for belonging, something I've been in pursuit of my entire life. I wanted a campus to call home, and CSU quickly became that home. I woke up the morning of February 27, with an out of the blue feeling, a feeling that my decision was made. I (somewhat out of impulse) declined my admittance at other schools and accepted CSU without any question. Orientation rolled around and after the craziness of those two days, my hope became even more secured. Everyone always says up here, "Rams take care of Rams". Every second I spent on campus, I felt the RamFam etching its way in my heart. Beginning February 27th, I started a countdown until August 18th -- move in day. Shocker: time flew by and here I am now, sitting in my dorm room here at CSU the night before class starts, totally content with my decision.
November and December of Senior year starting rolling around and acceptance letters starting arriving in the mail. December 4, I was on my way to Disney On Ice (hey, you're never too old for Disney), and received an email from Colorado State University, "Welcome to the Ram Family!". Truthfully, I was more excited to have received another COLLEGE acceptance letter than I was about the college that I was accepted to, at this point I was still determined to attend school as far away from Colorful Colorado as possible. Acceptance letters from Michigan State, Kansas, Tennessee, and Alabama were soon to follow. Tennessee found itself as my #1 choice and CSU falling as my last. I got around to tour Tennessee and surely loved it, but I didn't see myself having a future on the campus. You know that feeling you get in your stomach like when little butterflies are having a friendly pillow fight? or when you feel all tingly inside and your entire body warms up as if you're standing by a warm fire? That's the feeling I was longing for, and after touring Tennessee and researching the other schools, I found my top choices falling down my preference list. Meanwhile, CSU -- somehow without my knowing -- was quietly making its way to the top. After at first touring CSU and then after researching everything about the school for countless hours, that feeling that I mentioned earlier, the butterflies? Yeah, I got that feeling I longed for, a feeling (ironically) of belonging. That's it. Jackpot. I longed for belonging, something I've been in pursuit of my entire life. I wanted a campus to call home, and CSU quickly became that home. I woke up the morning of February 27, with an out of the blue feeling, a feeling that my decision was made. I (somewhat out of impulse) declined my admittance at other schools and accepted CSU without any question. Orientation rolled around and after the craziness of those two days, my hope became even more secured. Everyone always says up here, "Rams take care of Rams". Every second I spent on campus, I felt the RamFam etching its way in my heart. Beginning February 27th, I started a countdown until August 18th -- move in day. Shocker: time flew by and here I am now, sitting in my dorm room here at CSU the night before class starts, totally content with my decision.