<p>Last year (junior year), I was in webmastering, and I would see my friend Trevor wearing a Vanderbilt shirt a lot. I came to find out that both his parents and his older sister had attended, and he would be too. Despite being in a blow-off, super super easy elective together, he recognized that it would be a perfect fit for me and constantly urged me to research the university over the summer, and visit if I could.</p>
<p>I finished all of my college applications in August, and since I had done some Common App's for other schools, I decided to throw Vanderbilt into the mix. I kept up with the CC board on Vandy fairly regularly, and set my heart on it. After discussing logistics with my parents, however, they tried to convince me that it wasn't "realistic": too expensive, too far, too hard, etc. I pushed it to the back of my mind about mid-October, and let it stay there. I apply to a few safety schools, and decide to put down my deposit at UT (Texas) in early March.</p>
<p>Then comes late March (29th? 30th? somewhere around there). I know it's a Saturday, because both of my parents came into my room to wake me up. This is weird--why are they both waking me up? Why am I even being woken up on a Saturday?? Bleary-eyed, I look at this envelope my mom hands to me. On the outside, it says "Congratualations," but I don't recognize this til later. I check the inside: I GOT IN. I look at my parents with the hugest smile on my face; they're both excited for me and inwardly groaning.</p>
<p>Vandy is now reopened as a subject, but still highly tenative. Most of the discussion on it continually returns to the subject of money: how much we lack it, how they ask for too much, and so on. Even though the priority deadline for the FAFSA and CSS were February 1, a FA adviser at VU tells us to apply anyways, and they'll do their best. I continue to sign up for things at UT like orientation and housing, because by now I'm used to Vanderbilt being shot down. Then in late April, we get a financial aid package of $34,000 in grants and $2,000 in work-study.... What?!?</p>
<p>Incidentally, the weekend we chose to visit was my birthday (April 25), and also the last weekend before the May 1 decision deadline. Our tour was on the 25th, and the second I stepped foot on campus, I knew instantly. I think my parents did too. (Best birthday present ever.) Despite the 11 hour car ride and other mitigating factors, it had everything I could ever ask for in a university, and just emanated a sense of belonging to me. The second we got home, I withdrew my UT deposit, sent in my matriculation fee to Vanderbilt, and so far have lived happily ever after.</p>
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<p>These stories have been cropping up a lot recently, but I just wanted to give some hope to the people who think that for whatever reason, their dream school won't work out. It can, and will, if you give it time.</p>