<p>After much deliberation, and nine months of planning to attend DePaul (after Hampshire rejected me), I finally bit the bullet and admitted I did not have enough financial aid. I applied to UTC late in the Summer, got in with only a small financial aid gap which wouldn't have been there at all if I had gotten cheaper housing, and am moving in tomorrow.</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings. The school seems a lot better than I had originally thought, and I've kind of warmed up to the idea of staying in Tennessee for at least two more years. Still, I can't get the words 'mediocre state school' out of my head. I try not to be arrogant, but I am a pretty good student, very independent (one of the things that drew me to Hampshire), and I get a lot better every semester. I really think I could go somewhere great in life with some more improvement. UTC seems like a school for students who aren't exactly the most focused, and I have a fear--maybe irrational--that I'm going to stagnate here.</p>
<p>I know a lot of you are ivy-crazy, but surely some of you will end up at less than perfect schools (and that doesn't mean the 'little ivies' :P). How would you make the best of this situation?</p>