<p>Just wanna say thank you ALL.</p>
<p>I remember first visiting CC, bewildered, anxious, and nervous. The prospect of leaving my house, getting a higher education, and embarking on this arduous journey we call life all started with going to college. At 15 years old I was hooked.</p>
<p>Then came my junior year, and the real search began. Did I want to go somewhere cold or hot? Prestigious or more of a party school? What should I look for in a Major? What should I look for in a campus? Once again, you all rose to the occasion, offering advice from everything from how to deal with school administrators to how to tweak my essays to perfection, and even advice on how to recoup from a stupid mistake I myself made. I have learned from the experience, grew from it, and transcended that level of ignorance. Even many of my friends notice how I seem to be more wrapped up in the future and making moves rather than sitting around drinking or doing nothing.</p>
<p>Finally, my glorious senior year arrived. Armed with the advice from posters like Cheers, Tsdad, zoosermom, and midmo along with countless others I began my application process. I kept my original three list (penn state, Miami, USC), added a reach I wasn't sure about but was very interested in at the least (U Chicago), and another safety just to be sure (Tulane). The nail biting commenced, the anxiousness, the fear.</p>
<p>The first email comes from tulane as I did an accelerated app. Rejected. O_O. Anger, shock, silence; these feeling saturated the very air in my room as I stared at the computer in disbelief. However, within the hour I got an email overturning that decision saying a decision had not been made. A feeling of relief swept my body, although I did have to hold back my disdainful tongue over making a mistake such as that, but no worries. As I anticipated tulane's letter, and my first true sign of being secure from home, I was treated to something better. Walking up to check the mailbox there was the usual assortment of mail, etc. Then, with an aura like that of the gods, my mailman personally hand delivered my penn state, "Congratulations" letter. </p>
<p>Cloud Nine no longer existed for me, this was a state of pure euphoria, of zen. To think of it now makes my smile. Was PEnn state my definite choice? No, but it represented something more for me. That my plans and hard work over years was paying off tremendously, and this was the first school I got accepted too that I actually really was considering.</p>
<p>December rolls around and arejection from that bastion of knowledge, U Chicago, came in. The same feelings from Tulane I received never came, I understood this. I worked hard on the essay, on the app, but I didn't make the cut. Maybe it was destiny, maybe it was the prospect of having two more letters come and already possessing an acceptance that made the blow less hurtful, or maybe it was because I just didn't belong there. .Whatever the reason, good luck to all you Chicagoans this year.</p>
<p>Now another long wait. What day was it? What MONTH had it become? This waiting had thrown off my sense of time. January 24, 2008.</p>
<p>First came a scream, then jumping, then dancing wildly with a broad grin. </p>
<p>"Welcome to Our World", said the University of Miami. </p>
<p>Their financial aid was solid, and I'm up for a full ride, but there was one last school I was waiting for, the oasis in an arid desert fit only for beasts. This battle against my psyche would prove for more difficult than any of the other schools. I hadn't had my online status updated since 12/19, up all the way until march, I had barely heard anything from the school, and all I could hope is that my good interview and solid Sat scores could balance out my UW GPa being like .2 lower than the mean. </p>
<p>3/7 Status Change. My heart goes into permanent thumping mode for the next three weeks.</p>
<p>3/14 another status change. This can't be good, so many people have been getting accepted.</p>
<p>The events of Saturday (3/20) morning will be forever emblazoned into my skull. As I walked through the door I heard my mother call my name and saw her smiling. I look down. An envelope divinely white and red. I have never cried from joy, but this is the closest I've ever been to it. I proceed to run around my house without opening the letter, lay down with it, take pictures, etc (a little overboard :p). It would have been funny if it was a financial aid request.</p>
<p>"Welcome to the Trojan Family"</p>
<p>Ah.....right where I belong. IT took me years to get to california, careful planning, and idealistic dreams, but I've made it. This is only the beginning though.</p>
<p>To all my U Miami, Penn state, students good luck out there, but provided USC is affordable I'm officially a trojan.</p>
<p>To all the parents up here, especially posters like cheers, tsdad, citygirls mom, etc who are all here constantly helping us, you are more of a blessing than you could possibly know. </p>
<p>It was you all who inspired me to reach high and try new things, I may not have been accepted into U Chicago but I tried and learned more about myself, and in the end one of this essays I think really contributed to my USC acceptance, a school I have been wanting to go to since I Was near 13. I have vanquished personal Humabas, scaled Everest sized college applications, and come back alive, with hope over my shoulders and joy held steadfast to my breasts.</p>
<p>Dream big everyone, like cheers said, we've worked hard to make it this far down this bumpy road, now lets keep dreaming to make certain we hit no dead ends.</p>
<p>Class of '08, '12, and the Trojan Family Hyakku thank the parents forum forum for everything, even if you don't realize how much you've done for me, one day you will.</p>