Journey to Susquehanna Part 2



Me before my student reading
at the Writers Workshop

To recap, Journey to Susquehanna Part 1 shared my love for creative writing and my first experience at Susquehanna.  I adored the school, but I was only going into my junior year.  It was too early to be sure about anything. 

As a junior, I came for a formal visit.  It was my first time seeing SU during the school year.  I had read that it was important to visit when students were there to see if you liked the vibe.  I was not disappointed.  My love for the school was affirmed, and it only increased when I participated in my second Summer Advanced Writers Workshop.  At the end of that program, I didn’t want to endure another year of high school.  I wished I could simply stay on campus and start my college life.



Unfortunately, the week ended, and I was off to my senior year.  Susquehanna was obviously on my application list.  No matter how excited I got about other schools, I had a gut feeling I’d end up here; there was something that struck me as homey whenever I was on campus.  Still, I applied to seven colleges total.  I was applying to a lot more places than most of my friends.  When many had already settled on their college, I was still in agony, no sure idea of where I’d end up.  It was stressful to think that I didn’t even know what state I’d live in the next year: Ohio, New Jersey, Vermont, North Carolina, or Pennsylvania?  When it was finally time to hear back from my last few “reach” schools, I wasn’t dying to be accepted as much as I was dying to know.

Even once all the decisions were in, my decision wasn’t yet made.  My options came down to three schools: Susquehanna, a small private college in Ohio, and a state school in North Carolina.  The North Carolina school was eliminated first because of distance and an unimpressive financial aid package.  To make a choice between my last two schools required a trip to Ohio.  My other option was nice, and it had everything I wanted, in the general sense, but the campus lacked that same feeling that Susquehanna gave me.  A certain chemistry, so to speak.  Even my parents preferred SU.

Speaking of my parents, they are big reasons I can come to a school like Susquehanna and major in Creative Writing.  A lot of parents try to push their kids into profitable fields or certain molds, but my parents have always allowed me to pursue my individual dreams—even if that comes with some risk.  They've supported my creative endeavors my entire life, just as they’ve supported my older brother’s and just as they supported me in my choice of college.

With the help of merit scholarships, I was able to pick Susquehanna, the school that I loved, which didn’t only seem to have stronger academics and more opportunities but just felt like my school.    

I’m happy to say now that I’m here, it still feels like my school.  Like right decisions and no regrets and a home away from my home.