Signed, Sealed, (NOT) Delivered

So, this story takes me all the way back to fall of 2012 my senior year of high school. This is around the time where as eighteen-year-olds we are asked to make decisions that will affect the rest of our lives. One of these being which college to attend. The summer leading into my senior year I had decided which five schools I wanted to apply to after extensive research. By that I mean just googling the names of random schools and checking out their ranking in terms of academics, acceptance rate and the all-important party ranking. One thing was for certain, I really wanted to go out of state. I had decided on Florida State University and University of Florida as my top two choices because my grandparents lived in Florida. Number three on the list was Louisiana State University because I could realistically get in pretty easily, but it was also a huge school with a storied football program where I could spend my fall Saturday Nights. Did I also mention it was Louisiana. That’s like the food capital of the south. After that was Old Dominion University in Virginia. I applied there because one of my teachers mentioned they have a really good electrical engineering program and that was going to be my intended major, so it was a no brainer to be on the list. Last on the list was Willy P as the “safe choice”/ in-state option which is ironic since I ended up graduating from there. Such is true within picking schools and within dating: There’s no more competition once you’re the last option. You’ve won by process of elimination. Anyway, I get started writing the application essay for both the Florida schools as I didn’t need one for the other three. Senior year starts and I show my list to my guidance counselor. A week later he calls me into his office and compares my GPA and SAT scores to that of the average student accepted into that of the two Florida schools. I wasn’t that close. He “advised” me not to waste time and money applying to the schools since my chances of getting in were slim anyway. Okay fine I still have three schools, right?? November rolls around and I send out my application to the three remaining schools. Although LSU was slightly different. You see if you were applying from out of state you had to physically mail your SAT score and transcript to the school. So, my guidance counselor sends it out and I’m waiting to hear that they received it. A couple weeks go by and nothing. So, I emailed the school, and they say they haven’t received anything. So, I ask my guidance counselor and he say he sent it for sure. Either way he says he’ll send the stuff again. Although at this point now past the deadline and I am now late. No worries I still feel like I am a shoo-in for this school. Why do I say that? Well because LSU has automatic admission. Basically, if you hit the gpa, SAT, and class requirements you were more or less guaranteed a spot in the fall. So, a few months go by and winter rolls around and I’m all excited to tweet out “geaux tigers” when I get that acceptance letter. But January turns to February, which turns to March, and I’ve already been accepted to Willy P and ODU but heard nothing from LSU. I email them on my status only to find out I have been waitlisted. The reason being that is I missed the class requirements by one history class. When planning my schedule for senior year I had wanted to take an NJ history class with my favorite history teacher. My guidance counselor “advised” me instead to take a pre-Calc class since I would be doing electrical engineering in college. A class that I would not only almost flunk senior year but also as it turns out I would have to take again regardless in college. So, no I never heard from LSU after that, and I didn’t get to eat crayfish by the Mississippi river. I stayed in state because it seemed pointless to go out of state to a school, I was lukewarm at best about and the scholarship I got didn’t hurt either. Honestly it has worked out better than I could imagine at the time. But always remember to follow your gut. And by that, I mean take the path that leads to the best food!