BLOG: Sticking with you
The exciting life of the pretend-a-freshman
By Aisha Stern, blogger
May 21, 2008 | 8:08 p.m.
Today is the day I find out about a scholarship that covers my tuition, amongst other things, for the next four years. I will be getting a phone call at some point today, a phone call where I will either be greeted with a congratulatory tone or that precise "we regret to inform you" tone that so many people seem to be good at.
If you had told me six months ago that I would be telling OU that it is my number one choice, that this was where I wanted to stay, I would have laughed at you. Who could possibly want to stay in Athens for four more years than they needed to?
Part of me feels like a liar—though I don’t know whom I’ve been lying to. Myself, most likely. I was so convinced for the past four years that I would not go to school here, that I would end up in a big city far, far away, and that part of me is still shocked that I am not ready to leave.
When I got my acceptance letters in February, I realized I wasn’t ready to leave Athens. I was always so sure that I could leave this place and never look back, never regret leaving. But then I realized I wouldn’t just be leaving a town, a place on a map. I would be leaving my family and my friends. I would be leaving my community that has witnessed my highest highs and my lowest lows and supported me no matter what. Something about this place fosters a community that is always there for you, whether or not you are making good decisions, whether or not you’ve been stuck in a whiney, self-absorbed Meredith Grey-style rut for months.
Who could possibly want to leave that behind?
So when I walked into my interview on Monday, I knew I was going to stay. Even if I blew it, even if I stuck my foot in my mouth so many times that they wondered how I had managed to get through high school, let alone get accepted into a university. The past seven months of classes at OU have shown me that this is where I want to be. Every student I have met and gotten to know, they’ve affected my decision more than they will know because they’ve shown me a side of Athens and the university that I had not seen before.
They helped me see that Athens can be a home, not just a place of residence.
So today, April 25, is a day I will always remember as the longest day of my life, only because I like being able to afford to eat, and this decision, this award, will determine my financial situation for a long, long time.
I’ve already made my decision, now I just have to wait for OU to make its decision.
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