Choosing a path

Since I've just "graduated" my own daughter and she's having to make choices to a different kind of life, I thought it would be good to share my own experience as I made my choice after High School.

I suffered greatly from "senioritis" and as a result I just made the cut to start university (whew!)...It was all kind of a fog. My coach said "hey what about university?" I said "uh I don't know?, yeah, maybe?"...So upon her suggestions, her proddings and her knowledge I went about the task of applying, then waiting and really not expecting to do much else so soon after graduation. So you can imagine my shock when I recieved my letter of acceptance, and instructions as to what to do next! On top of it all I was also accepted for a summer program that would help me adjust before classes started in the fall.....I now had only one month to get ready! It was all so quick, I knew nothing about living without my parents and family.....Next thing I knew I was saying good bye to my parents and I was left completely alone.

Culture shock!, is a mild description of all the emotions and changes I experienced. I went from being a popular, confident, friendly high school girl to being a scared little girl starting kindergarden all over again. Every fear and insecurity that I had either masked or conquered rose up to take over my life. The things I had thought were great were now mediocre, the things I considered bad were accepted in this college life. Still because of the summer program I was still somewhat "covered" so I was only dealing with the social aspects of my new life. Soon the fall semester would begin.

Academic Arrest! Money Migraines! and Roommate run-ins! these were the things I carried in my backpack, my mind and my heart. Needless to say I wanted to go home, surely I'd made a mistake, a bad choice because I had heard that college life was good living! Maybe it was all about timing, it just wasn't my time yet?.....However when I would make it back home it just wasn't the same anymore. So I endured, pressed in and did learn some things and it was while I was in college, that first year of "independence" that I made the best choice of my life.