Fun Fact about Lauren: She is a lime-aholic; she always has limes in her refrigerator for drinks plus a full stock of lime Tostitos chips
When Things Don't Go Your Way... Find a New Way
November 15, 2005
Lately, my college process has been disheartening. Every plateau has a valley close by; that is what I am learning to accept anyway. As I move from October to November, I am discovering that my future plans for college may not be as easy as I anticipated.
Independently paying for college (undergraduate anyway) is one of my most important personal goals. When I go to college, I will be taking up a new chapter of my life, and along with this new chapter, a new bag of responsibilities. I am preparing for my future life by attending college and, call it stupid pride if you want, but I would like to push through college fully equipped for my future by my own merit instead of supported by the crutch of my parent's bank accounts. This is simply something I want to do for myself. Plus, with a long-term goal of law school, I find it unfair to stick my parents with thousands of dollars of tuition fees for the next eight years of my life. However, paying for college (if I even get into the school of my choice) is transforming into an even more prodigious hurdle than I could have imagined.
In order to persuade top-notch Florida students into attending Florida schools, the state has devised a scholarship program commonly referred to as Bright Futures. Basically, a Florida student has to meet specific academic / community service requirements, have a 3.5 GPA and have a 1270 on the SAT and they are eligible for a 100% scholarship to a public Florida school. The scholarship is a major reason why I decided upon a Florida school: it was a way for me to meet my goal. I met all the requirements except for the SAT minimum without too much difficulty. I had taken the standardized 4 hour-long tests twice by the time October blew in, but to my distress, still had not achieved the 1270. This time I mustered up some discipline and studied. A lot. Two weeks later, in the midst of Hurricane Wilma (thankfully, my family did not lose power so I was able to check my scores!) I checked my scores. And on that screen at that moment, I realized that the college process is not all about bragging about your achievements in application essays, or relief after sending in a last minute application; it is also about reality, and yes, sometimes, disappointment. Right now, I am almost at my goal. But in reality, almost does not really count. So, all I can do now is move forward.
I am still eligible for a 75% Bright Futures award. That is a start. Today, I ventured into my high school's "scholarship room" and grabbed a few scholarship applications to move myself along. Even though that test score was one of my major set backs in this process, I am realizing that just because I think I deserve something, does not mean I will get it. More importantly, I am learning that if I want something bad enough, I will be willing to make a few extra side steps to gain it. It will take more than the SAT's to keep me from achieving my goals, I can certainly tell you that much.