When I was applying for college, I had my heart set on studying at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. I loved the campus, the buildings I would be studying in, and the students and professors.

I believed that I would be accepted there without any problems, so I only applied to two other schools, Tennessee Tech University and Arizona State University.

While both of these schools are strong schools, they were not what I was looking for in a college. I loved the Arkansas campus. Not only was it a beautiful school, but the location was perfect and I would be able to do whatever my heart desired within the surrounding area.

Then, the thing I was sure wouldn’t happen happened: I got rejected. I thought this single rejection was the sole end of my college career. Afterwards, I spent a week moping around, trying to figure out why I did not get accepted.

A few of my friends and family members advised me to apply to colleges that I had no interest in attending, including the University of Memphis. While I didn’t want to study at the University of Memphis, I knew I didn’t have much of a choice. I quickly applied, and I was accepted the next week.

This is where I will be for my first year of college. At first, I felt like I would be stuck at Memphis for four years and that it wouldn’t be an enjoyable place for me. After a while, though, I learned that this wasn’t my only option: I will attend the University of Memphis next year, but once I’m able to bring my grades up, I will finally be able to attend my dream school.

I see this set-back, not as a negative thing that happened to me, but as a way to grow more as a person. During senior year, I’ve noticed things about myself that I need to improve on. I know this rejection will help me because my work ethic was not ideal throughout high school, and this will serve as motivation in my first year of college to work harder as well as a time for me to ease into college life.

I believe that people should aim to find a college that is a perfect fit for them, academically and socially. If students do not attend a college in which they are comfortable, they will not be able to grow and learn what they want to do with the rest of their life. Being rejected from a college gives students a chance to, not necessarily go to their dream school, but it allows them to understand why they didn’t get in the first time.

I am grateful for the friends and family who pushed me to apply to the University of Memphis. Without them, I would be running in circles to figure out about where I will be spending the next year or few years. As it turns out, being rejected from my top school might have been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.