I’ll be honest, I never thought I would be attending at Penn State. When I was in high school, Penn State was not the first choice on my list. Actually, I’m not sure that it was a choice at all. I tossed around the idea of Patrick Henry University or possibly IUP… But after analysis of the situation, and spending years of study with a professor who gave me advice… And of course, after careful consultation with family and prayer (Yeah, 20 year olds still pray), I made an informed decision to apply to Penn State. And I’ve been accepted!
I was a little nervous throughout this entire process from the moment I graduated. I was bombarded with questions about college constantly. As I got closer to graduation, I had no clue what I wanted to do. Most people have a clearer vision. I didn’t have a clue. I was considering IUP but the distance factor was an issue and I didn’t want to leave my family. And of course, living on campus makes for a more expensive education. When I said I wasn’t sure and I may be taking some time off to figure out what I really wanted to do, I got shot down with that infamous phrase, “If you wait a year, you won’t go!” I heard it so much that it angered me. I thought to myself, who are you to decide my determination to pursue an education? I told everyone I needed time to figure it out.
I took time to figure it out. I took TWO YEARS to figure it out. And here I am. I’m proof that you can take off a year to figure things out. Even more importantly, if you are a Christian, you are more than welcome to take a year off to discover the plan God has for your life. Or, maybe God’s plan for you does not include college.THAT IS OKAY. Not everyone is meant to go to college. That is not God’s plan for everyone! That does not mean you’re not intelligent, capable or that you do not have worth. It means God can use you better somewhere else and your part in His plan is just as important as that of a college student.
But if you’ve recently graduated high school and you think God is calling you to a certain college, then look into it, check it out, see where He has gifted you and check out colleges that offer ways to study those subjects. When you spend time with Him, you’ll know where He’s leading you. Looking back, it’s sort of funny to see how He brought me here. I love words. When I ask God about something, He will usually give me one specific word, but never “yes” or “no”. (Usually, those are the specific words that I desperately want.) When I asked about the important decisions of my life in the coming years, I always got the word “Time”. It didn’t make any sense to me. Through certain circumstances and discussions with very unlikely people who have been sources of motivation and inspiration, I went through with my SAT studies (Yeah, I didn’t take the SAT in high school) for a few months and eventually got my application in. I made it through the admissions process and as I was waiting for an answer, I noticed Penn State has a specialized page for students interested in attending at Penn State or students that have been accepted, and an interesting phrase on the front of the page was “It’s YOUR time”. And on the back of a Penn State notebook that I purchased, the name of the company that produced the notebook was “Perfect Timing, Inc”, and anyone who knows my musical abilities has always known timing with a metronome has always been an issue with me. (As of late, it’s been much better. Coincidence?)
That’s my curious story of confirmations. I know many other Believers who have had other curious confirmations about God’s will for their lives. God tries to speak to us in the most interesting of ways, we just have to slow down and take a look every once in a while.
I’ve been geeking out the entire week since I’ve received the news (That’s my new catchphrase, geeking out), checking out my major requirements and descriptions of Gen Eds and other such things. I’m excited. I’m at peace with the challenges ahead of me because I know this is where God has placed me. I’ll continue to share my college experience with everyone reading!