Choosing to attend a school out of state was quite the decision. I mean, we're talking leaving my family and friends and the life I knew. It took quite a bit for me to come to my decision, but eventually, yes, I did choose a school in the Carolinas.
I first visited Clemson in June 2012 while vacationing in SC. I sort of came across the campus on accident, but ended up really liking it. I did some quick searching on the university website and found that the school had a program that couldn't have been any more perfect for me had it been named "Ashley Really Wants to Teach." I was a little put off - how could this random school just happen to have something so ideal for me? Was this a sign? I kept telling myself that if Clemson had such a program, other schools must as well. I joked with many people that I was "totally going to move down to SC for school," but quite frankly I didn't really think that would ever happen. It just didn't seem like something I would ever do.
Soon after my initial internet searches and website findings, I decided to send a short message to the e-mail address listed on the program website. Within minutes I received a response with the name and contact information for the program director I would soon talk with on a regular basis. Before I could even start asking her questions, said program director reached out to me after receiving notification of my original message to the department. (To save everyone a ton of time, I will refrain from telling you how great I think my program director is. Instead I'll just make sure you know that she is AMAZING!) We exchanged e-mails and had numerous phone conversations over the next few months. I quickly learned about a scholarship associated with the program, and was encouraged to apply. I also found out that, although the program was still new at CU, each graduate had found job placement! I started really becoming interested in the school because, frankly, the Clemson faculty and staff did their jobs very well! I started wanting to make Clemson want me. I even took a class last fall at a community college to make my application to Clemson more appealing as I lacked some of the encouraged BIO credits.
I eventually applied and interviewed with the school for the program and scholarship. I was able to submit the maximum amount of recommendation letters thanks to the support of many individuals. I interviewed via Skype since I was a few states away, which was a very interesting experience. The virtual interview was actually the program director's idea, so I didn't even have to feel bad about not being able to be at the school in person. The interview went really well, though.
I first visited Clemson in June 2012 while vacationing in SC. I sort of came across the campus on accident, but ended up really liking it. I did some quick searching on the university website and found that the school had a program that couldn't have been any more perfect for me had it been named "Ashley Really Wants to Teach." I was a little put off - how could this random school just happen to have something so ideal for me? Was this a sign? I kept telling myself that if Clemson had such a program, other schools must as well. I joked with many people that I was "totally going to move down to SC for school," but quite frankly I didn't really think that would ever happen. It just didn't seem like something I would ever do.
Soon after my initial internet searches and website findings, I decided to send a short message to the e-mail address listed on the program website. Within minutes I received a response with the name and contact information for the program director I would soon talk with on a regular basis. Before I could even start asking her questions, said program director reached out to me after receiving notification of my original message to the department. (To save everyone a ton of time, I will refrain from telling you how great I think my program director is. Instead I'll just make sure you know that she is AMAZING!) We exchanged e-mails and had numerous phone conversations over the next few months. I quickly learned about a scholarship associated with the program, and was encouraged to apply. I also found out that, although the program was still new at CU, each graduate had found job placement! I started really becoming interested in the school because, frankly, the Clemson faculty and staff did their jobs very well! I started wanting to make Clemson want me. I even took a class last fall at a community college to make my application to Clemson more appealing as I lacked some of the encouraged BIO credits.
I eventually applied and interviewed with the school for the program and scholarship. I was able to submit the maximum amount of recommendation letters thanks to the support of many individuals. I interviewed via Skype since I was a few states away, which was a very interesting experience. The virtual interview was actually the program director's idea, so I didn't even have to feel bad about not being able to be at the school in person. The interview went really well, though.
Clemson wasn't the only school to accept me, but it was the first and it was always my top choice. Soon after I was accepted, I visited the campus again and made plans to meet in person with the program director and several faculty members. I spent an entire day with many individuals and felt right at home (plus they also told me that I had been chosen as a recipient of the scholarship). It was the first day in a while I had really felt like smiling. That feeling alone was amazing!
I ended up returning home not having made a decision. I talked with my parents about my visit to Clemson and told them all about the people I met and how much fun I had. I also talked to them about my worries about leaving my family and how sad it made me feel to be away from my nieces and nephew. I went back and forth deciding whether or not I thought I could handle being in another state. I continued to remain "undecided"as I didn't want to make a decision while still on a travel high and later regret it. Truth be told, though, I was way in love with CU and couldn't really think about anything else. I knew it had to be a special school for me to even consider going that far from home.
Regardless, I tried to continue to think about other schools. I went back to work and tried to fall back into the swing of things, but completely failed. I was MISERABLE. I knew I had left my heart in Clemson and wanted to go back and start getting ready for school. I tried to deal with these crappy feelings for a couple of days, but I eventually ended up just calling the program director at Clemson to tell her that I'd be seeing her again in May and that I was honored to be part of such an outstanding program.
Regardless, I tried to continue to think about other schools. I went back to work and tried to fall back into the swing of things, but completely failed. I was MISERABLE. I knew I had left my heart in Clemson and wanted to go back and start getting ready for school. I tried to deal with these crappy feelings for a couple of days, but I eventually ended up just calling the program director at Clemson to tell her that I'd be seeing her again in May and that I was honored to be part of such an outstanding program.
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