It was a Tuesday when the letter arrived in the mail. I had been waiting anxiously for weeks for this very thing and my hands shook as I ripped it open. My heart broke after reading just the first sentence. Right there in black and white was the indisputable truth; I would not be attending my number one college choice the next fall. I had been rejected for the scholarship I needed to be able to afford to attend.

This was easily the most disappointing thing that had happened to me in my short 18 years. I had worked hard on that scholarship application. I sent my essay to every English teacher I ever had for editing and proofreading. I had spent hours making the best resume possible, trying to highlight why I was a great candidate for that scholarship. In the end, it had not been enough, and my future as I had imagined it was over.

I knew that my second choice college was a great school, but I had never been in love with it. I had never imagined myself walking happily across its campus or hanging out in its student center. I also knew that I was very lucky to be getting to continue my education at all, but it felt like I was settling, and it was hard to convince myself that the next four years of my life would be happily spent. Fast forward almost a year to the present and I am so incredibly happy attending my second-choice school. I could never have known that fateful Tuesday that my future was not over, just different.

I am in love with my university. Here I have been provided with countless opportunities I never could have imagined. I have been welcomed into the large community with open arms. I’ve gotten to explore a diverse, energetic city so unlike the one I grew up in. Every day, I walk across campus to class, taking in the view, and my heart swells with love and pride.

I cannot pinpoint an exact turning point in my feelings toward this school. Maybe it was when my first class started with our professor playing a "Star Wars" – Jay-Z mashup. Maybe it was when I gained a hundred new sisters by joining my sorority. Or maybe it was the nice chat I had with my favorite shuttle driver when I was the only passenger one afternoon. More than likely it is a culmination of all of these things, and more.

So I am living, breathing proof that not getting to attend your top choice school is not the end of the world. Every campus is full of potential. You will be surrounded by like-minded students looking to study what they love, and have fun while doing it. Sure, you may have to work a little harder to find your niche, but you’ll find it. Give the school a chance, be open to experiences you hadn’t considered, and go in with an optimistic attitude. A college experience is what you make of it, no matter where you are.