• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Freshmen / I Failed to Listen to Myself When Choosing a School

I Failed to Listen to Myself When Choosing a School

October 1, 2015 //  by Haley Durslag

Shares68FacebookTweet

Let’s face it, we all try to please the ones who care about us most—make them proud, get that check in the mail, be written about in the local paper—anything to get that pat on the back. I’d say that I took that idea a little too far when choosing a school.

Around the time of college decisions, this seemed to be all that I heard:

“University of Washington…such a famous campus…”

“My ‘ol pal came outta the University of Washington with a great name and job.”

“You should be a Husky. Everyone knows the Huskies.”

My senior year seemed to be filled with those phrases, expressed by some people who I wanted to please wholeheartedly.

I would attempt to voice my own scholarly qualifications—a community-based campus at a semi-small school, a place where I could take small writing classes, somewhere outside of Seattle so that I could branch away from home—basically, the opposite of UW. Nevertheless, I’d hear come backs saying that I should go for the gold with a big school with a big name and that I should try my interest in business. Yes, I considered business to someday open my own bakery (that’s still the plan), but the idea of writing in college was always such a disappointment to the people who’s opinions I greatly valued. I know that the remarks that they made were out of love and what they thought to be best, which is why I know I have nobody to blame for my college decision but myself.

My looming college acceptance decision was pronounced at a spring dinner, where my peer triumphantly proclaimed where he’d be attending college in the fall. He received that pat on the back, which then led to the crowd asking me, “Can we finally call you a Husky?”

At that moment, I felt like I would let them down if I said I was truly considering a smaller school in northern Washington; a school with no football team (my community lives for football) and an image sub-par to UW (“everyone knows the Huskies”). I weighed my options for that millisecond. Sure, I’d get a good education at UW, yeah I can visit my family more often if I’m still in Seattle, maybe I’d like business school…

Just like that, I made my decision. “I better bring you all some purple and gold sweatshirts,” I said. The weight of choosing was over and I’d made my circle of mentors happy. I could see it in their relieved faces and their remarks for the rest of the night.

Even though it took a while, I’ve more or less found joy in my education and experiences at UW. For a while, I felt completely lost at such a big school and came close to transferring to a smaller school after my freshman and sophomore year. I tried business, which didn’t grab me like the others wanted. Luckily I found the courage to apply to the Creative Writing program, where I have thrived despite my mentor’s initial desires for my major. I’ve gotten the chance to study abroad twice, which on top of the totally invigorating experiences let me spend much-needed time away from the city I had grown up in.

I still think that in the long run I would’ve been happier at my other choice of school. But the tribulations I’ve dealt with and overcome at UW have helped me stand up to my circle of influences in a different way than I ever thought I could. I’ve shown them how much I love my major and how I’m doing something that I find completely worthy of a college degree. I’ve also found the courage to tell them that I plan to travel after college, maybe teach English in a French speaking country or travel for a while without (God forbid) a job.

It’s taken three years for me to feel comfortable with my college decision and now when I talk to these mentors, I can feel a shift in their view of my future. They listen to me about what I want out of my college experience and I can feel that they’re proud of me for finding joy in my college years. It’s still a lot of the same comments from them–“don’t forget that UW is a fantastic school and make those connections at UW, ”–but now I can get that pat on the back from my circle of peers and myself for making UW what I want it to be.

Shares68FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Freshmen University of Washington

About Haley Durslag

Haley is a senior Creative Writing major and French minor at the University of Washington. When she's not sipping wine and attempting her own great American novel, she's probably eating ice cream or persuading her friends to get ice cream with her. If her hypothetical books never reach the shelves, you'll find her in her fallback career as a gymnastics coach or bakery owner.

You May Also Like

Hold on! Being Waitlisted Is Not the End of Your Dreams

group

From Introvert to President: How to Rise with Your Eyes on the Prize

The College Pitfalls of Not Asking Questions

Islamic School to Catholic School: A Mile Away, But Worlds Apart

Halloween Isn’t the Only Time for Ghosting Anymore

And Suddenly, I Found Myself Living With a Stranger

Unapologetically Christian: Standing Up for My Faith in the Classroom

Not What I Thought: UCLA First-Year Reflections of Fall Quarter

friends posing together

The First Week Friend Group and My Journey to Forever Friends

Away from Home and Feeling Gross: Being Sick My Freshman Year

two women smiling and laughing

Goodbye, Awkward Small Talk: 10 Ways to Get to Know Your Roommate

Do More To Get More: My Philanthropy Journey at Penn State

A Journey to Home Through a College Acceptance

Why I Love Being The Little Fish In The Big Pond

graduate

To Decide or Not to Decide: The Paradox of Choice in College Decisions

TV to Teacher: When My Life Plans Took a Different Direction

The Worst Dorm Room Gave Me My Best Memories

introvert

Introverts Don’t Need A Cure, But We Need Confidence

teens sitting together laughing and studying

15 Surprising Benefits of Attending Community College

double life

Living a Double Life: Life as a First-Generation Student

My Most Important College Experience Was No College Experience

Not Everyone Tasted A Bar of Soap Growing Up and That’s Okay

No, Mom, I am NOT Going to UF

young men at the beach

10 Rites of Passage for Your Freshman Year at USD

Previous Post: « How to Start at the Bottom and End Up Somewhere in the Middle
Next Post: 10 Skills You Need to Survive the Dorms »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

102

10 St. John’s University Finals Activities to Help You De-Stress

mental health
95

Pandemic and Academic Blues: Being Aware of Your Mental Health

36

Top 10 Colleges With the Most Fashionable Students

23

A Gator’s Bucket-List: 21 Things to Do Before Graduating From UF

Broadway
20

10 Musical Soundtracks to Make Study Sessions That Much Easier

Featured Chapter: St. John’s University

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.