The road not travelled.

Right now, my life could be so easy. So unbelievably fucking easy. All I would have to do is turn back time. No big deal. If I had only left the "early decision" box in my Wharton application blank, things would be totally different. For those of you not familiar with US college applications - "early decision" means if you get in to the school, you have to go. You normally check this box to indicate that this school is your top choice. Yeah, I maybe should have thought this one through a little more.

You see, I wanted to go to Notre Dame ever since I could walk. No particular reason. I was Irish, they are the Fighting Irish, and I think that's pretty much it. Since we have no Ivy League schools around Minnesota, it's the Harvard of the Midwest (Northwestern and UChicago are up there as well.) So, how the hell did I end up going to Wharton instead? Funny story, actually. I decided I wanted to go into business, so I should apply to the top business school in the world - just for shits and giggles. My college counselor didn't encourage it, saying I was "not legacy, not diversity, and no Berit Johnson." Wow. Berit was not only one of my good friends, but captain of two or three sports, legacy at Yale, incredibly smart, and with an extracurricular list that was long enough to wipe your ass with. Wow.

After that meeting, I was determined to get accepted to Wharton. Not becuase it was the right school for me, not becuase I particularly wanted to, but because I wanted to prove him wrong. I wasn't legacy. My parents weren't going to buy my way in. I had never even visited the school... and then I got in. For two months, my mom kept telling everyone I was going to Penn State instead of UPenn. Big difference. I don't blame her though, I didn't know Wharton was part of UPenn until I applied. I got my acceptance letter from Notre Dame two days later, and was close to tears when I had to turn it down.

Things would have been easier at Notre Dame. This summer would have been easier if I had taken an internship in Minneapolis instead of going to Munich. My mom keeps asking me why I do things the hard way... and I don't know. It's more fun...? No, that's not always true. I know it's corny, but I think I've learned more this way. For example, I learned that if you walk home after 10pm in Philadelphia you will meet some cracked-out lunatics. If you arrive at a train station in Frankfurt before 10am, you will meet some similar people. I learned that you should always lock your door, or someone could break in and rape your roommate. I've learned that smiling goes a long way in a country if you don't know the language. I've learned that I definitely want to work abroad after I graduate from college because they get 5 weeks of vacation per year.

Most of all, I've learned that I know absolutely nothing. Hey, if the foregoing the easy road means I'm not an arrogant bitch, I guess that's worth it :)



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