If you’re reading this, do the thing you’re scared of.
Throughout my childhood, I lived in a bubble. Growing up on the North Shore of Long Island, the same people, the same town, and the same ideas surrounded me constantly. There were not many contradictions in my life; not many areas for me to experience things outside my comfort zone. In some ways, this was bliss. In other ways, it hindered my growth.
When it came to my junior year of high school, I started to think about college. To me, college was a given. I was privileged to always know I would have the opportunity to attend college, and it was just a matter of me choosing where. There were colleges more popular than others among my peers and stigmas about them all. In my high school, attending college was not an easy-going process. It was everything. It consumed the minds of my peers and, in turn, myself.
My initial thoughts on college consisted of getting out of my bubble. I feared not experiencing personal growth in college. I did not like the person I was in high school. I did not like my shyness, insecurity, and the anxiety the environment caused me. I focused my attention on visiting small to medium-sized universities in cities. I had dreams of living in an apartment with five of my best friends, doing everything that the traditional college experience did not allow. By avoiding big state schools that were popular among my peers, I thought I was putting myself outside my comfort zone. In reality, I was entrapping myself in it. I was forcing myself to think small and not explore larger opportunities.
During my junior year of high school, my mom had mentioned to me that I should visit the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was the opposite of the college I thought I wanted, and I vehemently opposed touring. I continued my college search and application process – drafting up applications to universities across the country.
Come my senior year of high school; I felt uneasy about my application process. I felt like I was forcing my brain to like the schools I was applying to – forcing myself to stay in the same, small environments. So, in an attempt to alleviate my fears, I decided to visit a bigger school. I was expecting to hate it.
September 27, 2019, was the day I took the flight from New York to Detroit, and the minute I stepped on Michigan’s campus, I knew I had made the right decision. I felt comfortable here. Instead of intimidating me, the large student body size gave me hope to grow and meet people from all walks of life. As I walked down state street, I passed the MDen with bright eyes. I seriously began drafting up my application in my mind at that moment.
Discarding the early decision application that I had written and edited to perfection, I was so scared when I hit the apply button on the common app for Michigan. What if I did not like such a big school? What if I got stuck in the same bubble as my high school? It’s too big; I will feel lost.
Doubt crept into my mind, but I stuck with my gut. Even though I was terrified to choose the school I had never thought of attending before September of my senior year, I worked up the confidence to do it. It is now my sophomore year here at Michigan, and I could not be happier with my decision. I have grown and changed in the best way possible – a way that would not have been possible if I had attended my previous first-choice school. So, if you’re reading this, do the thing you’re scared of. Listen to your gut, and it may turn out to be the best decision of your life.
Sam A., University of Michigan Class of 2024
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