Rossana Woo
I got rejected from the University of California, Los Angeles…again.
The first time I applied was as a senior in high school.
I didn’t have the best grades or the highest SAT scores, but I had the tenacity and the drive that made me believe I could make it at a big university.
Even though I wasn’t planning on attending even if I got in this time around, it still would have been nice to say I got in and that I have what it takes to be a UCLA student.
And even though I changed my major to journalism, which UCLA doesn’t offer, I still would have liked to have had the option of attending as a communications major.
But, alas, I got rejected.
Some might think that not getting into a prestigious school like UCLA is a total bummer, but I disagree.
Yes, not getting into the school of your dreams might cause a slight lowering of self-esteem and confidence in academics, but, for me, UCLA wasn’t the school of my dreams.
It was my parents.’
Growing up, I had my whole academic career planned out.
Actually, my parents had it planned out for me.
Did it matter that I didn’t even want to become a doctor?
Nope.
I was going to go to UCLA no matter what my major was.
It didn’t occur to my parents that I might end up majoring in something UCLA doesn’t offer.
After getting rejected the first time, I was OK. Community college was a good detour to a four-year university and I knew Pierce College was a good one.
So, I enrolled in the honors program, which boasted its 100 percent transfer rate to UCLA through its Transfer Alliance Program.
However, I learned later that that program doesn’t apply to communication majors.
It wasn’t until I got the rejection letter (for the second time) did I realize that I never really wanted to go to UCLA.
It wasn’t even until a couple months ago that I realized I wanted to be in journalism. But, things happened and things changed.
Here’s where I disagree with those who might feel slightly suicidal after receiving a rejection letter.
What I used to face as a student was an unclear pathway filled with piles of uncertainty and heaps of indecisiveness.
If I had gotten into all the schools I applied to, I would have had to make a choice.
And, making a choice can be one of the hardest things a person can do.
Thanks to the admissions crew at UCLA, a crystal clear pathway lies ahead of me now pointing me in the right direction.
With the rejection letter came a clearer future.
I now know that I’ll be attending California State University, Northridge, as a broadcast journalism major and will work hard in all my studies to build experience in the field.
Also, with the rejection letter came a better understanding of myself.
I now know that I must strive to do what I think is best for me, not what my parents, friends or anybody else thinks is good for me.
After seeing that I’m pretty much secure in my career choice as a journalist, my parents couldn’t be prouder.
Then again, whose parents wouldn’t feel proud to see their child’s name in the papers?
So what do I say to the group of people at UCLA who determines the fate of thousands of transfer students all across the United States?
Thank you. You’ve made my life easier.
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