To the Future by Athenais

To the Future by Athenais - August 2024 Scholarship Essay

Nobody talks about the stress and anxiety that high school seniors truly go through when applying and deciding what college to go. From my freshmen year, I had my sights set on Georgetown University. I loved the DC community, the education that the school would provide me, and the overall morale of the campus. The summer before senior year, I got the opportunity to stay on campus for a week to study medicine with other high schoolers; I was living my greatest dream. Being there made me realize that I wanted to spend the next 4 years at Georgetown and nothing was going to change my mind.
As the college application process began, I was suggested to apply to other top schools in the country such as Cornell, Villanova, Boston College, and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. I was scared that if I started to look into other colleges, I would lose sight of my original plans. All I wished for was to be accepted in Georgetown and live out my nursing dreams. As senior year went on, my dreams hit a debilitating reality. After applying Early Action to my dream school, I was deferred to Regular Decision. I thought that this was the end of the road for me, everything that I had worked towards was gone. However, I picked myself back up, and worked even harder to catch the attention of the admissions officers.
As the middle of senior year was approaching, Regular Decision results were released, and I eventually landed on the waitlist for Georgetown. Once again, I felt like I let down everyone else in my life, not letting myself realize that truly, I felt like a failure to myself. Unfortunately, College Decision Day was approaching and I needed to make a decision. Either miss the chance of a lifetime by waiting on a string of hope, and choose a college that actually wanted me. After going back and forth for many days, I made the decision to choose Villanova University as my new home for the next 4 years. Although it was not my original want and dreams, I had found a new place that had caught my attention and would provide me an amazing education.
As a girl who never enjoyed going to the doctor’s office, it is quite ironic when I think of my new profound love for medicine. After being stuck at home during the pandemic, I fell in love with the show Grey’s Anatomy. Although the drama is quite enticing, the actual cases that are presented each episode truly pry one in and made me acknowledge my love for helping others.
At Villanova University, I plan to major in Nursing where I hope to become a Labor and Delivery Nurse once graduating and passing the NCLEX. At Villanova, there are many opportunities that I will use to my advantage to further my education. As such, there is a simulation lab and countless clinical opportunities. As a senior in high school, I was able to work at New York Presbyterian Hospital where I worked in Out-Patient Pediatrics Cardiology. Being able to get hands-on experience in a hospital lets you grow as a person and medical professional, as well as develop skills that can not be taught in a classroom.
Although the past year did not get as I had envisioned, I have truly lived the expression, “It is not just a rejection, but simply a redirection”.