On College Applications while Abroad

Student of and for Life

For those of you who need a recap, I am on this exchange during my senior year as an American high schooler.  Most high school students are preoccupied with college admissions, testing, prom, and other things.

Before I left America, I applied for only one college.  I figured my mom and I could work out how to do the others between email and fax.  So with one college applied to, I worried about the others.  I worry a lot in general even if I don’t show it well.

I hadn’t even left America and I was worrying about what would happen when I came back.  I wasn’t too worried about Japan, I still am not too worried about Japan even with the language barrier.  I was worried about college, where I would go and how I would get what I wanted done.  This exchange ends during the summer, most likely late to early August.  That’s typically when Colleges start opening their campuses and such.

I didn’t want to come back to America and have nothing to do, no college to get ready for, no plan set in stone.  I wanted a stable ground to there when I land in the airport when I return.  I don’t like the insecurities of not knowing what will happen.  I like plans, lists, and a figure for the future.  I can usually deal with the unknown pretty well, but I just prefer structure.

Away from my personal matters of thought, I was sleeping quite well until the sun decided to join in and make it a party as it always does at around five in the morning.  The local alarm also plays at seemingly random intervals, I’m half used to it now.  It only jolts me awake on occasion, it used to get my attention right away.

I lay in bed, dozing in and out of sleep from five until seven, maybe seven thirty most mornings.  That’s when I get up and eat breakfast with my family.  My host mom cooks breakfast, my host dad gets ready for work on the main floor, and my host sister leaves for school.

I did my usual routine.  Wake up.  Groan and complain.  Roll over.  Maybe doze.  Check Ipod for important messages.  Roll over again.  I checked my Ipod one last time, and saw a message from my mom in America.  usually when I see that we talk about what I have planned for the day, how I'm doing, how the kids are doing, and what my cats are up to.  (I miss those little demons pretty badly these days, I have nothing to warm my lap and heart like a good pet can).

Our conversation went, “Are you awake yet?  I have good news for you!”

I was quite bleary, just having woke up and the message had been sent maybe an hour earlier.  I was scared she may have fallen asleep, stupid time difference.

“Kinda awake, sup?”  Gotta love my sleep tired texting skills.

“How much do you want to go to Carthage?”

Rhetorical question to me, “Pretty badly, it’s a good school!”  It was my first application and first choice.

“Congratulations!  You have been admitted to Carthage for the term beginning September 2014!”

I did a twitch dance on my bed, knocking my knee against the wall and nearly falling off it when I rolled over.  My insides were all squirmy, excitement does that you know.  Makes the butterflies set off!  But boy was I happy!  I really wanted this school, really wanted it bad.  So bad I was afraid I wouldn’t get accepted with only the 69% acceptance rate of admission.  It was scary, thinking I may have to go to another school when I was so set on this one.

Messages that followed were about scholarships, my plans for the day, and what I was currently up to.  How my house was doing with me gone, and what my kitties were up to.  The usual mixture of questions and answers.

First thing I did was tell my host family, brokenly in Japanese and English, that I was now an American college student.  Their reactions, every single one of them, was to ask my age again.

For those of you who don’t know, I turned a fresh seventeen as of July seventeenth this year.  I basically graduated high school at sixteen.  I may not have my diploma (makes the whole high school exchange student thing easier when you are still a high school student) in hand, but I filled out all the requirements for classes, testing, and grades.

I’m a school nut, okay?  I actually like school, but I wanted to get it over with so I could go on this exchange without having to worry about returning and having another year of high school to go through.

My host family members were thoroughly impressed that I was going to a college, being so young in their eyes.  They also asked what I wanted to do.  I surprised them with a clear answer, knowing exactly what I wanted. 

Carthage was perfect for my plan.

This college has an excellent program for Japanese and International Business.  That’s the field I want to enter.  I want to be a liaison, a translator, a teacher, or anything else that deals with the relationship between America and Japan.  I can’t quite explain it right, but I feel like that is where I belong in the world of work.

I can’t really express myself properly through any language when I say how glad I am to being going to Carthage.  It’s impossible to wrap such a big emotion around such little words like happy, excited, glad, proud, etc.

The closest I can get is that I am happily relieved and excited.  That is shallow compared to the real emotions underneath those words.

I have a place to be when I get back to America.  I was worried I would go stagnant, not having a purpose towards my schooling career.  I was afraid of that, nearly terrified over it.  It’s all okay now, I have the college I really wanted to go to.  I won’t have to worry about not knowing what I am going to be doing.

I also hope this exchange changes that about me.  I get anxious when there is no structure, no straight foreword answers.  The Japanese are very aloof in how they speak, almost never making a direct comment about anything.  The few times they do, it is about unimportant articles that don’t really matter when something direct is said about them.

I hope that my anxiety over the unknown gets cleaned out of my system by the time I return stateside.

I have the support of my family towards not only this exchange, but also my new college.  I have their guidance in me from all the lessons I have been taught.  I don’t think I could have done all of this, this trip, getting accepted in the college of my dreams, without their help.

So here’s to all of those who have helped me on my way, towards Japan and college.  Here’s to the people who helped knowingly and those who didn’t.  Here’s to their guidance, love, support, and other unnameable contributions.  My supporters are the best in the world in my opinion, everything I have done is possible because of them.

Thank you.  Thank you family.  Thank you friends.  Thank you acquaintances.  Thank you to even those who I don’t care all that much for, you still helped get me here.  Thank you Japan for taking me for a year and pushing me towards my dreams.  Thank you Carthage for taking me towards the next step in my life goal.  Thank you Rotary for making all of this possible.  Cheers to you all!

Here I go.  One adventure after another.  Life, Japan, the college.  I wonder what else the future holds, only time can tell us!

See You Soon

Mata chikaiuchini
また近いうちに