I'm So Glad I Was Wrong

As a junior in high school, I weirdly hated doing college tours. I swear my parents dragged me from campus to campus and I couldn't find one I really loved. It was Christmas time and I was over in Florida visiting family. Much to my dismay, we drove all the way from Texas to Florida, just so we could do more college visits along the way. The University of Georgia had never been on my radar, and it was just another campus I knew I was being dragged to. However, as I walked down Clayton Street, ate at Last Resort, toured through North Campus, something clicked in me that I hadn't felt at any other school. Next thing I know, I'm in an information session, convincing myself that the 1 campus I love is way too hard of a school for me to get into. Needless to say, I applied anyway and the day I got into UGA is a day I'll never forget.  Past all the excitement of getting accepted, of picking out bedding and dorm room decorations, of preparing packets and picking out o...

As I approach my 10th year as a resident of the south, there are a few things that come to mind about the transition, all mostly hilarious. As a very sheltered 6th grader, naturally the thought of moving from Michigan to Texas was life-altering and scary. Add on the fact that just about everyone from the north stereotypes Texas as the place where you wear cowboy boots everywhere and ride your horse to school, and you could say I was dreading the move. Thinking back on the last 10 years, I have thought of 10 things that I couldn't be more thankful for, 10 reasons I would never go back north.  1. The weather, duh. (I can wear shorts on Christmas)  2. Despite what people say (and the attached photo), no, I do not own a horse nor wear cowboy boots THAT often... 3. Friday Night Lights - there is nothing better than Texas football 4. Southern Hospitality - yes, there is a noticeable difference between the north and the south 5. "Y'all" is so much better than ...

Last semester I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, marking my first ever trip outside of the US. It goes without saying that there are plenty of thoughts and items of preparation leading up to such an experience, but for me, stereotypes are what stick in my head. Here's what I mean: My decision to study abroad was born from a variety of reasons, but namely because I am often looking for a new adventure. I was told that my biggest regret of college would be not studying abroad by more people than I could count. As I began looking into it and more seriously considering it, I found myself talking to peers that either had already done a study abroad trip, or were planning to do one like me. In my conversations, there seemed to be an overarching theme of "Stephanie, you have to study abroad, it will be the biggest party of your life"; or, "Stephanie, when will you ever have the opportunity again to travel for 4 months with no responsibility?" Although my inte...