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The David · 08-17-2007, 08:31 PM

After much deliberation, and nine months of planning to attend DePaul University (after Hampshire College rejected me), I finally bit the bullet and admitted I did not have enough financial aid. I applied to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga late in the Summer, got in with only a small financial aid gap which wouldn't have been there at all if I had gotten cheaper housing, and am moving in tomorrow.

I have mixed feelings. The school seems a lot better than I had originally thought, and I've kind of warmed up to the idea of staying in Tennessee for at least two more years. Still, I can't get the words 'mediocre state school' out of my head. I try not to be arrogant, but despite some setbacks from being homeschooled, I am a pretty good student, very independent (one of the things that drew me to Hampshire), and I get a lot better every semester. I really think I could go somewhere great in life with some more improvement. UTC seems like a school for students who aren't exactly the most focused, and I have a fear--possibly irrational--that I'm going to stagnate here.

How would you make the best of this situation? Does undergraduate school really matter that much?

08-17-2007, 08:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
The David Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 1,034	...Mediocre state school... After much deliberation, and nine months of planning to attend DePaul University (after Hampshire College rejected me), I finally bit the bullet and admitted I did not have enough financial aid. I applied to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga late in the Summer, got in with only a small financial aid gap which wouldn't have been there at all if I had gotten cheaper housing, and am moving in tomorrow. I have mixed feelings. The school seems a lot better than I had originally thought, and I've kind of warmed up to the idea of staying in Tennessee for at least two more years. Still, I can't get the words 'mediocre state school' out of my head. I try not to be arrogant, but despite some setbacks from being homeschooled, I am a pretty good student, very independent (one of the things that drew me to Hampshire), and I get a lot better every semester. I really think I could go somewhere great in life with some more improvement. UTC seems like a school for students who aren't exactly the most focused, and I have a fear--possibly irrational--that I'm going to stagnate here. How would you make the best of this situation? Does undergraduate school really matter that much?