On account of mental health struggles, my university experience was far from "normal". While that's a whole story in itself (and one I will likely share here one day), what I want to mention now is a very common experience for those at the beginning of their post-secondary journey: choosing which school to attend.
Graduating high school, I didn't know what I "wanted to be when I grew up". I was interested in so many things, but my two favourite subjects were English and Biology. As I've always been poor at math, an undergrad in strictly science was out of the question. Majoring in English, however, was a very real possibility.
I applied to two universities back in 2012: Western and the University of Guelph. At the latter, I was accepted into the Arts and Sciences program, a unique double-minor undergrad that would allow me to focus on both my favourite subjects. At the former, my high grades meant that I was not only accepted but offered a spot in a special English program with a small number of students (if memory serves, there would only have been 10 of us).
After falling in love with the vibe on campus (which included an incredible array of high-quality food options [and an incredible mascot]) and wanting to continue my studies in as many areas as possible, I decided to go to Guelph. I'm happy I made this decision, but I've always wondered where I would be today had I chosen "door number 2". Would I have been published already? Would I be working where I am now? I'll never know, and that's life for ya! We have to make the best choices for ourselves at the time they present themselves, and the rest is history. Time marches on.
Have you faced a decision like this? Was your choice between schools also a choice between subjects like it was for me?
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