Toshe Ayo-Ariyo: Finding My Way

"There's always a way, there's always a door. You just have to find it." -- Leanne Huebner, co-founder of Minds Matter

The University of Pennsylvania has always been, in my opinion, the best fit for me. From the time I began doing college research, I knew I wanted to attend a school that not only had amazing academics, but also a focus on service. The Penn campus is located in West Philadelphia, where a minority community surrounds the beautiful 302-acre campus. If I were to go there, I would have a lot of opportunities to take part in community-enrichment programs. To my disappointment, Penn wait-listed me.

Now, some of you might see getting wait-listed as a sign of failure, a symbol of being "not good enough" for an institution I worked so hard to get into. But I am someone who goes for the things I want despite the odds that may be against me -- so I see my wait-list status as just another opportunity to express my deepest interest in the school I really want to go to. It's another chance to convince them that I will be a great addition to the student body, and that they would be taking more of a risk by not accepting me, because of the diversity I will bring to campus and the things I will achieve in the future. I know very few students are admitted off the wait-list each year, but I believe that if you are genuinely drawn to a particular school, you should do everything you can to get in. I mean, if I truly was not meant to go to Penn, they would have just sent me a rejection letter, right?

I decided to write a formal letter of appeal -- something that many wait-listed applicants do -- to the Penn admissions office to give myself one more shot at a goal I've been aiming at for years. I don't know why my initial application wasn't appealing enough to get me placed in the automatic "yes" pile. Did my desire to go to Penn not come across as strongly as I thought it did? Was I not specific enough? Well, this letter is my second -- and last -- chance to sincerely demonstrate the passion that I possibly didn't express well enough the first time. I also used it to tell the admissions committee about things that had happened since I'd submitted my application, like the fact that I got an internship with the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore, where I'll be conducting research on kidney disease. Penn's overall admission rate may be significantly low, but my hopes and dreams are astonishingly high. Now all I can do is hope that they reconsider me for a coveted seat in the class of 2017

All of this being said and done, I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. If after sending my appeal, I still don't get the results I want, then I'll know for sure that Penn is not meant to be. Luckily, I am completely happy with my "backup" school: Berkeley. Besides being the top-ranked public university in the country, Berkeley, like Penn, offers many opportunities for service and for, well, anything you can think of! There are more than 2,000 clubs and organizations, and so much cultural diversity, not just within the student body, but also in the city itself. I like the idea of always being able to get involved.

I used to think my ability to be successful would be dictated by the university I attended, even with so many people telling me, over and over, "You'll be successful wherever you go." I'm finally starting to see that what they've been saying is true. Ultimately, it is up to me as a student to make the most of my education no matter where I go. I know I can maximize my potential and experience by taking advantage of all the opportunities and resources that are available to me. And though not every door I open will have something of value behind it or lead me where I want to go, it's still important that I check them all out!

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/toshe-ayoariyo/getting-wait-listed-college_b_3122508.html

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