An Offer...

I still get chills when I think about it.

I got an offer from Kingston University. I'll be moving to England in September.

I never thought I would be able to say that but it's true! AHHHHHHH! I'm practically bursting with unadulterated joy!

I keep replaying that day in my head. I got the email from UCAS that there was a change to my application and I flipped as always when I get a UCAS email. I went to try and access it but I had my personal ID number saved on Anderson (my laptop...don't judge me..)! So I soldiered through my shift at work and finally was able to leave and make my way home.

The whole way, I kept thinking over scenarios. "What if it's not an offer? What if they just want to verify my address?" "What if it is an offer?" "What if I didn't get in?"

That last one was the worst.

I mulled everything over and prepared myself. I don't remember praying about it but I know my heart was.

As I walked up to my house, I stopped and said out loud to myself, "No matter what happens from this, this is not over. I will go to England and I will live out my dream."

And that was that.

I walked into my house with a new confidence, marched to Anderson and pulled up UCAS Track.

And there it was.

Kingston University --- Unconditional 

For those who are American or are unfamiliar with the way UCAS applications work, the universities send you offers to the programme that you apply to. I applied to Kingston for journalism so the journalism department was the one who would make the decision whether to offer me a place at the university. There are 3 kinds of offers that can be made: unconditional, conditional, or no offer. An unconditional offer means that I do not have to fulfill any extra requirements for a place at the university.

I was give an unconditional offer.

And I was ELATED.

For the next hour, I went through sporadic bouts of tears, laughter, and disbelief. Needless to say, I made sure everyone knew about it and I haven't shut up about it since! Every time I think about it, I thank God because honestly, He's the only reason I got a place.

I even got an email from someone telling me that on my academics alone, I probably wouldn't have been offered a place. Well, he didn't say it in those words but he said that my grades were lower than what they usually accept but because of the personal statement that I made, he was willing to reconsider.

Completely a God thing and I am in awe of His favour.

I love that the personal statement that cut me off from applying to other universities was one of the deciding factors in getting me an offer. Crazy!

Now I have to figure out what the next step is. It's so early to begin doing everything because the Fall 2012 term has pretty much just started! Haha I was expecting to hear something around March but this is unprecedented. God not only has granted me a place at this university but a buttload of time.

Seeing God work in my life in such a way is so encouraging. It makes me want to trust Him more because things keep happening that are completely above me. Since He has given me this place, I know He will provide the other things that are needed to get me there. Money being paramount haha

For the first time in quite a while, I am not afraid. I am not nervous. I am confident. I know God's got this and I am very willing to allow Him to take the reins on this one. :)

Continue to pray for me through this process! Although September is a long way off, I still need to be wise about the time that is spent as well as the money that is spent! My shopping spree days have been shelved and now is the time to baten down the hatches and push forward!

Also I start my new job at The Limited today so wish me luck!! :)

Till Next Time...

I am an Idiot...

I can't even...

Let me first explain something, like the way the UK does their applications.

In the UK, most of the universities operate their applications through an organisation called UCAS (whom I will be blogging for this year btw! I'll explain in another post). Through UCAS, there is one application. In this application, you have a personal statement. It is a statement where you demonstrate why you are right for the course you are applying to. Once you submit it, your application and personal statement is sent to all the universities that you have selected. Then you await an offer for a place at one of the universities (or more if you're super popular).

Since Kingston was my only choice, I wrote my personal statement as an ode to how much I would like to be granted an offer at the university and how much I am right for the journalism programme. So when I went back to see if maybe I should have a back-up plan in place, you know in case I don't get into Kingston, I discovered that this is not to be borne. If I added another choice to my application, my personal statement, which is littered with the words 'Kingston' by the way, would be sent to that certain university.

I am an idiot.

I cannot believe that I didn't think about that when I sent in this application. How did I miss this in all my research?? If I end up not getting into Kingston, it's going to suck because applying to another university probably wouldn't be an option. Not to mention that I've already given UCAS 11 GBP (18 USD) to add another choice. Guess who's probably not getting that money back?

I'm so frustrated that I didn't catch this. But in perspective, $18 isn't a large amount of money considering. Additionally, if I don't get into Kingston, it's not the end of the world. I still have a back-up plan and I'm still going to make efforts to live in the UK. It just might look a bit different than I might have imagined.

It still sucks though...

Till Next Time...

P.S. Sorry for the absence! I've been busy writing posts for ConStruct and working on my UCAS blog which I will talk about in another post once the website re-launches!