University Ruminations

Ever since I got back from the sweet, sweet isolation of Cuba, I've been thinking a lot about college and my future. By which I mean, I've been forced to think a lot about college, by nature of the fact that I've gotten notified by every college this week.

Because I only applied to four schools, I haven't heard any news until now, in late March. Today I heard back from the last of my schools, so I figured I should get down some of my thoughts- and maybe even some advice.

Mashallah, and thank god, I was accepted into my current and recent number one, and denied by the school I've thought I would attend since I was 13. It feels like the best thing to ever happen to me, waiting to happen. I think everyone, including me, could tell this is what was meant to happen. In my case, things worked out.

For most applicants, choosing where you will apply is harder than choosing where you will actually go once you find out where you've been admitted. For most, you have a number one or a couple of them, and everything else is filler and fallback. When deciding where to apply, I set a baseline school and then compared all other colleges to it: "Would I really be happier at this super expensive liberal arts school on the east coast than I would be back home in Washington?" The answer, I found, was almost always "No."

Using this method, I ended up only applying to four schools, something that I would recommend to anyone and everyone, unless you truly don't know what you want.

Another thing that helped me greatly was deciding that I would not attend a university that didn't offer Arabic as a foreign language. This didn't cut out many, but it did drop a few off my list for good.

The first university, my sort of "safety," was not a sure-fire thing, but I had a good shot at it. A big, big public university that I could see myself doing well at, with programs that I like, and a location that I liked. I would have had a great time there and I would have had fun, too! This was the first school I was accepted to, while I was in Cuba!

The second is a school that I visited this summer. Medium sized, in the city, with a great program and a fun vibe. This was the last school I was accepted to, this afternoon. If I had to cut my list down to three and pocket the $75, this would probably be the school I cut.

The third is also in the city, but a bit more secluded. Very hard to get into, top of it's field, and the place I had wanted to go since I was 13. I was denied here.

Fourth and finally, the Dual BA between Columbia University and Sciences Po. I can't describe this without getting wordy and impassioned, which tells you more than anything that it's the place for me.

With this program, I'll be attending Sciences Po Paris, Campus de Menton for two years, after which I will receive a degree in the social sciences, focusing on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Studies. After that, I will attend Columbia University for two years, and receive a degree in a different field- likely Political Science/International Relations of some kind.

Needless to say, I'm pretty freaking excited.

My mom's caption: "Six months. What felt like millions of essays. Four applications. Too many interviews. Now, two years in Menton, France and two years in NYC. Two degrees. Congratulations to Genevieve on being accepted into the Dual BA Program between Columbia and Sciences Po. (Pictured here: Gen and her favorite Columbia alum. (Also: the president of France is an alum of Sciences Po. How cool is that?)) Man, am I gonna miss this girl. This is the best I have felt since Nov. 8!"

Here is what the town of Menton, France looks like:

And this is what the campus looks like (does it remind anyone else of the hotel from the Grand Budapest Hotel, or is it just me?):

Here are some pictures I took at Columbia in June last year (And to think, I didn't even know about the program when I took these pictures!):

I guess what I'm trying to say (and don't let me get too cheesy saying it) is, things have a way of working themselves out. Even if you don't know exactly who you are and what you want at all times, you will find that stuff out. In the meantime, avoid the stress by simplifying your admissions process. I was able to put a lot less time and energy into just a few applications, and ended up with just as happy of a result as those who applied to 20. Because for most of us, in the end, it's only one acceptance letter that matters.

#ColumbiaUniversity #University