When I was looking at what college I wanted to go to, and I was comparing the pamphlet from Gannon to all the other schools that sent me stuff in the mail, Gannon looked great on paper.
My mom had said then that I shouldn’t make a definitive decision until we visit the campus, meet the people and just see what we think after that.
We came to Gannon for one of the open house sessions and between the tour and talking with people from around campus, we were sold.
We fell in love with the campus and we knew that this would be the place for me to go to college, that it was the school for me. All I had to do was apply and get accepted.
I couldn’t help but remember those moments while my mom, my two sisters and myself spent all day Saturday traveling to Pittsburgh.
My mom and youngest sister, Maddie, were driving from Buffalo. They arrived shortly before noon to get Danielle and me here in Erie, and then we hopped back on the road for Pittsburgh.
I had gotten information a few months back about joining this program for a year to work with a nonprofit, since I really want to take a year off before possibly attending graduate school.
Everything for this program sounded exactly like what I was looking for, with the information I read online and when I spoke to the recruiter. The next thing was to see it in person and figure out what we think, just like we had done with choosing Gannon.
The sad part is though, that they didn’t sell us on joining like Gannon had done. We were only at the open house in Pittsburgh for an hour, and after 15 minutes we felt like we had all the information we needed and just wanted to leave.
Pittsburgh looks like a great city from the view we had on the thruway. But the part of Pittsburgh we were in, where I would spend a year living with five to eight strangers who signed up as well, wasn’t appealing anymore.
The visit turned a “Yes, sounds like a great opportunity” to a “No, I’m not even going to finish submitting my application.”
I really struggled with thesis last semester and feel like I mentally need a year off before starting graduate school with a dissertation to worry about. I also have to choose whether or not I even stay at Gannon to get my master’s.
Alumni get a discount, but I’ve been here for five years. Do I really want to stay for another year and a half?
We spent a whole day traveling to get a better feel for the program, and it doesn’t seem like it’s a good fit for me, which changes everything I had been planning for my life after graduation.
I don’t know what I’ll end up doing, but I hope to figure it out soon.

VERONICA KOWALSKI
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