I almost didn’t come to Eastern.

I had my sights set on the University of Iowa ever since I attended a journalism camp there my sophomore year of high school. The campus was breathtaking and the facilities were top-notch. I was certain that U of Iowa was the only place I belonged.

Unfortunately the high cost of out-of-state tuition was a major obstacle. With two high school English teachers for parents, my family didn’t exactly have twenty-seven thousand dollars to shell out each year.

Determined to get to Iowa, I applied for every scholarship I could get my hands on. While I was awarded a couple scholarships from the school, the final scholarship I had needed to be able to afford tuition did not come through.

I was crushed.

I had been so focused on going to Iowa that I hadn’t really considered other schools. For some reason I thought there was no way that I wouldn’t get that last scholarship, but boy was I wrong.

So with a defeated attitude, I began to weigh my other options. I had applied to several in-state schools, but none of them really appealed to me.

I had visited Eastern in the fall, when I had first been filling out college applications. I liked the school, but I didn’t love it. The campus seemed too small and it didn’t sound like there was much to do.

However, my first impression of the school may have been different if my campus tour guide and admissions counselor were a bit more enthusiastic about EIU, and if they knew more about clubs, activities and academics.

The misinformation I was given during my first visit made Eastern seem like the completely wrong school for me. I was under the impression that the overall academic performance of students was poor, that there were only a handful of non-athletic organizations and that aside from partying, life on campus is pretty dead.

But after I realized that going to the University of Iowa was not financially realistic, I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to choose between Illinois State University and Eastern. And there was no way I was going to ISU, because I have lived in Bloomington-Normal my entire life.

So I decided to settle for EIU.

After making my final decision, I came back in the spring to visit the campus again, and surprisingly enough was actually somewhat excited about my decision. I met with various faculty members and department heads, and for once I felt like not going to Iowa didn’t mean my life would end.

My second visit to EIU completely changed my attitude about the school. Everyone I met was helpful and nice, and it was obvious that students and faculty take great pride in the high standards of academic achievement at the university.

It took me awhile to warm up to Eastern once I arrived on campus for my first semester, but I slowly began to appreciate the school and all that it offers: the small campus, the sense of community, the kindness and helpfulness of students and staff.

I began to realize that not being able to afford out-of-state tuition was the best thing that had happened to me.

Being at Eastern has made me realize that I prefer a smaller school.

I like the fact that I’m only an hour and a half from home.

The diversity of the professors and students makes for a wonderful learning environment.

Living on a smaller campus will be especially nice when the harsh Midwest winter rolls around.

I may have been a little skeptical about Eastern at first, but now I know that this I where I belonged all along. While it may have taken me six weeks, I have come to discover one of the most important things about myself:

I am EIU.