As all of my family and friends know, I am a hard-core Oregon Ducks fanatic. Throughout middle and high school I was always donning green and yellow Oregon Duck gear, and whenever someone asked about my future goals I was quick to tell them that after high school I was going to move to Eugene and attend the University of Oregon. This was my plan. There were no other options in my mind. Since 7th grade year in middle school, and up until about a week ago, I was going to move to Eugene, be with my fellow Ducks fans, and pursue higher education at the University of Oregon. Simple as that.
However, while this dream was my motivation behind all of my successes throughout both middle and high school, I never actually sat down and weighed out all of the factors that come with attending a university like the University of Oregon. In middle and high school I never really considered what moving 2 1/2 hours away from home the first time would be like. I never considered the "real world" dynamics that would come into play. I never thoughtfully imagined what it would be like to leave all of my family and close friends whom I consider to be like family, and move away to a place where I know absolutely nobody. While moving away from everything and everyone you know might appear to be nothing short of great, when you get down to it and it's almost crunch time, it quickly becomes a scary reality.
Another harsh reality came in the form of finances. To attend the University of Oregon, live on campus with the campus meal plan and pay for books and other expenses, it was going to cost around $22,000. (Wow!) Who knew your life long dreams could be so expensive, right?! That's a whole lot of money for a first-time college student, who has no clue as to a major, to be spending on an education just because they love the university and the university's team. Seems a little silly.
Both of the aforementioned points are what ultimately lead to my decision to put my dream on hold for now, and attend a university that is closer to home, Southern Oregon University. While this decision was completely last minute and also completely foreign in my mind, at this point in my life it feels like the right one. Over the summer I did a lot of growing up. I began to realize that the real world that everyone was always warning me about, really is something to enter into thoughtfully. If all options and outcomes are not considered, one can quickly find themselves in a world of hurt.
I realize my decision will come as a shock to many people, heck it's still really, really weird for me to say that I am a student at SOU instead of saying I'm a student at U of O. However, I feel that this is best for me at this time in my life. The money I have taken out in student loans will go further at SOU than it would have at UO. Also, this allows me the time to adjust to being both a contributing member of society and a full time college student. My number one goal in life has always been to be successful in whatever I do, and I honestly feel that this decision is going to uphold that goal.
So, my plan is to finish at least my prerequisites at SOU and maybe transfer up to the University of Oregon at a later date. This decision does not in any way take away from my passion for the University of Oregon athletics programs, nor does it take away from my dreams of becoming an Oregon Duck. Win or lose, SOU or UofO, I will ALWAYS love my Ducks!
Nothing will ever change that. Because while I may be studying at another university, I can still cheer on the team that I have been cheering on for the greater part of my life. More importantly, I can still receive an education from the University of Oregon. Even if it means that I am receiving that education when I am 50 years old. You see, that is the cool thing about learning and education, you can always be a student no matter what your age. There are no limits on learning.
