Fate and Chicagoey things

Welcome session

The University Center, or "UC". Home sweet home!

Holy Cow! I got to meet up and have dinner with my friend Helena at Harry Caray's. Helena goes to Loyola so we'll be within visiting distance when I'm at CCC!

I am going to Columbia College Chicago. I am also a big believer in fate. Everything happens for a reason and all that. It was a long and quite complicated hike to get here, to this decision, but I think it was important.

Columbia Chicago was one of the first colleges that I considered applying to. My aunt Kathy was actually the one who suggested I apply there. I had walked past parts of the campus when I was in Chicago for the Ballet Chicago Summer Intensive in 2009. That was also the summer that I fell in love with Chicago. I became a huge Cubs fan (This'll be our year!) and I consider myself a Chicagoan at heart.

I applied to five Universities, and I got accepted to three of them: Columbia Chicago, University of Akron, and Wright State. U of Akron was my back up and though it's a good school, I never got too excited about it. I was really seriously considering Wright State, and I had decided that if I got into their dance major program that I would go there. I also decided that if I didn't get into Wright State's dance major program that I would go to Columbia Chicago.

I didn't get into Wright State's dance major program. I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me (or, if you'd rather, the best thing that didn't happen to me). I am so happy that I'm going to Columbia Chicago. I feel like it was tailor-made for me.

This past weekend I went to the open house at Columbia. The open house started off with a welcome session in this beautiful theatre. The welcome session started off with this video of a kid making music with objects around his dorm room, and just as the music started to grow the lights came up a bit and all these dancers entered the stage underneath the giant video screen. Then even more dancers entered through the doors around the theatre and danced up to the stage to join the dancers there. Then three R&B style singers appeared on stage with all the dancers and finished out the song in a seriously awesome way. When the song ended the dancers and singers exited the stage and the scrim came up to reveal a jazz singer, a jazz band, and an entire 40 person choir backing them up. After singing September and another song that currently escapes me, a speaker came out and talked about all of Columbia's programs and the benefits of such an artsy school being in an urban environment.

All I could think the entire time is that this is the perfect place for me! And to think, I wouldn't have realized this if I had gotten into Wright State's dance program. Fate is a funny, funny thing.