Response to “shit happens”

A time in my life where I had a realization was when I visited the university of Michigan for the first time. I was a junior in high school, my dad is an alumnus of the university and my brother was a student there as well. For so long Michigan had been an option in my head but honestly, I had heard very mixed things about it from my dad and brother, two people very close to me, whom I really respect. My dad, in attempts to deter me from wanting to go to school in the cold, mostly so he wouldn’t have to visit me during the miserable winters, told me about the weather. How miserably cold it gets, how it is grey 9 months out of the year, how much time you spend inside etc. My brother on the other hand told me all about the “work hard play hard” environment. He explained how people study all day long and party all night long. While that sounded like a lot of fun to me, I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the pace. 

However, the first time I visited Michigan that all went out the window for me. I finally had the chance to see this beautiful place first hand and come up with my own opinions. The second I walked through the diag on the sunny October morning I was in awe. Coming from Atlanta, the air was very crisp, a little chilly but nothing unbearable. The coloring of the trees, the culture, the ambiance, the vibe of students, and most of all the beauty of the school won me over. I was stunned at how unbelievable this place was, just by standing there taking it all in and watching the students go by. The long history of the university was very appealing to me, I loved how true Michigan fans were and how large the alumni network was. 

Nevertheless, what sealed the deal for me was my first game day. Coming from Atlanta, for football games in the south girls would wear dresses and heals and have to take a date to the game. I didn’t know anything else. At Michigan girls wore the silliest outfits they could find, decked out in Maize and blue. You did not see one person without a smile on their faces. I danced the day away with my brother and his friends. I had the greatest hot dog and chilly cheese fries of my life, and the second I walked into the “big house” Michigan’s football stadium, all bets were off. I had never seen anything so spectacular in my entire life. I went to bed that evening knowing this was the place for me. Despite what I had been told in the past, what opinions my dad and brother had this was a decision for me to make on my own. And being there and experiencing it in my own eyes was that moment that led me to decide Michigan was the school for me, similar to the wakeup call the author had in “shit happens” about becoming a writer.