Yesterday Matty said he was going to finish his post today and give details about all that happened over the weekend. Well, since he was a sleepyhead yesterday and ended up being significantly late for work, his boss asked him to come in early today to make up the time. At least he didn't loose his job! So, he asked me to give my version of things and he will come back in Wednesday to tie up the loose ends.
So, he mentioned that we came up with some decisions that we both feel very proud of. We had decided prior to Saturday that each of us individually would come up with some kind of "ideal" or perfect solution to the problem and then use that as a starting point to talk about.
Well, I sorta jumped the gun because I was about 90% sure I knew what I wanted to do. But I didn't want to just make a decision on my own about what we were going to do without hearing what Matty came up with. But, I was pretty sure he would like what I came up with.
So, just to lay it on the line, I had pretty much decided I didn't want to move away from Matty. That didn't mean I was giving up on going to college. I was (and am) going to college no matter what. I figured I had three options.
One was to do what Matty had done and just take a year off, work, save some money and then start next year. That way I wouldn't have to move away and Matty and I would be together. Plus, I would still be going to college. The only problem with this option was that I would still have to decide the whole thing all over again next year.
The second option was that I could check into the possibility of taking some courses here in Boston (hopefully at Matty's school) and then transfer the credit to the college in Vermont next year, which again wouldn't solve the problem of me moving away next year.
The third option was that I could take some courses at Matty's school and during the year I could see if they would accept me in the 2013 term there. I had heard that sometimes schools will do this, especially if you do really well in the courses you take there -- like make an A in every course and maybe, uhhhh, well, beg on bended knees (I was going to say "suck up", but now that I'm a college kid, I have to watch my language!).
Well, I did some research at Matty's school and found out that this third option was not as easy as you might think it would be. But, two weeks ago I managed to get an appointment with the Director of Admissions to plead my case. You should have seen me all dolled up for her. I mean, I would have worn a coat and tie anyway, but I was in full fashion mode: a shorter hair cut, just a little tiny bit of eye liner (not overdone, of course), shoes shined, a tie that was somewhat conservative and an over-all look that said, "I'm serious, I'm smart and look at how cute I am, how can you say 'no'?"
I felt a little bad about not telling Matty I was doing this, but I didn't think I was violating any serious moral charges. Regardless of the outcome, I would tell him anyway.
Well, after my experiences this summer of being a "professional waiter" at the restaurant, I had learned a few things about being charming. I knew this alone would mean absolutely nothing, but, hey, I was trying to throw all the ingredients I knew into the recipe. What I really needed most was for her to find some way to get me admitted.
I made really good grades in high school and my GPA was high enough for admission to this school -- that, I had already checked. Plus I had a long list of extracurricular achievements from high school that I hoped would convince her I was not playing games. And, I had some really amazing letters of recommendation from my high school. I had even filled out the complete application packet for this school, and updated my personal essay to show how serious I was.
So, Ms. Director was really nice and I think we hit it off with each other. She said she was actually impressed that I had somehow bypassed the usual channels and gotten directly to her. I very charmingly said, "Oh, I hope I didn't go out of bounds. I just assumed that talking to the Director was what you did." I got this very adorable amused look from her. I somehow kept my face from ginning back. (I didn't tell her that I used my "insistent voice" with some of the assistant admission directors and admission counselors who tried to keep me from her!)
Then, she asked me if I knew any other students on campus. Oh, no. What was she asking me that for? Was this some kind of trick question? I hadn't anticipated that! It took me about two seconds to decide to just own up and tell the truth. I mean, as charming and cute as I can be, I figured I had gotten this far and didn't want to screw anything up. So, I just said, "Well, my boyfriend is starting in September." And, I swear to God, she didn't miss a beat when she said, "So is that why you're not wanting to move out of state?"
I then let my face have a small, shy grin (which came naturally and was not for show) and just said, "Yes, Ma'am."
Well, she said they didn't make admission decisions based on personal factors like that. Then I got the "Ms. Director Stare." I just said, "I understand."
Then she looked over my admission papers again and just said everything did look quite impressive. (Oh no, I knew there was a "but..." coming next) She looked up, smiled, and said she appreciated my drive and determination. "However, (okay, here it comes) I don't make these decisions on my own. We have an admissions committee meeting the first week in August to finalize last minute issues. I'll present it and give you a call. Will that be satisfactory, Mr. L____?"
("Mr. L____?" I never, ever get called by my last name, much less "Mr." It's actually kind of unnerving and I had this feeling my dad had somehow suddenly materialized behind me! Is this how they talk in college??)
"Yes, ma'am. I'd appreciate that. And again, I hope I didn't go out of bounds." She just smiled and said, "No, Mr. L____. You did just fine." Then she stood up and we shook hands.
Well, I got a call from Ms. Director late yesterday afternoon. She said the committee met and even though it was too late in the process to approve my admission for the Fall term, it would be considered for the term beginning in January! She sounded very optimistic it would be approved and cited several things in my application that impressed the committee!
Before I thanked her and everything, she said I could try and find one or two courses that had openings for the Fall term and she would admit me on a "Provisional Admission Status." She explained that most courses were already full, but they might be able to get me into one or two if the Professors approved it. She also said they would most likely not be courses I would ordinarily take as a Freshman, and I may or may not be able to apply the credits to my degree. She said one of her assistants would be calling me this week to explain and arrange things.
I talked to my parents yesterday about all this and they're all behind me! I'm going to loose some money from the college in Vermont, but, wonder of wonders, my dad said he would take care of that as well as advance me the money needed for the admission process here!
Matty and I are ecstatic to say the least! But, guess what? That's not the end of the story! Matty mentioned yesterday that his grandparents wanted to see us Sunday afternoon and they made this unbelievably generous offer that totally stunned us. And, no, they're not giving us any money. It's not that at all. We found out a little secret they had that was going to happen as soon as Matty turned 21. I'm dying to give it away but Matty made me promise to let him tell it since its his grandparents. The only hint he said I could say today was to let everybody know we're "moving" ahead with our future.
He'll be posting about it tomorrow!
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