After spending a good part of my life planning to attend the University of Idaho, I spent my entire senior year of high school looking for ways not to. I’ve spent my whole life in Moscow and don’t get me wrong –I’m convinced it’s a great place to grow up. But after 18 years in one place, curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to experience something new.
However, realizing my financial inability to attend another school without taking out thousands of dollars in student loans is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It forced me to become a Vandal and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.
I’ve fallen completely and utterly in love with every aspect of UI including the people, the opportunities available, the breathtaking campus and the overall feeling of Vandal pride.
As corny as it may sound, I’ve made lifelong friends, stayed up late cramming for tests in classes I have loved, learned the value of a dual morning alarm system, and gained first-hand experience in a field I want to commit the rest of my life to. I’ve sincerely loved every second of my time at the University of Idaho, despite the fact that the location of the school happens to be in my hometown.
The effort I put into finding a way to attend another school had nothing to do with UI itself. It had everything to do with the fact that I’d grown up in Moscow and felt the need for a change.
The 50-pound bag of letters and hundreds of emails I received from other schools across the nation brought to my attention the overwhelming number of options available, and deglamorized a university of equivalent – and often higher – accreditation that was literally in my own backyard.
Similar letters came from UI, but I was so tired of high school. I didn’t want to repeat it by spending another four years attending school in the same place I’d always lived.
A year later I’ve realized that the ten minutes I moved across town were all I needed to experience something new. UI brings it’s own culture and thousands of new people to an already colorful small town.
Events such as Vandal football games, the Moscow Renaissance Fair and even the small coffee-shop performances that have been a staple in my life for as long as I can remember suddenly became fresh and exciting again as I attended them with new friends and new perspectives.
Even after growing up a Vandal fan, I had no idea just how many opportunities were available to me. Alternative Spring Break trips and more than 200 clubs and intramural sports are just a few of the things that opened my eyes to what it truly meant to become part of the Vandal family.
By attending UI, I was able to get the “true college experience” I was convinced I needed, and also stay close to the large (and wonderful) family I’m not quite sure I’m ready to leave yet. I want to spend the rest of my life exploring the world, but for the remaining three years in my college career, I’m perfectly content to spend my time rediscovering my own corner of the universe.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected]