I was on the student panel of Bradley’s community college articulation conference with four transfer students last Friday. Articulation refers to the agreement between community colleges and four-year colleges and universities about which courses a transfer student can take which will be accepted for credit at the four-year colleges. We introduced ourselves to nearly 20 counselors from Illinois. We answered general questions about our reasons for transferring to Bradley and offered suggestions for advising students.

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It’s a rainy afternoon and a chilly wind blows red and yellow leaves from the trees—signs of the beginning of autumn. From the window of my room in Canaday Hall, I check out the other freshman dormitories, Memorial Church, and students that come and go immersed in excited chat. I’m finally on the other side of Harvard’s gates and it seems as if, all my life, I’ve been preparing for this moment.

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Everyone seems to notice that I’m not from Illinois. Since arriving in Peoria, everyone I’ve met has asked me the same question, “Why did you leave Hawaii?!”

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For nearly two decades, I grew up loathing everything about Hawaii: its isolation from the rest of the United States, its predictable warm weather, its association with all things “touristy” and its label as “the ultimate tropical paradise.”

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The decision to transfer was based on my long-term goal to earn a bachelor’s degree, which my community college did not offer. To qualify as a prospective transfer student to most four-year universities, I had to fill out applications for admission; solicit official copies of my college transcripts; compile a resume; acquire a glowing letter of recommendation; and draft several personal statements. Transfer students are judged differently than high school applicants, since high school transcripts and standardized test scores are often not required for those who complete more than 15–24 transferable credits in college. Luckily for me, I obtained more than 50 transferable credits in liberal arts to satisfy general education requirements.

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I haven’t taken the route to college that my relatives expected me to. My family had always told me that I needed to attend a prestigious, well-known university to land a high paying career. My mother even offered me several career suggestions: a doctor, lawyer and engineer. But to her disappointment, I turned ill at the sight of blood; I was terribly quiet and shy among strangers; and math and science weren’t exactly my fields of expertise. My less-than-average academic record, unfortunately, ruined my chances of attending a brand-name university.

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Touring a college campus can help you to choose which college is right for you. What do you need to know before you head off to check out your favorite colleges? Hear advice from other students. Check out ACT’s college search to help you decide which schools to visit or see our college planning information to find out what important questions to ask on a campus visit.

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This afternoon finds me in the sweet seclusion of my bed, writing as I escape the unbearable heat of Miami summer days. I glance towards my desk, that wooden friend always buried by piles of books and pencils, stacks of college-ruled papers, random handwritten notes and reminders. Now the desk is clean, organized and dust-free, almost deprived of the fingerprints left by a long high school journey. The desk supports a diploma, framed pictures of friends and a box of keepsakes. From the corner of my room, a hanging graduation cap adorned with a golden tassel bears a sadness-drenched countenance. Everything weeps because I soon will be leaving, welcomed by a new room, a new desk, a new bed.

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May has come full of pleasant surprises and reasons to celebrate. Only days away from the culmination of my high school years, it seems like I’m finally savoring the fruits of everything I planted throughout this journey.

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Today I write from my Environmental Science classroom where I’m surrounded by birds, dogs, cats and hamsters that people find in the streets and bring to the caring hands of my teacher. I catch glimpses of nervous classmates who refuse to believe that AP exams are just two weeks away, of others who talk excitedly about plans for prom and graduation, and yet of others like me who have fallen into a state of pure reflection and anticipation towards the new paths we will be walking next fall.

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