When I first stepped foot onto the University of Texas as a sophomore, I hated it. It’s too big, I thought. I’ll get swallowed up in a school of that size. There are too many strange people here, I thought. I would never fit in with all these hippies. They don’t even attempt to make a connection with you, I thought. The tour guide didn’t notice when she lost half of our group and the welcome office didn’t impress me at all like other schools had.

My dad attended UT Austin when he was a college student, so I learned all about the horns early on. By the time I actually had the opportunity to apply to colleges, I was sick of hearing about UT. I rolled my eyes when I thought of the campus that I couldn’t stand just a few years ago. I was convinced that I was going to Oklahoma State University, a school that I still love to this day. From my first visit in Stillwater with my dad, I loved it for the campus, its school spirit, and the specific major they had that I wanted. I bought all the OSU gear – shirts, swimsuit cover ups, lotion, everything. But in October of my senior year, everything started to change for me. I went to OSU for a football game with a friend, and something just didn’t feel right. I was unsure whether I could picture myself being a student there. I was torn between OSU and staying in Texas, the only place I’ve ever known as home.

Soon after that, I went on my second tour of UT, just to confirm my previous dislike of the school. To my surprise, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of both the campus and the city of Austin. I loved the size of the school, the diversity and the school spirit along with its academic excellence. Austin was an amazing place to be. I had always dreamed of moving to a city one day, and this was my chance. The capital would be the best of both worlds – a gorgeous, weird, crazy city, at an amazing campus, all in Texas and within driving distance from home. It doesn’t get better than that.

I couldn’t believe that UT was so different than how I remembered it. It hadn’t changed at all, but I had. I had greatly matured from my sophomore to my senior year, and I was able to have a positive take on what I once considered a large, intimidating campus. I grew to love people and the chance to meet all different sorts of personalities. I had gained the confidence to take on a school like UT.

After my second visit, I knew I had some serious reevaluating to do. I finally narrowed down my options to Texas A&M and UT. It was a very difficult decision to make, but I couldn’t be happier with my choice. I know God led me down the right path when he kept bringing me back to UT. With an open mind, I was able to fall in love with my “hate at first sight” school that I was introduced to as a kid. Love at last sight isn’t so bad after all.