Welcome back to my blog! This week we are going to talk about my college 
search experience as it is quite different than most. Although I am going to tell you, this story has a happy ending as I just committed to Mr. Williams Alma Mater, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Now I wish I could say I simply applied to UIUC and decided to accept my offer a couple of months later, but this story is not that simple.
It all started in December when I was granted The Chick Evans Scholarship. In a short description, this scholarship is a full-ride granted to caddies around the world. There are four pillars to this scholarship including, good grades, exemplary character, extracurriculars, and a large amount of participation on the golf
course. Now I could write a whole post about this scholarship, but instead, the only important information you must know is that the scholarship committee chooses what University I attend. They have houses on each campus the scholarship offers to, which tend to be the big tens, and you must live in that house all four years. So in turn there must be room for the incoming freshman at these houses and whichever state you live in gives you first priority to that state school.
So in February, I submitted a document that included what schools I would like to attend in order of preference. This was my list:
- Indiana University
- University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign
- University of Iowa
- The Ohio State University
- Miami Ohio University
- University of Illinois – Chicago
Now I know I have a list of six here but truthfully I had tunnel vision for Indiana University. Ever since I toured it I loved everything about its campus. It was clean and the buildings were all made of limestone. The Kelley School of Business was also a highly-ranked business school and I was a direct admit. I loved everything
about the school and I even thought I would look good in crimson and cream. Now not to burst your bubble but when March 1st came around I got an email from the committee that said I will be attending The University of Iowa in the fall. Honestly, I panicked. I cried all day long and told my mom that I would rather just not go to college. A part of me thought about giving up the scholarship but I know that would not be the best decision for myself long term. I ended up emailing the committee and they sent me a form that I could fill out to submit a transfer request. I even wrote a letter that pleaded my case about Indiana University having a better business school than Iowa. But sure enough, a couple of weeks later I received an email that said they could not fulfill my transfer request.
I felt trapped. I used to be excited about going away to school but now I just wanted high school to last forever. I was not going to give up though. I could feel in my gut that the University of Iowa was not the right school for me. I ended up calling the committee and they said I could fill out another transfer request form. The only problem was that it was past the April 1st deadline when every Evan Scholar student was supposed to be committed. I knew it was a long shot appealing to the UIUC but I had to try. I wrote another letter about why UIUC would be a better place for me, especially given that I am an Illinois resident and UIUC is cheaper than the University of Iowa. After a couple of weeks, I heard back from the committee and they approved my appeal! I was so happy that I started tearing up during AP Literature!
I have never been more relieved in my life. Not only is the Evans Scholar house at UIUC the largest one there is but I also get to continue my education with a lot of my friends here in Illinois. I just attended New Scholar Day on Sunday and I met 120 scholars at Illinois as well as toured my home for the next four years. This
scholarship is truly the most life-changing opportunity in my life and I am forever grateful to the WGA. Although the college process was very long and stressful I am extremely grateful for everyone who helped me and I cannot wait to be an Illini!
First off, congrats on committing. Secondly, I had no idea you could get a full-ride scholarship for being a caddy, that’s kind of crazy. Caddying is such a niche that I never expected you could get such an opportunity from it, but I guess I was wrong. I know what it is like to have tunnel vision for one college. I had tunnel vision for Georgia Tech because the weather is very nice and I was very sad when I got rejected. I would’ve also panicked if I got into my third choice out of 6, but luckily you were able to get your second choice. While UIUC was not your first choice, it is still a good school and you will probably know a decent number of people there. It’s crazy that you cried in AP Lit because I also cried in AP Lit due to how boring the Hamlet movie was.
Jordyn, I wanted to say congrats on the Chick Evans Scholarship, that’s a huge accomplishment! The Evans Scholar house sounds cool, and a unique experience that many do not have the chance to experience. However, reading through your blog post had my jaw dropped because I have never heard of a scholarship having control over what school you ultimately attend. For context, I’m also a business major committed to UIUC, and going to a BIG10 school was always a preference of mine. But my story was not nearly like yours.
I truly admire your determination to take action, some people would simply accept the way things played out and move on. However, I’m a firm believer in simply shooting your shot and trying, because I find it better than bearing regret.
This situation must have put so much pressure on you, between keeping the scholarship and choosing a school that fits you. I can’t imagine how overwhelming that would feel, and I am so happy that it eventually worked out for you. My college decisions didn’t go exactly the way I hoped they would either, but after some time I realized that I still have so much potential in the future, and I see myself fitting in just fine at UIUC. I hope you feel similarly.