Solo

Happy Thursday!

The past couple weeks have been full of a lot of internal reflection. A week or so two of my friends and their three girls boarded a plane and moved to Uganda, Africa to bring home to their daughter, Chloe

Insane but remarkable. 

Their first stop was in London and I couldn't help but think about my own inevitable move in 5 months to Kingston. Then my brain began going through how they must be feeling and how determined in their hearts they would have to be just to get on the plane. Never mind the fact that they paid for everything and this has been in the works for months. It must have taken everything within them to board that plane, leaving what was comfortable and known behind and embarking on a new path in Africa. 

I, then, began mirroring it to my own journey. I will be doing almost the same thing. I am leaving what is familiar for the unfamiliar in the pursuit of something greater. They'll be travelling farther than I and they have a child waiting their arrival in Uganda but at least they have each other which makes it easier. 

I will be boarding that plane alone and that terrifies me. 

I mean, I've boarded planes by myself before. I even travelled to the UK alone. But there's something about knowing that you will be boarding a plane by yourself to move to a place where no one knows you. Sure it's a clean slate where I can literally be whomever I want to be and recreate myself but I won't have the familiarity of friends nor the comforts of knowing that people who love me are in the UK. 

With that being said, I am still determined. I knew this move was going to be emotional and it's going to get worse before it gets better but it's worth it. At the end of it, I'll be able to look back and see how far I've come, enjoy what is going on in the present and look forward towards a bright future. In the meantime, I am going to cleave to the friendships and loved ones I have here and enjoy every moment. 

I'm opening the platform now! If you are already planning for uni in the fall, what type of hurdles are you currently trying to hop over? Just pop a comment down below. 

Also, don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date on what's going on with me! 

Steven

Patience...

Happy Friday? 

I hate the 'P' word. 

Patience. 

I have a friend named Patience and I do not hate her. I love her to the moon and back but I'm talking about the virtue, patience. 

Since coming back from Europe on Monday, I have been seriously struggling with not only readjusting to American culture but with having patience with what is to come. 

Whilst I was on the plane flying back across the pond to the states, I had resolved in my mind that Operation: Kingston was about to be in full swing. Applying to loans, scholarships, sponsorships; the works. Then when I tried to actually do things, it turned out that I had to wait. 

In fact, everything that I need to do can't be done until March or April. 

WHAT?!?

I am the type of person that wants to be ahead of the game. I want to be the one who already has answered the question before it is asked and have things done before someone even thinks of doing it. I like being efficient and damn practically precognitive. For me, being timely means being down to the wire. I'm the person who is always ridiculously early to an important event. It's just who I am and completely in my nature. However, with Kingston, I can't be that way. 

This brings me back to patience. It is indeed a virtue but it is not one that I possess in abundance. I have to, now, come to a point where I have to be patient with the things I want to get finished with and look at the little things before the big things like paying for tuition or paying for my accommodations. I have to look at things like saving money, spending quality time with my family and friends, writing, making the most of my time here in the states so when it comes time to get the big things sorted through, I don't have to feel overly pressed by other things that I would have otherwise overlooked. 

My advice to you is to have a bit of patience. Whether you are waiting for your offer or you already have your offer in hand. Have patience and pay attention to the little things. I have 8 or 9 months left in the states before I move to England, that seems like a long time but it's scary how quickly it will pass and I don't want to be at the beginning of August wondering what I did with all of my time. 

That's it from me today! I hope you aren't stressing during this time of transition! The first date for UCAS application deadlines has passed so there are LOADS of you guys who are waiting on pins and needles for an offer. Don't worry! Universities will see your effort and take that into consideration. You can do this! :)

Steven.

P.S. If you haven't voted for me for blogger of the month you totally shoulddddd! The link is in the right sidebar at the top! You should also follow me on twitter! @ssharpeminor

And lastly, if you want to read about my trip to Europe, I have written part one of it on my personal blog HERE! Bye!! :) 

Permitting Happiness

Happy Saturday!

Ah! The new year is finally here!

It's so crazy to think that by this time next year, I will be a Kingston student. It's insane. 

I have noticed that this process is far more emotional than I previously imagined. I always knew that I would be sad and have mixed feelings about leaving America but this is so much different than I thought. I know I've probably mentioned this before but it's becoming more and more apparent the more I continue forward.

 I think that's what this blog will focus on primarily: the emotional side of the uni process. Not only is it taxing on the mind with planning and getting things organised but it's taxing on the heart and the emotions. 

I'm going to tackle an issue that I've been thinking through and it's something that I had to come to terms with when I applied. 

When I first made the decision to apply to Kingston, I was so excited. I was nervous but extremely elated. I was finally doing something I always wanted to do. Since I was excited, I felt like I should tell my friends! I mean, they should be happy with me as well right? Well, when it came time to tell my friends, I couldn't bring myself to be happy around them. 

I felt guilty that I was happy about leaving. 

I felt guilty that I was okay with leaving my country. 

For a long time leading up to the day I sent in my application, I was torn between being joyful and guilty. Why should I feel happy about leaving? Why should I feel happy about leaving my friends and family?

When I thought about it, I realised that I had it all wrong. I was not happy about leaving, I was happy that I was following through on an endeavour that I felt was right for my life. 

So my advice to you, dear readers, is if you are feeling happy about applying abroad, permit yourself to feel happy. 

Carefully analyse your feelings and approach them from another perspective. 

This is your life and you should choose to live it as you choose. Other people do things for their lives that you probably wish they hadn't done so why shouldn't you? 

You've already decided that you want to explore another plateau of greatness abroad, so be joyful about it! It may sounds selfish but in all actuality it is! You have to do what you feel is right for you. If someone is not happy about it, assure them that it's okay that they're not happy with it and help them come to terms as much as you can but do not let it sway your decision. Think about the end game, if you have one in mind. Is this worth it? If your answer is yes, then let that spur you on. 

With that I leave you with a question, what has been the hardest part about applying to uni so far? 

Leave your answers in the comments as I would love to be right there with you!

As for me, I prepare to leave for Europe in 3 days!! I can't believe this is happening!! I'll be posting pictures from the trip as soon as I possibly can!

Wish me luck!

Steven S. 

Waiting for the Ride...

This process with Kingston has been so...simple? 

I can't really find the word to describe it...

 I was telling one of my friends that it seems a bit too easy. Am I missing something? I know it's very early in the game to do anything really but it just seems like I'm doing nothing whilst my new life is waiting to be prepared. 

I've likened this time to the moment when you've stepped into your seat on a roller coaster. You strap yourself into the harness and wait for it to move. There's that nervous excitement rumbling in your belly, your hands are shaking, you're smiling but you're also completely out-of-your-mind terrified. You've heard about this ride; it's fast. Very fast. Something you've never experienced before. 

That's where I am right now. Waiting for the ride. 

I know I can't ever fully prepare for my life in England but I know that it will be exciting and something I have never experienced before. 

As far as what I'm doing currently, I am preoccupying my time with preparing my soul for the return of my best friend from Ireland! She's coming back home on the 17th and I couldn't be more excited! Additionally, I am preparing for Christmas which I have done no shopping for...

AND I'm preparing for my first trip to Europe in January!! 

Yes, on the 7th of January I will be hopping on a plane to Dublin to spend time with the same best friend who is coming home in a week. I will be in Europe for 2 weeks during which I will fly to London and visit Kingston! Hopefully I catch a tour or I'll just do my own browsing? Then I fly to Paris simply because I need to. I can't be in Europe and not go to Paris. I mean, honestly...

So that's where I am as of yet. Let me know where you are in your application process! I'm interested to hear what's going on with you! We're all in this together after all. :)

OH! In case you didn't know, this blog is in partnership with UCAS! YAY! If you like my posts, or this blog in general, or my face ;), make sure you vote for me as your blogger of the month! The link is in the upper right hand side. I'll also annotate a link HERE. Thanks! 

Till Next Time...

Steven Sharpe

An Offer!

Oh my goodness I'm still in shock.

When I got the email from UCAS, I happened to be at work...with no access to my compter until later in the day. It was torturous! I kept going over in my head what it could be. I never expected anything to happen till at least March. I remember distinctly that as I was walking up to my house, I decided in my head that even if I didn't get an offer that it wasn't over. I was still going to work as hard as I could to move to England.

I walked into my house, ignored my poor dog, and went straight to my computer to pull up Track.

And there it was.

Kingston University --- Unconditional

So many emotions right in that moment.

I immediately ran to my mother's room to tell her the good news! She screamed and immediately called my dad. Then the tears came. Hahaha!

I sat there crying for a good 20 minutes as my mother shouted her congrats and encouraged me. It was a moment that I will never forget. It was such a relief and I will explain why.

A couple years ago, I applied to a school called Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. I wanted to be a musician and Berklee seemed like a very good choice. I also didn't feel like I had the grades to actually apply to a four-year university. So I flew up for the audition and about a month later I received a rejection email. I was crushed as it had been the first school I actually had the courage to apply to and I was rejected.

After a lengthy bout with anger and apathy, I mustered the courage to try again the next year. I flew up for the audition and was rejected again. It was perhaps the worst feeling I had ever felt. My stomach completely sank and a future that I had envisioned for myself vanished right before my eyes.

So this offer from Kingston was a lot more than a place at a uni. This was a sign that I have what it takes to do what I love which just so happens to not be music. Haha! (Although I still play for funsies :)) Oddly enough, when I decided to throw caution to the wind and pursue this, I found nothing but good things.

I hope this is an encouragement to those who are still waiting on an offer from universities. Something will happen and if you are pursuing your passion, it will resonate through everything you touch. You won't be able to help it and people won't have a choice but to see it.

For now, I shall rest and relax a little bit. It's actually too early to really do anything other than research the process as much as possible.

Also, I shall celebrate!!! PARTY TIME! :D

Till Next Time...

Steven S.