Pros and Cons
Friday, April 20, 2012
In 2007, I was having trouble which instrument to decide to play for my last year of Marching Band. I had to decide between continuing playing Tenor Saxophone or Mellophone (aka marching French Horn. It has a beautiful sound). I had just broken up with my boyfriend at that time (who was going to my section leader in the Fall), and my Assistant Band Director thought my band seastar (I have a band sister. We have a trumpet family. Band family logic is kind of strange) would be great section. At the time, it was the most difficult decision to make in my life. I remember writing a pros and cons list, and eventually splitting my name into 2 (Kat + Rina), because the more I continued to write in the pros and cons lists, the more it sounded like I was arguing with myself (which, in the long run, I really was). It was hard for Kat and Rina to make a compromise. In the end, Kat won, and I ended up playing Tenor Saxophone for my last Marching Band season. 

I didn't think I would have this problem 5 years later-- the only difference is...this is about my education. 

I guess I'm like every student out there. "I WANT TO GO TO UCLA, GET MY BA, THEN GET MY MASTERS! THEN RULE THE WORLD!" When I switched my major, that was my train of thought for the longest time. My list used to be this: 

  1. UCLA
  2. CSU Long Beach
  3. CSU Northridge
Then all my other schools followed after that in no particular order: UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbra, CSULA, CSU Fullerton, and San Diego State. Then...everything started changing. Thanks to Circle K, I have a lot of friends in a lot of places, primarily in my top three schools. My closest friends are in LB and CSUN. When I go to either meeting, I feel welcomed and almost like I am a part of their family already. That sense of belonging is there, and I don't really get that feeling when I'm with my club (no offense, but these pass few months there's that distant feeling and I've only been able get a long with a few people...).

For my major, both schools are great. I've heard good things about the Foreign Language departments, and there are opportunities for me to broaden my chances of getting into a Graduate program for teaching, or helping me in terms of communication, speaking, and translating. The only difference is that CSUN accepted me as a Linguistics Major, while CSULB accepted me as a Japanese Major. My main major emphasis is Japanese Language, so I did go to CSUN, I would have to try to switch my major. Yay, paperwork! Even if I didn't get in, Linguistics is still applicable in the work I want to go in. 

Yeah, I can see myself going to both schools-- I (sortakindofnotreallywaityesikindofdo!) know my way around Long Beach thanks to picking my brother up during his high school days (WOO). It's still in SoCal, and only 30 minutes away from home, so I don't need to dorm. #notbad. CSUN, I don't know my way around LOL, but I know I have family there. I even told my cousin that if he needed a babysitter, I'd be more than happy to help out when his wife gives birth (Baby Yan Yan!). Since it's on the other end of the 405, I would have to dorm/stay somewhere. Where? That's a really good question...

The playing field is so leveled right now. Yes! I have been making my pros and cons list, and, once again, Kat and Rina have emerged and I am arguing with myself. This isn't fun. 

Now, where does UCLA lie in this? I really don't know anymore. I don't even know if I want to go there anymore. I don't know if I could survive a quarter. I don't want to have to start over again. I don't want to die lol. Hell, I don't even know if I got in. 

We'll see. 

As of now... 
4 Accepted, 1 Rejection, 3 Pending decision. 

I, now, have a week and a day to decide where I am going to go. 

I'm making a bigger deal out of this than I should. 


posted by Kat at 11:20 PM |

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