South Bend doesn't want me...

Well, the news came today... I didn't get into Notre Dame. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to. It's a great history department with a lot of applicants and they only accept about 8-10 students each year. I thought their department was a great fit for my research interests, but it wasn't meant to be. This might indeed be a sign that academic life is very competitive, so I will consider my options in the next year or two, but I might also be hanging my hat up on moving forward with a Ph.D.

I'm certainly not looking at this rejection letter with negativity, however. I am having a great life, I have a great job, I have some of the best experiences someone my age can possibly enjoy, and I live in the best country in the world, at perhaps one of the most exciting (yet volatile) periods of history - and any true historian can certainly appreciate that. And, my current job allows me to see so many parts of this country and meet so many interesting people. It's certainly a time of my life I will always be able to reflect back upon... but why reflect back when things just keep rolling?

Over the next few weeks, I'll most likely be making big decisions based on this decision. Getting accepted into the University of Notre Dame would have made the next 4-5 years of my life easy: I would have been studying hard at Notre Dame and living in South Bend, Indiana. The good news is I don't have to freeze my ass off in South Bend, Indiana, arguably one of the coldest places in the country! So... being originally from Florida, I am almost relieved about that. But, now the next life decision will be up to some deep reflection about what path I want to take next.

I was telling someone recently that today, us young people in this country, have so many options open to us. SO MANY! Sometimes all these options make life a bit more confusing or at least perplexing, and sometimes I wonder if so many options is a good thing? Well, when you like your options, it certainly is... and I like my options. The "worst" choice I make still won't be a bad choice at all.