A Long Time Coming

After almost a full year since I was accepted, I will finally set foot on Ohio State's campus as a full-time student on June 21. It really has been a journey. A little less than a year ago, I attended OSU's orientation where I didn't know how I was going to pay for school or where I would be living if I could pay for it. Lack of preparation had a lot to do with it, but it also was a lack of urgency. In most sports, T.V. analyst and sportswriters always talk about the urgency to win a title. Most professional athletes have a small window where they have the chance to win against the highest level of competition. Even the select few who are labeled superstars, like former Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino or NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley, don't succeed at winning at that level. So, when the window begins to shrink , said player does all within his power to attain that goal of winning it all. Barkley, who had been to the NBA Finals once in '93 with the Phoenix Suns, was traded to the Houston Rockets which featured fellow HOF's Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olujawon in hope of attaining a title. Even with this combo, Barkley was unable to win a ring and eventually retired in '00.

Which leads me to my point. When I moved up to Columbus this past March, it was because I felt the sense of urgency. It was a deafening sound. All of the kids who were freshmen when I graduated from high school were now graduating themselves. I felt like I was losing my place. Whether my choice was right or wrong, I do feel it was necessary. But it was also a risky move.

I moved to Columbus with hopes and wishes in my pockets. I had enough money to pay for the first two months of rent and that was it. The only positive I had going for me was that I still had a job. I was scheduled to start at OSU for the Summer quarter, but I still didn't have a way to pay for school. The only plan I had was to wait and see if I received enough financial aid to pay for school and whatever the aid couldn't cover, maybe a private loan could. Since my own credit history wasn't the best, I had only my aunt to rely on as a co-signer. No parents. No grandparents. Just my aunt.

Talk about having all your eggs in one basket.

With another OSU orientation on the horizon, I figured it was time to call good ole Aunt Jenae. After filling out the application and having her and I sign it -- electronically, of course -- I received some unpleasant news.

Auntie's credit wasn't so great. Which meant no loan for me.

Damn

Without the loan, it was like I was sitting on the Sun. But I remained calm. I had yet to see what my financial aid award would be, so there was still hope that I hadn't made a grave decision in moving to Columbus.

Fast forward to today. I finally received the letter I had been so desperate to see and it was just what I needed. With school grants and federal loans provided by the government, I am able to pay for Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring.

When people asked me whether I was excited about going to OSU I couldn't really say yes, because until today I didn't know if it was really going to happen. But now it is and there is no turning back.

And, I couldn't be more excited.

Post coming this week: Hopefully one about women, and maybe one in particular. Definitely one on the NBA Finals.