Opening my Manchester acceptance letter kind of felt like finding the winning ticket to the chocolate factory. MU had always seemed like a fantasy land, a private school just outside of my reach. When financially everything fell into place, I felt that, undoubtedly, MU would become my new home.

So when my parents left on move in day, I was super confused. Why did I feel so lost? All my stuff had made it to my room, courtesy of the move in staff. My roommate was (and is) really nice. Yet that night, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd made a gigantic mistake. I'd been told MU became like home to the students, and I wasn't feeling very at home at ALL.

At least, not right away. My mistake wasn't coming to MU. It was expecting everything I wanted to happen to happen, with no work on my part. Like everything else, you have to work for what you want here. What's special about Manchester is how readily available everything you want is, as long as you're willing to go out and get it.

Now, a few days after moving in, I'm starting to feel like I'm a part of this campus. I had some really amazing mentors, and the opportunity to be the first to meet some pretty amazing people (Shout out to SOL Group 16!!). It's amazing, the number of people here who are open to you if you're willing to put yourself out there in return.

Manchester, as it turns out, is not a fantastical chocolate factory. Its main purpose is as a school, just like any other, and with it comes the awkward growing pains that come with all new situations. But, when allowed a little bit of time, it can be more, if you're willing to work for it.