Calvin College: My Unexpected Twist

Calvin College was never in the plan.

For seventeen years I anticipated and researched and considered all the things I could do after graduating from high school.  Will I take a year off and try to figure things out before going to college?  Will I go out-of-state?  How about a public university in the Upper Peninsula?  I can major in English and become an editor at a publishing company.  That seems like a solid career for someone who excels in spelling and grammar.

Or maybe not.

If you can’t tell already, I am a planner.  I like to figure things out and make sure everything runs smoothly, that there aren’t any last-second decisions to be made… Everything must line up perfectly.

Last year, the plan was to attend a state school: Big campus. Low expectations. Plenty of room to blend in. And at a bargain price.

But last April, I made an out-of-character, quick decision.  I chose Calvin College: Tiny campus. High expectations. Plenty of involvement. And at twice the cost.

The craziest part is, I made the right decision.

I first visited the campus last January.  The traditional campus felt peaceful and calm, unlike the larger universities I had visited the past year.  My tour guide was more friendly, more welcoming, and more honest.  That day, I finally had my “aha” moment.  Things clicked.  This wasn’t the plan, but it was the next step for me.

After a whirlwind of financial aid, loan applications, advising appointments, and summer orientation, I only feel stronger about my decision to attend Calvin.

It’s not easy to leave the place I’ve always called “home.”  This two-story farmhouse with all of its charms – and nuisances – is where I spent my entire childhood.  It’s where I learned to walk and talk.  It’s where I spent hours writing silly stories that only a parent could understand.  It’s where I learned to love cats, coffee, and chocolate.  It is, and always will be, my home.

But as I pack up all my clothes, books, and knickknacks, and as I watch my existence slowly fade from this old house, it is comforting to know how precious my new home already is to me.  My family there will not be flesh and blood, but they will be family.  And I won’t have a world of memories surrounding me, but I will have memories.

It will never be the same.  After I move out, things will never go back to the way they were.  But I have found home at Calvin.

And that is worth more than seventeen years of planning.

“You can make many plans,But the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”

Proverbs 19:21