The magnificence of Columbus is haunting my decisions....
As I’ve mentioned before, I am applying to the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at Ohio State for graduate school. I’ve been active in the school as an undergrad. However, in the past, I have thought of this as just a back-up plan. I always wanted to get out of Ohio when I graduated and go to a bigger, more bustling city. In particular, I’ve always wanted to get back to Washington, D.C.
I don’t know what’s changed. Maybe I’m getting scared. Maybe I’m overwhelmed with grad school applications and nervous about the details of my future. I mean, I went to DC and that was ok…but I knew I’d be right back in Ohio in two months. This time, if I moved, it would be for at least two years.
I’ve been pondering this a lot because I’ve all of a sudden been noticing the highlights of my life in Ohio. I find myself wondering, as I walk through the Short North, do I really want to leave a great city like Columbus? When my mom makes plans to visit or I see pictures of my cousin’s toddler sons, do I really want to leave my family? When I work out with my friend from my first RA staff as she talks about her first weeks of dental school, do I really want to leave my closest friends and miss the milestones in their life?
Surprisingly, I wasn’t too sentimental about all this until I started applying to schools in Texas, New York, and DC. My friend is in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia for two years, and comes back January 2011 (another milestone I’d miss). We exchange letters occasionally, and he reminded me that two years—also the amount of time I’ll be in grad school—is 1/10th of our life so far!
Will I regret leaving Ohio when I graduate? Or, more importantly, will I regret it more if I don’t leave?