Today was a good day. A really, really good day. Over spring break I received an email from a student I had been working with on a regular basis, requesting that we meet because he had some good and bad news (regarding college applications to the U.S.) that he would like to discuss with me. I was giddy with excitement, hoping that his good news was that he was offered a scholarship to one of the schools he applied to. Getting accepted was not going to be enough; the biggest challenge for Hungarian students wanting to study in the United States is financing their education. International students are not eligible for any federal financial aid, and that is what is most commonly used to supplement domestic students (grants, loans, federal work study, and even most scholarships). Salaries in Hungary are low, and we all know the sticker price of undergraduate education in the U.S. is astronomical. His dream for the past four to five years has been to study in the United States. He has gained my respect through his relentless determination and immense amount of preparation; and I feel lucky to have joined him in his quest for success. There have been ups and downs, with rejections, wait-listings and moments of doubt (on his part, not mine). I was ready to hear some good news for someone I know deserved it.
At half past noon I saw Bence standing in the doorway to my office, and my anticipation started to build. I had not felt so anxious and excited to hear about something since I was waiting to hear about my own application for Fulbright last year. He pulled out three (big) envelopes from his backpack, which first made me think that it's nice that schools still send snail mail (because email takes a little wind outa the sails), and secondly I thought, this is good news! He was being offered three full ride scholarships (tuition, room and board, and other related expenses) from three very good (and expensive) liberal arts colleges. I was overwhelmed with happiness, and felt so proud and relieved that Bence would have the opportunity to pursue his dreams. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each, but I know that wherever he chooses to attend, he will absolutely love, because he is the type who will make the most of his college education, and not take a single thing for granted.
Probably what makes me happiest about this experience I had with Bence is that I really cannot take any credit for his success. Although we met countless times and exchanged many emails, he was the one doing all the work, putting in countless hours of research, phone calls to schools, and revisions to essays. I simply was someone to listen, to help him clarify the many thoughts and emotions that were going through his head during his journey. I couldn't help but see a little bit of myself in him. As a student I never went to an academic advisor or dean to have them give me information; I went to them so I could have someone listen to my ideas and plans that took a lot of hard work to develop; to make it clear to myself, that I was doing the right thing for me.
