It's Official - Austen Accepts His Admission to Illinois

What a ride it's been - this college application and recruitment process. I'm so glad that I have a few years before I have to do it again with Peyton. 

Austen's journey was a bit different than most as he thought he was going to play college soccer so we went through the process of doing highlight reels, sending emails and attending ID camps for most of his junior year. We visited other schools too and tried to narrow in on his major. He thought likely business or architecture. By late summer he knew for sure that he wanted to pursue architecture so that really limited his choice in schools and forget it if he wanted to play soccer. Having those two align was a pretty slim chance. He wanted a big school anyway and wasn't willing to trade on that in the end. He wanted to go to football and basketball games and cheer on his school on TV when he's an alumni. 

He applied to a lot and got into a little. This year, being a record number of applicants for colleges due to the size of his graduating class was an especially brutal year. However, he handled the acceptances with glee and the deferrals and denials with grace. There is only one that he really was disappointed he didn't get into that he really wanted to go to (even though its architecture program only has 85 students per class and is ranked way lower than U of I's but still he wanted to go there - it was Tennessee). There's a reason, I told him, why you didn't get in there. You're not supposed to be there and next year at this time, you're going to be so happy that you got into where you are going. 

That was a tough one to swallow but he handled it well. That's the thing about Austen, he doesn't dwell on the bad stuff. He lets himself feel it but that kid never truly lets anything get him down. Not soccer, not school, not college denials. He's strong, he's confident and he's happy. What more can you ask for? And, he did get into a tough school that many did not - University of Illinois. And, while it wasn't his first choice (I think more because his Dad went there and he wanted to have his own thing and it was a bit closer than he wanted), I think he's going to be very happy there. They have a great architecture program (as we know) and he is going to investigate the club soccer program. His soccer bestie is also going there for architecture and he found out some other good friends he knows are also going there and will be in the same dorm as him. He did the admitted student day tour with Tom and he's all in. Officially, accepted that offer. 

Tom is excited to have Illinois in common with Austen (he did shed a tear when Austen told him he was accepted). I'm hoping one of my next two decides on going to Indiana so I get to go back and visit too. But, I'm excited to see U of I through Austen's eyes over the next four years. 

Congrats Austen! You worked hard the past four years to get into this school and I'm sure you will love college just as much as I did. It was meant to be.