O, Orange!
When I was a child, I thought orange was the ugliest color in my crayon box (the one I organized left to right, up to down, in ROYGBIV). To me, the color served no purpose--wasn't the hue of anything in the natural world except for oranges (ok, and fruits related to the orange...and monarch butterflies...oh and pumpkins too), and when worn, didn't seem to match any skin tone. However, my distaste for orange didn't stop me in high school from applying to a couple of schools that had it as one of their official colors...UVA and Syracuse.
At UVA, I was surprised to find there was a color that went well with orange--navy blue, even white. The realization was a bit unsettling at first but four years in Charlottesville and many football/basketball games later, I was converted (although I still think orange is an awkward color to wear).
But even after having graduated from UVA, orange did not leave me alone. I never regretted going to UVA (Wahoo forever!) but once in awhile the "what if" question regarding Syracuse would come up. For undergrad, I was accepted into their S.I. Newhouse School of Communication as a broadcast journalism major and the scholarships were enticing too...but obviously I didn't go. Later on, during my fourth year, I received a letter from Syracuse mentioning how they remembered accepting me four years earlier and invited me to apply for grad school.
Their letter made an impression on me. Perhaps this was the right grad program for me...prestigious program...stellar alumni...different environment (I'd finally get to visit Canada!)...I already had plenty of orange and navy blue apparel...and an orange for a mascot is kind of cute, no?
Plus I'd get to walk around:
and study in:
At the end of an arduous grad school application process, I found myself choosing among five schools, which I consider nothing less than a miracle. And after the elimination process, two schools remained...Syracuse and American University. The last week of March and the first two of April was a confusing time. Should I stay, should I go? Embark somewhere new where I don't know a single soul? Or stay home and reject the same school twice? I would save a lot by commuting from home to American but the scholarship offered from Syracuse almost cancels that out. And tuition at both schools are identical. There were many more factors but listing them all would make me dizzy.
My deadline was April 15 to decide, and so I chose...
I realized that sacrificing a little freedom by staying at home wasn't that bad, especially if that means I'll have less debt. Plus, to hang around DC and cover a historic presidential race seemed too big of an opportunity to miss. Also, as one friend put it in a conversation a couple days ago, there's unfinished work left to do here and I'm not ready to move on from my commitments in this area.
I was afraid that I would feel deep regret over the school I didn't pick, but to my surprise--and relief--I'm feeling a lot of peace with American. 
O Orange, looks like once was enough for you and me!
I wanna fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let that spirit carry me
I wanna fly…
Fly right into the future
(Fly Like an Eagle; Steve Miller Band)
Btw, AU's mascot is the eagle...thought the song was appropriate 
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