So, back to “Getting In To” Mass.  Maritime.  After attending Mass.  Maritime Academy, I deeply regret not studying harder or pushing/challenging myself during high school.  Unfortunately, I was a shy kid while in school-never went on any dates with girls-and didn't participate in many extra curricular activities.  Looking back on my life, I think this was more of a psychological issue, as I always thought I was an unattractive person too and tended to be reclusive and not hang around with too many kids. 

Consequently, this was detrimental to me when I began applying to colleges.  When I took the SAT, I got a combined score of ~850.  Back then, the best possible score was a 1200.  According to my best understanding, I think they have changed the scoring system so that you can get up to a max.  of 2400 points!  Anyway, you heard me right.  A combined score of 850.  That's ~450 in English and 400 in Math.  Kids, if you are reading this, this is what happens when you DON'T PREPARE!  Get involved in high school as much as possible and don't worry what other people think about you, etc.  This will help develop you into the person you need to be.  I digress.

Mass.  Maritime ended up accepting.  Why, I don't know.  They shouldn't have accepted me, as I was no where near prepared for college.  I should have done another year of high school at a private school or something.  Some people that I knew from high school did this.  Unfortunately, I was not aware that you could do this, nor were my parents.

-I applied to the Univ.  of New Hampshire and I was NOT accepted.  (Suprisingly, UNH is a big party school.  It's surprising to me that many kids get drunk, smoke pot, and do a lot of other malicious things, but these kids probably scored a 1200 on the SATS.  Me, on the other hand-have never smoked pot, didn't drink until I was 21, but scored an 850 combined on my SATs!  !  !)

-I applied to Plymouth State Univ.  (formerly Plymouth State College) and did NOT get accepted.

-I applied to SUNY Maritime and did NOT get accepted.

I almost thought of applying to the USCGA, but soon realized that was wishful thinking.  I think the USCGA is awesome.  It's incredibly competitive and difficult to get admitted.

What Mass.  Maritime did like though, was, the way I conducted myself during the interview.  I spoke well, had confidence, etc.  I convinced them that I could do the academics, regiment and get involved with athletics and I did just that!  Basically, it was my word against theirs and I buckled down and committed and got it done. 

One thing I did learn from the experience was “mind over matter”.  Just because my credentials revealed that I wasn't necessarily college material, didn't mean that I couldn't do the job.  I just took it one day at a time.  It was emotional at times.  One day my roomate entered my room and saw that I was crying.  I was crying because I got a 55 on my Algebra/Trig test.  I confided in my roomate and explained to him that my high school experience did not prepare me well.  He sat down with me and looked me straight in the eye and said, “I'm going to help you...you WILL NOT FAIL OUT OF THIS SCHOOL.  I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR LEVEL OF MATH WAS, BUT YOUR A NICE GUY AND WE'VE GOT TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER, RIGHT?”

That was a moment of “revelation” I doubt that many kids at UNH, Hofstra, Northeastern have cried much.  They were at least prepared to go to one of those schools.  I wasn't, that's for sure.