Three weeks ago this Thursday, my friend Noah called our house. He asked to talk to my mom (who was our writing teacher last school year). As is my duty, I gave him a little bit of grief:
“Why are you calling mom? Why don’t you want to talk to me??“
Finally he said, “If you must know, I’m calling your mom to get an academic recommendation for my application to Gutenberg.”
“Aren’t you getting a bit of an early start?” (He had been planning on attending Fall 2007, just like me.)
“Actually, I’m getting a late start. I’m going this year.”
*My jaw hits the floor *
I spent the next five minutes exclaiming things like “ohmygosh you’re going to be in college and we won’t be in the same class and that sucks but oh well you’re going to be in college!! At Gutenberg!! This year!!”
But a funny thing happened, as I got more and more excited for Noah; An outrageously insane notion started to tickle me at the back of my mind—what if I could go this year, too? If Noah could apply this late in the year, why couldn’t I? And as I looked at my vague plan for this year—to take a class here and there at Lane Community College as my “senior” year—I realized how unsatisfied I had been with that vague plan and how certain I felt that starting Gutenberg this year would be a better one.
So, two and a half weeks, one application, and one acceptance letter later, that’s exactly what I am doing. I am going to college—this fall.
Those of you who know me may realize what an uncharacteristically spontaneous decision this is for me; but if it will help you understand at all, I want to let you know that I feel more certain about this decision than I have about any for a long time. I feel like God used Noah’s phone call and enthusiasm to wake me up to the fact that my plan for this year kind of sucked. And I am so glad that he did.
I imagine that you have all kinds of questions… Where will I live? What about photography and web design? Why Gutenberg? The answers are, respectively: At home, at least for the first quarter, although I plan to move down there at least by next year; photography and web design are important to me, but not as important as what Gutenberg has to offer; and… well, I think one of my application essays will answer that for you best:
(The question I was asked to answer was “What aspects of Gutenberg College have made you interested in attending?”)
When I was ten years old, I would have told you with great confidence that I wanted to attend Gutenberg College when I grew up. But I could not have given you a clear reason why I wanted to attend it. Gutenberg was simply synonymous with college in my mind. My dad taught there, my brother was going there—of course it was the best and only college to attend.
But that is not why I am applying to Gutenberg today. Today I am applying to Gutenberg because, over the last few years, I have gotten to know this school quite apart from my father or my brother. I have talked to its students; I have spent time in its halls; I have attended its graduations. I even spent two years in a program David Crabtree called “Gutenberg Jr.”—a taste of the Survey of Western Civilization. And everything I have heard and seen and experienced about Gutenberg has only made me more excited about attending.
I am excited to read the “great books” and to discuss them with classmates and tutors; I am excited to develop critical thinking and exegesis skills, and I am excited to learn Greek and to continue learning German. (I am even looking forward to math and science.) But one thing about Gutenberg attracts me more than any of the specifics of its curriculum: its tutors seem genuinely committed not only to helping their students succeed academically, but also to helping their students grow in wisdom and faith as they learn to examine their lives. I think this is a rare focus for a college to have.
When I was ten, I thought that I wanted to come to Gutenberg. Now I know that I do—not because my dad teaches there or because my brother went there, but because I have begun to discover for myself what a unique gem of a college it is. Gutenberg College provides an education that is so much more than a series of hoops through which to jump for a degree, and one which I believe can truly help me in my desire to gain perspective on the world around me.
I hope that will help you see the true regard in which I hold Gutenberg College. It is the only institution that I would be willing to recommend without ever having attended it. And I am thrilled, thrilled, to be starting there this year.
… There is one more question that I imagine a few of you may be curious about. What effect will all of this have on Lylium.org? The answer is… honestly, I don’t know. Well, one immediate effect it has had is that I have removed the “web design” page. I wish I didn’t have to, but I know I will be too busy to accept new jobs during the school year. And I really want to focus on school. The photography page is still up, for now, but it may change as well. We’ll see.
As far as writing in the blog is concerned… all I can say is that my first priority has to be getting my schoolwork done. But I will definitely still try to blog. Now, more than ever, I would like to keep a record of my thoughts and experiences during this time in my life.
Gutenberg orientation starts on Monday, September 18th: one week from today. One week from today I have to have fulfilled all of my prior commitments to web clients and other friends. One week from today I will be meeting my classmates—my fellow travellers through the four-year journey that is Gutenberg.
I have walked through Gutenberg’s front door countless times in my life—but one week from today I will be walking through its doors as a Freshman.
I can’t wait. 
(This is what I hinted at in this post. Just in case anyone was wondering.)
September 12th, 2006 at 2:43 am
Oh, I wish I had the same amount of enthusiasm when I was your age, the same amount of confidence… Heck, I wish I knew what college I really want to go to
Congratulations on your early/late start, I hope the Gutenberg turns out to be just what you’ve imagined.
Good luck
September 12th, 2006 at 6:25 am
well CONGRATULATIONS!! both on your acceptance and also your having made such a major decision. gutenberg looks like a terribly interesting place and i, for one, hope you do have time to keep updating your blog, if for no other reason than to let us share in what is bound to be a wonderful journey.
regardless, i hope it’s great — greater than you imagined, and then some. good luck!
September 12th, 2006 at 7:17 am
Of course, only the best students with the greatest parents attend Gutenberg.
But, really, I’m happy for you, Erin. I’m happy for Gutenberg and for Victoria to have you around.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:09 am
Congrats Erin, that is very cool! And just a prediction: you will keep blogging here. You will have so many interesting things going on and thoughts in your head that you will just have to blog. Yeah, there are time constraints, but blogging is an outlet and a helpful one when going to school.
September 12th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Happy Birthday, Erin!!!
September 12th, 2006 at 10:35 am
A bit of bad news for you, if you hadn’t already figured it out: you got Jobsed. http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/
I suspect you can exchange it.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Wow, congrats! Starting college early has the added bonus of impressing people who ask where you are in school.
“So, are you a senior this year?”
“No, I’m a freshman in college.”
:D
Seriously, I’m 19 and people still ask if I’m a senior in high school.
Oh, and happy birthday
September 12th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
I know you already know I’m really glad you’ll be coming this fall, but I thought I’d say it again anyway
I hope you move to the Study Center soon, too, then we’d be hallmates 
(or at least neighbors…I don’t know which house you’d want to live at).
September 12th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
And happy birthday, BTW
September 12th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
I’ve been reading your blog for a while and even though I don’t know you, I am very excited for you. Please, please keep posting here because, I, like you were, am a homeschooling highschooler and I would love to know first hand what the experience is like for a former homeschooler at college so I can know somewhat what to expect. Congratulations and God bless! And happy birthday as well.
September 12th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
Thanks for your encouragement, everybody! I am really very excited. And you’re right, Matt, I’m sure I will keep you posted on interesting goings-on. It would really be a shame not to.
Thanks for the birthday wishes, as well.
I have a post about my birthday planned for later tonight, so keep an eye out for that.
Oh, and Glynnis - I did get Jobsed! But not the way I was expecting to.
I suspect you are right, Apple would be quite happy to exchange it… however, I don’t believe that they would accept the rebate for one of these new Nanos. So I think I’m stuck with my now old (but free!) Nano. That’s fine by me. 
September 12th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Rachel - You posted right before me… I just missed you!
Thank you so much for letting me know that you’re reading. I love to hear from other homeschooled highschoolers out there. 
I hope that my anecdotes from Gutenberg will be helpful to you—but you should be prepared, a large part of Gutenberg’s student body is made up of former homeschoolers. So it will probably not be as much of a culture shock for me as another college might be. 
In fact, unless you have already decided where you are going for college, I would highly recommend that you look into Gutenberg! It just might be something you’d be interested in. 
September 12th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
Congrats! That’s awesome!
And…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
September 13th, 2006 at 12:25 am
If you talk to God next time, please tell him, I have one or two questions too! SCNR
I read your blog for a while and wanted to take the opportunity to wish you all the best and a happy birthday. Also I wanted to tell you, that your little nice site spreads its wings until Germany (where I gladly read it).
Again: All the best, I hope that (1.) you will keep on blogging (2.) my english was good enough for this small article.
September 14th, 2006 at 2:02 am
Hey, congrats on the Gutneberg deal! If only I had had some idea where I was going when I was so young… oh yeah, happy b-day! Good call on the not getting pierced. It would have been far too cliche for so unique a girl (or is it woman now??)
I will look foward to seeing you around for, oh, the next four years or so!
Joe
September 15th, 2006 at 12:44 am
wow, you go a bit without writing and bam! three entires that i haven’t read!
sorry to be so out of communications, I’ll make it up soon…
but i was thinking, how about you keep your web design page up and just link to me?
okay… how about you keep your ear out for all those jobs you can’t take and I’ll pay you a finders fee (for real - it’ll help pay tuition)
September 15th, 2006 at 8:58 am
Squonk - Danke schön! Es freut mich dass so viele Leute von der ganzen Welt mein Blog lesen. Sein Englisch ist sehr gut, aber ich weiss dass mein Deutsch sehr schlecht ist.
Joe - I forgot that you read this blog! Are you excited for Gutenberg too? We’re gonna be classmates, yay!
Phil - Yeah, gosh, what’s the deal?
And, thank you for reminding me, of course I will refer people to you. You can pay me a finders fee if you want to, but it’s not necessary. 
September 18th, 2006 at 12:59 am
Wow! Das war toll! Gibt es auch etwas, das Du NICHT kannst?
Viele Grüße
Squonk