When I was looking for a University, all I thought about was going far away and getting out of Greenville. I wanted a change of pace, new streets, and of course a little distance from the fam. I was ready to be independent, but I did not want to sacrifice what I wanted in a school.
I am a Greenville native and when I was younger Greenville was no where near what it is now. Downtown was a no man’s land, until little by little, downtown began to bloom. In a sense as Greenville grew up, so did I. Growing up, Furman was always a big part of my life. As a family, we would come and walk around the lake, go to the lakeside concerts and I had recitals in the auditorium. Furman was part of my comfort zone, something I was ready to step away from.
As I started my college search journey, I struggled to find a place that I wanted to call home. Every place I looked at left me disappointed, not because it wasn’t a good school, because I was continuing to fight what I already knew. I knew that Furman was a great school, it had real community, and a great education program. The goal was to find a school exactly like Furman, but that wasn’t in Greenville. I was scared that being from Gvegas was going to hinder my ability to grow or become a new person. I feared that I would be around my parents too much and wouldn’t have the adventure I thought would make me happy.
After looking far and wide, I made a pro/con list that lead me to right back to Furman. It has everything I wanted, so I decided to go for it. I am proud to say that I made the right choice. Being from Greenville and going to school here has made it that much better. I was able to keep everything about my life that I loved the same but was able to bloom in my new life as a college student. Since most of my friends are all from different parts of the country, I am the tour guide. I am able to show them the amazing places to eat, shop, hike, etc. It is hard to think about leaving your childhood behind when we go off to college, but I was able to share my greatest memories with my friends in the city that raised me. Being close to my family has also been a huge plus, I get lots of time with my dog. Furman would not be the same if it wasn’t in Greenville and I would not be the person I am today without it.
By: Olivia McGuirt