While walking with a few friends today, I spotted my first wave of "Domer hopefuls" shuffling across campus behind a vibrant tour guide. After they passed, I joked, "Ha ha, seven out of ten of you guys aren't gettin' in here!" I thought I was being funny until my friend countered by saying, "Hey, you were one of those seven last year, Mike!" Oh, how true it is, yet how easy it is to forget. Not.Now, I often wonder how a strapping young Catholic lad like myself was not able to obtain entrance into an institution such as Notre Dame. Could it be because I would have perhaps the lowest ACT/SAT scores (these scores will not be disclosed) of anyone on campus? Or maybe it is because I was destined to flunk my first college exam ever (which is exactly what I did at U of M- Ann Arbor last year; a 33 percent in Economics to be exact). I do not understand; I speak "real good" and use words like "pontifical" and "propensity" (which, by the way, I am almost through the "P" section of the dictionary). I mean, your answer is as good as mine, but I still contend that I was robbed.Although I felt I was more than qualified to go here - being both a legacy child and having a sister attend as well - I eventually starting entertaining suggestions on why I was denied entrance to Notre Dame in the first place. Say what you will about stupid errors, but what kind of highly selective university is going to accept a guy who checked off "female" on his application to Michigan State University (where, coincidentally, I was accepted as Michelle Donald Landsberg). One may perceive that as an indication of character and intellectual propensity (big word), but I merely chalked that off as a minor technicality and a petty oversight.Obviously, I somehow got in after a solid year at the University of Michigan, but that is not where my saga ends. Just for good measure - so as to remind me of my humble beginnings - I was very much chagrined when I was denied on-campus housing before school started. But, of course, everything happens for a reason; I had the most spectacular time living in the alley in TC. I was granted on-campus housing, though, this semester and I live in Keough (#321 to be exact ... ladies). My apologies for the tangent; it is just that I don't know any girls because no one wants to be associated with a transfer guy.With all that aside, I wanted to conclude with some redeeming assurances that I, along with other transfers, should take solace in. First of all, be proud of your academic heritage. Besides, who else can come home from getting a "D" on an exam and say, "Well, if a 'C' is average for Notre Dame students, a 'D' must be average for a kid like me! Yah!" Lastly, just remember that we actually survived our first year of college and we also know twice as many kids now! Wow do we rock on TheFacebook!
