Why Radboud?

A few minutes past 16.00 and the class was waiting for Mr Daniel to enter the room. Which was a bit odd because he's usually on time. Then one by one people started to exit the room. The extra physics class for the national exam was held in the drawing room right in front of the library. Usually, we had it on the first floor on Saturday morning but it was not meant to be. Suddenly everyone else had left and so did I. Some searched for the teacher's whereabouts, others wandered off. While I entered the library.

Couldn't decide on which book or novel to read, I headed for the computer instead. Bored and trying to keep up my energy up for more physics, I sat in front of the computer figuring out what to browse. Then I typed "university netherlands bachelor scholarship" on Google.

There's something you should know first. As a 12 grader of whom in a couple months will have graduated high school, I hadn't applied to any universities yet. I had my eye on one, University of Groningen but I knew I needed spares in case it didn't work. Why I hadn't applied or register in Groningen was because of my passport (however that's another story). As you can see, my future was not planned out yet and time was running out.

I pressed enter and clicked on the first result showed on Google. I scrolled down and began my search. Most of the scholarships are for Master's only, some are for Bachelor's in Business. I looked out the window and saw some students heading back to the drawing room but there was no sign of Mr D, so I kept looking. Found nothing on the first page and continued on the next. Moving the scroll button again while scanning faster because more people were returning.

"Come on Jesus. Please, please, please!" I said to myself. Then, on the bottom of a page, the last University on the list caught my eye. It said "Radboud University Scholarship Bachelor's and Master's". I smiled and clicked. I went straight to the Bachelor's program listed and shout for joy (inside my heart, I was still in the library). Chemistry was one of them, my smile grew bigger. Then there was a knock on the window. I stood up and saw Mr Daniel walked briskly to the drawing room. I shut down the PC and prepared myself for physics class.

I whispered the university's name throughout the class so I could remember it. I went home and proceeded to my search. As I read through more and more about the tuition fee, requirements, deadlines, program outline and scholarship I found myself in a state of joy and gladness. Details of the university and the application procedure, in my opinion, were more preferable than the other one. Moreover, the location of Radboud University Nijmegen and the city of where my aunt and uncle live, Apeldoorn are both located in the Gelderland Province. I couldn't imagine the journey would be in if I had to travel all the way to the north, to Groningen.

Speaking of the other one. Please forgive me, I meant Groningen University. How that university came to be the first on the list was due to a couple of reasons. On a friend's sweet 17 birthday party (whose event I was initially uninvited), I came across an old friend. This particular fellow knew more of me than I did of her. For she asked a question she already knew the answer to, "Are you going to Holland for uni?" The question of which I answered, yes, I hope. Immediately she said "Me too. To University of Groningen!" From that moment on I thought, I'm going there too.

Then my family knew about Groningen. Aunt Grace told me that she and her husband have a friend who's a (not chemistry) professor in the university. But they said they still would ask the guy to help me with my application. So, a couple of reasons: 1. I already have a friend at uni. 2. There's a family acquaintance who probably can help. And 3. chemistry in Groningen is the home of 2016 Nobel Prize winner! It seemed Groningen was a pretty good candidate. But God had other plans and I couldn't be more grateful.

Apart from the location being so out of range, there were other things that suggested I was wrong. The application procedure involved a lot more requirements and data, Aunt G didn't contact the guy for it wasn't necessary (I thought so too), the tuition fee is way more expensive and there's no scholarship. As sad as it was to leave a friend, I was glad.

Why Radboud? Because of a number of reasons. Because there might be so many things that could go wrong If I didn't. Because I know and believe, God said so.