For each and every human being, there comes a time when they have to make some important personal decisions in their lives. These decisions may vary from issues such as education, careers, social and political affiliations and even economic related issues. I have made many personal decisions in my life. However, the most important decision I made was to choose USA as the country where I would pursue my education. I lived in my home country during my whole childhood. I even schooled there for all my junior education until I was ready to go to college. By then, I faced the dilemma of choosing between staying in my home country and coming to USA for my college education. I had a difficult time weighing my options. However, at the end of it all I chose to come to USA to continue with my education. I believe this was the best and most important decision I ever made. I do not regret it at all.
When I finished junior high school, I had three options concerning my future. The first alternative was to join the armed forces in my home country. By then, my country of origin was conducting military recruitments to increase its forces because of the recurrent insecurity and political instability. Many young people were rushing to join the forces because they felt that was the only option of obtaining employment. With the poor economy in my country of birth, the unemployment rate was so high that many young people saw the dangerous opportunity of joining the army as the only option to earn a good living.
Had I joined the armed forces at the time I finished my high school education, I would only benefit from the subsidized goods and services that were offered to army officers. I would also be assured of my employment since my home nation recruits army officers on a permanent basis. However, I would face the risk of getting injured or even killed. My home nation has a history of civil war, high crime rates, political instability and general insecurity. In such an environment, soldiers always have to be out in the field where the risk is high. Furthermore, I would not have pursued my education, which would mean I would miss out on my dream career of being an economist.
My second choice after finishing my high school was to join a local institution of higher learning. There are several good universities and colleges in my home country. This would have been a good opportunity for me to pursue my dreams. The main advantage of this alternative was that I would have stayed close to my family and friends, which is always good for any young person. More so, I would learn from my role models and know how to deal with different situations in my home country given its economic, political and social status. However, my home country has very low standards of education compared to USA. For instance, there are only 30 universities in my home country compared to hundreds of them found in America. Furthermore, the learning facilities are poor, and the environments were not conducive for good learning. For instance, the frequent political insecurities and the high ethnicity levels could not allow for peaceful studying.
The third alternative, which happens to be the option I took, was to come to USA to continue with my education. I passed my junior school exams very well and was even invited to the best university in my home country to study medicine and surgery. However, my passion was economics. I wanted to learn how economies work. I wanted to help out my country one day, to make it develop into an economic power house. My high school had a scholarship program where the best students would be recommended to selected American universities to study a course of their choice. This program was a full scholarship with every other need provided for the student. Since I emerged the best in my school, and I was also third nationally, I had the option of getting the scholarship.
Going to America was my preferred alternative because of several reasons. The first advantage was that I would join an institution of international repute that offers high quality education. I would be able to interact with top elites in my area of study and learn from the best. I would also get international exposure by interacting with people from all over the world to share experiences. More so, I would be away from my home country where issues such as political instability, insecurity, ethnicity and economic hardships would have inhibited my learning ability. Another advantage was that my scholarship covered for my academic tuition, personal expenditure and accommodation. This implied that this alternative was not only the best but also the most economically sound. However, this option meant that I would miss my pals and family.
I chose to come to school in the USA was because of four reasons. The lucrative scholarship I was offered was tough to turn down. I would benefit from it socially, economically and academically since I would just learn and live abroad without many expenses. This choice was also the best of the three because of the long term benefits. Coming to USA meant I would get high quality education, and at the end of it, I would get a job in USA or back in my home country. This cannot be compared to if I had joined the armed forces to face a risky career that I did not have a passion about or learning in my home country and being restricted there in terms of my career development.
The decision to come and study in USA has worked out so well for me. I have thrived in this diverse environment, and I am a happy student. I took the course I always dreamt of studying, and my performances are good. I have a good relationship with most of the people I interact with in this new society, and I believe I am shaping my future at the right place. I know my future in headed in the correct direction. I do not incur excessive expenditures because of my scholarship hence; I believe this was the best choice I made from the three available options I had at the time. The situation in my home country has not changed ever since, and I believe coming to USA has helped me learn in a conducive, peaceful and friendly environment. If I were to decide again today, I would make the same decision because it is the only option where I stand a chance of achieving my dreams, learning in a god environment and staying safe. This is because it is economically cheaper than all other options. It is also safer than the other two alternatives because had I not come to US, I would be at risk of being affected by insecurity. Furthermore, this decision is the best because I am learning from the best institution, at relatively no cost and I am sure of a good career in the future.
After I had made the decision to come to the USA to school, I had to make other decisions as a result. I had to start learning English because English was not my first language. I also made the decision to become an all-round individual since I was going to live in a cosmopolitan environment where I would interact with many people from different places. Finally, I made the decision to stick to my dreams of becoming an economist. In my scholarship, it was not defined which course I would take; it was left to me to decide. I followed my passion and dreams.
My decision to school in the USA also affected the people around me. My peers, whom we had completed high school together stopped enrolling themselves into the military and focused more on their education. Some even applied for scholarships abroad and were successful enough to get them. They realized that education was a long term investment in oneself and is a wise move.
Therefore, I believe choosing to school in the USA was a significant decision, and probably a turning point for me. I am proud of this personal decision. I am also proud of it because it has helped me grow into a responsible all-round person who can fit in any community. I also know this decision influenced other lives of the people around me for the better. Even though there may be a few disadvantages to this decision, I believe it was a significant decision in my life.
