6th November 2023
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Opinion pieces are the view of the author and in no way reflect the views of Liverpool Guild Student Media or Liverpool Guild of Students.
After stumbling across an old film lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about fortunate accidents. When I was younger, my Grandma introduced me to a 2001 film, starring Kate Beckinsdale and John Cusack, ‘Serendipity’. After rediscovering this film on Netflix, I’ve found myself relating to the concept of serendipity. This has prompted me to think – how has serendipity gotten me to where I am today?
When I began researching universities, I never really considered Liverpool. At the time, when I couldn’t travel to open days, the stress of trying to pick where I would spend the next three years of my life was daunting. Quickly, the deadline for my UCAS application came around. If I’m being completely honest, the University of Liverpool was a last-minute addition to make up my two remaining choices. This was a choice that I stumbled across on the UCAS website, at the very last minute.
I applied to Northumbria University, Newcastle University, Loughborough University, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Liverpool. By the time I received my offers, I had decided my firm would be Loughborough. This left Liverpool as my insurance choice, as the requirement grades were slightly lower.
By the time results day came around, I had my heart set on going to Loughborough. I had been speaking to the people on my course and I’d already made a few friends. Fortunately, in hindsight, I didn’t get into Loughborough and I made it here instead.
What was the strangest twist of fate was that one of the girls I had met, through our shared firm at Loughborough, had also been rejected and had accepted her insurance place at Liverpool. Now that we are here, we are in constant contact and we even chose the same optional module without realising. One of the biggest acts of serendipity for me was ending up in Liverpool, a city that I am now completely in love with, with people that I adore.
I have always been one to believe that everything happens for a reason. Life takes us down different paths that lead us to completely different places for particular purposes. Quite honestly, I believe it was fated that I should end up in Liverpool and in the accommodation that I’m in. I live with four amazing women, who I believe have been placed in my path to teach me something valuable.
I strongly believe that it was an act of serendipity that I ended up in my flat. Most of us didn’t originally intend to be in Liverpool, but we are so happy that we are. I am honestly so lucky to live with a group of such incredible women, who have all encountered their own unique experiences and can share advice with me. Truthfully, I couldn’t wish for a better flat family and what a fortunate accident it was that they were placed in my path.
Now, I have never been one for sports, so naturally on the day of the ‘Sports Fair’, I was going to stay home. But my flatmates all wanted to sign up for teams and invited me along. That day, I ended up signing up for the cheerleading non-competitive team ‘Topaz’. In hindsight, if I hadn’t gone with my flatmates that Thursday, I probably wouldn’t be on the team today.
Quite frankly, I cannot imagine being anywhere other than in Liverpool. The city has grown on me, since the first day of getting here, and is now the place that I call home. My new life here has exceeded my expectations for university and how much I would enjoy it. I can confidently say that I love it here and I know that this is definitely the place for me.
As we’ve established, I believe that every event, every person and every opportunity presented to us has a valuable purpose. Even so, the true value lies with having the courage and bravery to take that chance, or change, into our strides.
For me, it was ending up in the city of Liverpool rather than in the town of Loughborough. I could have rejected my place here and spent the year working. But it was with the support of the people that I love most in this world that I decided to be courageous and accept my place in a city, even though it terrified me.
I believe I’m here, in Liverpool, for a reason. Whether I know just yet what that reason is doesn’t matter because, in the true spirit of serendipity, it will reveal its fortune to me when the time is right.
Read more about starting university here.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Jean Carlo Emer on Unsplash
