text: Every year people make resolutions for the New Year that they plan to carry out but never do. Things that may just be out of their reach or things that get sidelined by other obligations. They say to themselves that next year will be the year that they finally follow through and that tends to be pushed back as time goes on. Whether it be something like losing weight or saving money instead of spending it all. New Year’s resolutions are hard to accomplish. For several years Greta had put off applying for college thinking she was not good enough or that she never pulled down good enough grades in high school to be admitted. On her way to work, every day at the small bookstore named Carol’s books after the owner’s late grandmother, she saw the campus that she one day wanted to attend. Two days after New Year’s Day in 2005, she once again passed by that campus. Knowing that this was the year that she would get up the nerves to actually apply. The University of York was a charming school, one that she had grown up by all of her life. York itself was also charming, so much so that she couldn’t conceive of living anywhere else. Although there were other universities she could apply to, she had her heart set on the University of York. A place where many of her friends had attended just after secondary school. Finally, she felt like she couldn’t put it off any longer. As she walked dutifully two miles from her small family home cottage, she told herself that she would apply for the fall term. Knowing that she could save money by living with her parents and two older sisters. During her four years of working at the bookstore, she saved up some of her earnings to help her follow her dream of becoming a teacher. So that she could use her love of literature to teach. This was a dream that she had had for years. After her shift that day, she rushed home to tell her mother that she decided that this year was the year. At first, her mother rolled her eyes and told her that this is what she always said. Greta took the time to convince her of her drive to apply. Her father, Henry was a professor at the university and had been trying to encourage her to go through with applying ever since she got her diploma five years prior. He knew she was scared of rejection but he still believed in her. After dinner that evening and after Greta had expressed that she was motivated to apply this time. Her father told her that he would do whatever he could to prepare her for the entrance exam. Although Greta was a smart woman, her grades could have been better. Never the less, she knew she could test in if she studied hard. The next day at the bookstore, she gathered up a few books that would help her on the entrance exam. Once she got home and cracked open a book about mathematics, her worst subject in school. She came to realize how hard it truly was going to be for her. Her father offered to help her with it. Every night she studied the grueling subjects, the English ones being the easiest. She had read every book back in secondary school that was required and spent time reading for pleasure. Her knowledge of historical writing was astounding and contemporary works were her strong point. It was the other subjects that she struggled with and she needed all the help she could get. After studying for months the day of the exam came. She showed up almost shaking with nervousness and proceeded to sit down to be handed the entrance exam. The first section was mathematics and although it took her the longest, she felt that she had done well. Next was the section on history, one that she knew very well and completed faster than the math section. After that was the science section and although this was something that she had struggled with before, the studying she did had prepared her well. Lastly, she came to the literature section and went through that quickly, leaving her five minutes before the end of the allotted time. Greta waited impatiently for a few weeks hoping that she did well enough to get into the university. Her parents and the bookstore owner encouraged her, reminding her that she had taken the first step towards her dream. That nothing would stand in her way. Greta felt good about the fact that she had carried out her resolution of applying for university so far and hoped that she would be able to make it all the way. Teaching is all she ever wanted to do and as the release of the tests, results grew near she was ripe with anticipation. Finally, Greta was sent the results of her entrance exam and her scores were even greater than she expected. All of her studying paid off and her parents were so proud of her. Next came the application process, something that her father assisted her with. She had to gather all of the information needed for the application and was able to fill it out in a matter of days. She sent it off hoping that she would be admitted. If she were to be denied entrance, she didn’t know what she would do. After careful consideration, Greta got an acceptance letter and was given instructions on how to sign up for classes. She was also given an overview of the entire pathway to fulfilling the requirements for her degree. However, Greta knew that graduation from York University would not be the end of the road. For she would have to go on to get her master’s degree as well and she vowed that nothing would stand in her way. As soon as she got the news her friends and family planned a surprise party to celebrate her achievement. After work one day, she came home to find that the lights were off in the house. As soon as she walked through the door, she heard the words, “surprise.” She was so happily surprised that she was given so much praise after waiting years to apply to the university. Greta really felt that she could do this and knew after celebrating with her family and friends that she had the love and support she needed to see through her dream. The road to earning her degrees was going to be a long journey but she was not discouraged. She had finally made one of her New Year’s resolutions come true.