This question is often answered existentially or materialistically. Existentially, I could consider why God put me on Earth and how much influence he had on the course of my life, but this question would take too long to answer and would be impossible to prove. Looking at the question with a materialistic focus, I would say that my life is simply the product of my choices, but this solution is simply too superficial. This leads me to think that there may be an explanation for my presence at Methodist University that is halfway between existentialism and materialism and that takes into account the reasons for the decisions that brought me here; I work at Methodist for several reasons, but the main causes are my competitive nature and my desire for independence and service. While it may be impossible to determine why some people are competitive and others are not, I know that my upbringing transformed that competitiveness into a desire to excel in academics. My older brother set a high standard in school and I always aspired to do as well as him. When I graduated from high school, I had a 3.97 grade point average and a strong desire to pursue college education. Since Spanish has always come easy to me, I decided to pursue a degree in Linguistics at the same college my brother attended, the University of Pittsburgh. However, my high school dropout brought to the forefront two ambitions that I had never experienced in my adolescence, the desire for independence and service. Although my goals of independence and service did not influence my major decisions until after graduation, I believe they were both a result of my education, just like my focus on academics. My father's career as a doctor inspired me to take a class...in college this spring. Although I would have preferred to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, because they offer a major in Linguistics, that university did not allow transfer students to start mid-year; so, timing narrowed my choices to Methodist or Campbell. In the end, having accepted the renunciation of a specialization in the subject I preferred, I evaluated which of the two universities would offer me greater financial incentives. Since Methodist University offered a transfer scholarship and Campbell offered nothing, the choice was clear. Although I continue to believe that the course of one's life is the result of one's decisions, I now realize that it is also a reflection of one's character and personality. I know that within a year I won't simply have a Methodist University degree to hang on the wall; as a result of this reflection, I can also appreciate why and how I ended up there.