Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Why did you choose SLU? Michael Manning's Story

Why did you choose SLU? And why SLU PT? This question almost always has an interesting answer. Michael Manning shared his exceptional story in which, as he writes it, a hardworking sister and a blown out knee are the recipe for a second home – SLU PT.


My story of how I got to Saint Louis University really begins with my sister, Nicole, who is four years older than me. I grew up in Missouri City, Texas, a suburb about 40 minutes outside of Houston. If you ask anyone around my area, they will probably tell you that they have no idea what or where Saint Louis University is. My sister Nicole is the golden child in my family, graduating top of her high school class with many honors and awards. She had the option of going to any school in Texas, but decided to take a leap of faith when Saint Louis University offered her a substantial scholarship. Without even visiting the school, Nicole decided to go to Saint Louis University and ended up loving her decision. I always laughed at the idea of my sister going to a no-name school called Saint Louis University. That was until I visited her at SLU for the first time. My eyes were amazed by the scenery of the school - an oasis in the middle of an urban city. Spending a weekend there always gave me the idea that SLU was an option for me when it was my turn to apply to college. 

  My junior year of high school, two years after this first visit, I tore my ACL and my meniscus in my knee playing soccer. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life at this time, but after spending 6 months doing physical therapy, I realized I would  love to work with patients as a physical therapist. When it came to be my turn to apply to college, I noticed SLU had one of the top physical therapy programs in the country, and even an accelerated one. With my sister already there, I realized SLU could be a golden opportunity for me. When I found out I got a scholarship as well as into the PT program, my decision to come to SLU was easy. 

Without a hardworking sister and a blown knee, I would have never come to place I call a second home - SLU. To this day, my sister and I are very close, and I have to thank her for many things in my life, SLU being one of them.

No comments:

Post a Comment