They say college is the first day of the rest of your life. Maybe that’s why high schoolers spend about two years figuring out where they want to go. People want different things in different schools. Location, majors, sports, Greek life.  But the over riding question that you will find yourself asking is: "Is this school good for me or my career, or both?".

They say you can’t always get what you want. I don’t know about you, but I applied to many different schools -- all very, very different. There were qualities about some that I wish were present in others. Was there a perfect school for me? No, but there was a best fit.

I am now a rising junior and as I sit at my boring day job, I spend the majority of my time screwing around on LinkedIn and trying to perfect my profile. The problem with desk jobs -- especially when you are someone who can’t sit still for more than three minutes -- is that it gives you a lot of time to sit and think about your life. So, this summer I have thought a lot about my life and how I have to figure out the rest of it.    

I have already explored graduate programs and started emailing admissions officers. And it feels pretty weird. It’s like I am in this limbo period. I’m in the here and now in undergrad, yet I am thinking so much about graduate school and a completed degree. The majority of this exploration has lead to multiple panic attacks. Turns out, the chance of getting into the doctorate program that I want, without going to a University with a “pre” program, is very slim.      

So, I started to ask myself, "Why did I choose go to DePauw even though I was admitted into some of the best pre-physical therapy programs out there? After all, those schools' statistics of students getting into DPT school is so much higher than mine, so why did I choose DePauw?      

One night I was ranting all this off to my mom. In between fits of sobbing, I pitied myself for not choosing one of the schools that would have helped me follow my dreams. My mom stopped me and reminded me that I chose DePauw for a reason. That back in high school I didn’t have a clue about my bigger plan, that a lot changes in four years. I chose my school based on what I wanted in high school and that should mean more than anything because it was purely based on the fact that I was happy there. My focus was different. I did it because it’s what was best for me.    

She’s one hundred percent right. I wouldn’t trade my experiences at DePauw for anything. I valued the feeling of wanting to die during field hockey pre-season. I will admit, I do miss the shock of adrenaline you get when you begin to run the gauntlet. I value the opportunities that DePauw has given me and the world that it has opened up for me. I value the type of thinker it has made me. I value the teachers who are always willing to help and the alumni who never stop giving. But most of all, I value the people. It truly is the people  I have met and the friendships I have made that make DePauw so special. My friends are the greatest people in the world to me. Whether it's encouragement, trust, advice or someone to hang out with, my friends helped make DePauw my home, despite the amount of doubt I had during my first two years.     

So, all you high schoolers who are working hard on making that college decision. My message to you is this: do what makes you happy. Do what is best for you right now, not what is best for your career. Because who knows, what you want to do now could easily change within the next two years. Undergraduate is a special experience, you will have time to focus on your career later. So take it from me, do what makes you happy. And in doing so, you will find something that you love. If you want something bad enough, you will make it work. Forget what the numbers say.