When it comes to finding the right college for you, there are many things that could play into making the correct decision. When I chose Mansfield, it had been the only school I visited. I knew immediately that it's what I wanted. I have never regretted coming here. I've met so many people here, my best friends, my favorite professors, my boyfriend, and I have made a lot of connections that will help me after graduation. I believe that finding the perfect college plays a huge role in your success while at school. If you're unhappy you're more likely to not go to class and to not get involved on campus. I hope this really helps you when making your final decision!
Distance from home.
When applying to colleges I was very focused on making sure that I was only applying to Universities within my state and I also tried to keep them within a 3 hour or less drive away from home because that's what I wanted. I have two younger brothers, at the time they were 15 and 6 years old. I wanted to be close enough that I could try to come home for things without it being a hassle. Mansfield is only 1 hour and 40 minutes away from my home town and I had been to Mansfield a ton of times so it was a perfect fit.
Size of the school.
I graduated from a very small high school. It was practically microscopic to kids who graduated with 200+ kids. I walked on the stage with 56 other students at my graduation. A class of 57 is hardly anything compared to my college class of 709 students. When looking at schools it was safe to say that I didn't want to go to a University that had 2000+ students in one graduating class. I came from a small town I didn't think I could handle city life either. When I visited Mansfield I knew immediately that it's everything I wanted from my future college campus.
Meeting new people.
My goal for college was to meet new people. I met so many people just on the Facebook page for the 2020 class. I was amazed. So many people and everyone was so different and looking for different things. I knew that this is where I wanted to be. Then I came to Mansfield and I met so many new people. I'm great friends with some of my professors. I met my best friends here. They are like family to me. I was in a bad car accident last fall and I heard from every one of my friends from school, multiple professors, my mentor, and even the president of the university and his wife sent me a card as well as emailed back and forth with me and my parents. I don’t know how many schools would have done that.
Campus life.
When looking at a college campus, schooling and having your major is obviously number one, but still look into the activities they have on campus. Whether it be sports, Greek Life, Clubs, or even intramurals, see if they have what you want to do on campus or if you could create that certain club that you were to want. When I was told that I had a good possibility of being on the cheer team here at Mansfield, that really upped Mansfield’s chances of having me as a student.
