You have made it to the next phase in your life: college-searching! Now, we all remember when we were younger we picked college for multiple reasons, such as colors or the mascot looked better than the other ones! While these can still be our reasons to choose a school, we must become 'adults' and write down more 'mature' reasons to pick a college! Your reasons for choosing that college can differ from one person to the next! However, some reasons for choosing a college are not the brightest choices you can make. Here are five reasons you should not consider when picking your college!
(PS -- Picking it due to the fact that they havecoloring sessions or monthly BINGO games is not a bad reason at all!)
1. It's not about your best friend.
You have been friends throughout high school and that's great! However, when going into college, everyone learns something new about themselves or you start to change so you find your true self! Sometimes having someone in the past can hold you back from finding your new you in college! This is not a bad thing!
2. It's not about your parents.
Our parents are always the first ones to tell us which colleges they want us to go to. Sometimes they forget to ask which schools you are looking at to see if they like them as well. It is also OK for you to tell them that you do not like this school and want to go somewhere else. We are also sometimes pulled into their alma mater, so it saves you money and they continue the family name for that school. I get that they are paying for your education, but you should not have to regret or suffer while going there.
3. It's really not about your significant other.
Um, excuse me...'I love you' will not get you an 'A' in English 101. Following your lover from high school to college is never a good thing. Distance is OK and makes the heart grow fonder! You could go to different schools in the same state so traveling is not a pain in the butt!
4. It's really not about partying.
Partying is never a bad thing! Getting out of the school zone to have a little fun to relax is a great idea! However, to choose a school only because they rank the top school for partying is a ridiculous idea. If you want to party all the time, get a job and stay home! Your education may suffer due to hang overs or you forgetting to get a ride back to campus for your 8 am class.
5. It's really not, not, not about location.
In situations of trying to get the most money to pay for college or if you really like that college, this does not apply to you. In this instant, if you are looking at location because you think that is the only way to get the best education for your 'degree,' that is wrong! There is never just one college that you must go to in order to get the best education so you can get the best job. What if you go there and you all of a sudden realize that you do not want to do that for that the rest of your life? Now you are stuck at that college, and if that college does not have the degree you want to do, then you now have to start the process of looking for a college all over again!
I hope your search helps you find your home away from home like I did at Cedar Crest! Sometimes you just get this gut feeling that this is where you belong, and you need to listen to that feeling first! College is a new start to your life and you hope to only have to make that decision so you can enjoy the next four chapters in your life.
