Where would my mind roam to when I sat daydreaming during my sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school? As a self-certified band geek, I had my heart set on a school that would be able to provide an extended marching band career as I continued my education. I thought the world of this school; I had heard great things about it from alumni, it was the perfect distance away from home for me, and best of all, I'd be able to be in color guard for four more years.

It sounds awesome, right?

Wrong. In fact, I could not have been more wrong. Upon visiting the school, I came to realize just how badly it suited me and the college experience I was hoping for. There was nothing about it that reached out to me and said, "welcome home" (other than the band kids that I talked to). I hadn't visited any schools before applying because I had a busy high school schedule, so I applied to schools only with the knowledge that I gathered from their websites. I thought the most important thing about a college was that I'd be receiving an education and would be marching at football games.

Then my dad stepped in, asking me numerous, painfully insightful questions:

"Do you really believe marching band is a part of the real world? That you're going to be in color guard for the rest of your life? That the glitter is going to stay on your face forever?"

That's when it hit me. I had my heart set on a school solely because I was looking to spending the rest of my life on the field, regardless of the education I was going to receive. How is that fair to myself? I was going to give up a world of new opportunities for something that was an extracurricular activity in high school. Don't take me wrong, I love band. I learned more about life from being in marching band than from being in any other activity. You can't always necessarily make a career out of the things you love to do, though. Thanks to my dad, I realized this before committing to a college that, as it turned out, would have left me unsatisfied.

Now, in all honestly, I applied to the college I'm attending purely because:

1. My best friend goes there.

2. My application was free.

Regardless of the initial reasons for my application, the reasons for my choice are what's important. When I walked onto the campus of my current dream school, I felt at home. I found little things that were important to me in and out of the classroom that I hadn't thought of before. I heard teachers calling on students by their first names, I saw small class sizes, and I knew that there were girls on campus who had brought a flag on campus to spin during their free time. These are just a few of the reasons as to why I fell in love with the college.

"Do they have a band at your school?" seems to be everyone's favorite question to ask me. It is a little sad to reply with "no"; then again, I always follow up with a list of the amazing, new opportunities that are waiting for me there. I'll finally have the opportunity to dance, to write, and to travel, all while learning new things. I'll be able to meet a whole new crowd of people, and make new, lifelong friends. My roommate this year plays tennis. I've never met someone who plays tennis! To think, I would have never met her if I had gone to my "dream school." Once I stumbled upon my current university, I fell in absolute love. The point is, all that glitters is not gold.

Do yourself a favor, and don't pass up the world for something or someone you love as a high schooler. It's not the end of the world, and it's certainly not the end of your love. If you see a purple flag on campus, chances are I'm the one spinning with it.