Dear Graduating High Schoolers,

As you all are starting to figure out which college you will be attending in the Fall, I just want to check in with you and make sure you are asking yourselves the right questions.

When figuring out a college to attend during my senior year of high school there were a lot of questions in my head. What school is going to make me happy? Which school is going to sound most impressive after graduation? Which school is going to give me the most connections?

Graduating High School seniors often are asking all of the wrong questions when they start looking at colleges. A lot of people look for the best programs for their majors, or for the biggest party schools or for the strongest sports teams. Let me be, hopefully not the first, to tell you that that is complete horse poop. But don't worry, you're in luck.

I know you're running out of time, so let me be brief. I want to offer you one quick piece of advice before you go and commit to the school of your dreams.

Here it is. The best question I can offer you.

When you visited your dream school, did you see people you would want to be friends with?

When I went on a college campus tour of the beautiful campus of William and Mary, I probably received the best advice from my tour guide. He was an English major named John, and he was the most talented backwards walker I had ever met. As we began our tour, he observed the gears in our little high school heads turning faster than ever as we tried to soak up everything we were seeing. He stopped the group and told us to look around. He said, "Take a moment to observe the people here. Are these the kinds of people that you could see yourself hanging out with? Do you see any groups that you feel like you could connect with?" He was right. As I looked around I began to be able to determine if I could visualize myself at that college. As I continued my search for my next school, I kept his advice with me. Without it, I don't know if I would have ever been as sure that I had chosen the right school.

I realized that colleges and universities are all very different, but they can also have a lot in common. Is that brand new gym and billion dollar sports facility great? Absolutely, but how much is that going to matter to you when you're stuck at a school with no friends? Or if you're at a school that is way too hard for you, or maybe even too easy, and you don't have time or even care what the campus offers or looks like?

I cannot emphasize enough how much College is going to mean to you. Embrace it. Love it. Make sure it is the best four years of your life.

Congrats on Graduating!