College. The big question mark waiting at the end of high school. Everyone asks, pesters really, about where you’re going, what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. For heaven’s sakes, we’re just eighteen-year-old kids trying not to mess up.
I think we choose where to go to school by the place that feels comfortable, the place where we want to call home for the next four (or maybe more) years. Personally, the decision of where to go to school was a lot more challenging than I anticipated. The people who attend a school without ever being there? Props. You’re walking into an unknown room with your eyes closed.
Some people choose college based on alumni; their parents, aunts, grandparents, etc. Some people throw darts at their acceptance letters and choose whichever school was a good hit. Some are forced into a situation of not their choosing, which is very unfortunate in my opinion. You’re the one that has to go there for the next X amount of time!
I feel so beyond fortunate to have found a school where I’m genuinely excited to be. I was thrilled over break, thinking about how I get to go back to the best place I have found in my short years. For those of you struggling: relax. The perfect college is out there for you! I know it. It might take a few transfers, a few more college tours, but I know you’ll find it. You have to pick a place where you will thrive and a place where you want to grow as a person and as a student. Your body and brain will remain there until you finish, so it might as well be somewhere you like, right? Right.
It’s definitely about the academics, but the college campus for you has to be a place where you enjoy the buildings and the beauty. My campus, when not covered in that annoying white fluffy frozen precipitation, is lush, green, and gorgeous. The brown buildings mix in perfectly with the manicured greens and tall, strong trees. When it’s not snowing, (I just really don’t like winter), I smile at the thought of waking up and exploring the grounds, finding shaded areas on the river to just enjoy being at college. (This may or may not be somewhat unrealistic. I love college, of course, but I feel as though in actuality, it’s more stressful than I’m making it sound.)
Anyway, my whole point is that you must pick a college and a school where you want to be. You cannot pick a place dependent on someone else’s wishes or dreams - this is all about you. Because if you’re not happy, what are you going to do? Leave. You’ll get out of there faster than an antelope being chased by a cheetah. Enjoy school, enjoy this next chapter of your life… If you haven’t found your place yet, you will!
