I’m not going to lie: starting the college process was something that terrified me. I’m one of the first in my family to attend a college in America, which is something that overwhelmed me, which is why I’d been looking at schools since the summer before my junior year of high school. By the time the summer before my senior year rolled around, I’d made a list of schools I was interested in. My mom had heard of Marist from a friend of a friend so I decided to put it on the list, just to have another option. When I wrote “Marist College” on my list, I had no idea that I wrote down the name of my future school.
My first interaction with Marist was in July at an open house. It was the first college campus I ever visited, and as I made the hour and a half trip with my parents, I couldn’t help feeling a tad nervous. However, the nerves vanished the second I stepped foot on campus. I hadn’t heard any presentations or gotten a tour of the campus yet, but it felt like home. By the end of the visit, this feeling would be confirmed.
The first thing I fell in love with was the beauty of the campus. It lies right next to the Hudson River and the view is magical. The buildings are reminiscent of both Hogwarts and a fairy tale. The river offered serenity as well as beauty. The freshly cut grass was inviting and I see myself spending endless hours sitting on it with friends or writing. There was nothing out of place and every part of the campus was spotless. Walking through campus and soaking in the beauty of it was the first time I felt excited for college.
The second thing I fell in love with was what the school offers academically and professionally. As a business major, it was important for me to find a school that teaches you everything there is to know about the field, including things that aren’t involved in your major, as well as teach you how to carry yourself in the business world. The faculty is full of people who have been in the industry and know what it’s like which allows you to gain firsthand knowledge of what the business world is really like. They also want to make sure you succeed and do your absolute best and will do whatever it takes to see this happen. The internships offered include Fortune 500 companies as well as many well-known, prestigious companies. The study abroad options are perfect for me as I can study and intern in places I’ve dreamed of visiting. 97% of the graduating class goes on to start a job, usually somewhere they interned, to go on to graduate school six months after graduation. Hearing these facts was the first time I was excited for the future.
The third and last thing I fell in love with was the community. The school is filled with the friendliest people you will ever meet. The amount of students that came up to talk to me before and after the tour started was unbelievable. Everyone works hard but has fun at the same time. They enjoy giving back to the community but also like to sit by the river and just hang out. They’re the exact opposite of the college student stereotype I saw at every other school I visited. Seeing this was the first time I knew with all of my heart that I wanted to go to Marist and that it was the perfect school for me.
On the drive home, I was excited but sad. The excitement was because I had just seen a school that felt like it was made just for me, a feeling I couldn’t feel the slightest bit at any other school. The sadness was because I didn’t think I would get in. I can’t explain why but I convinced myself that I wasn’t good enough for the school. This thought was something that completely disappeared on a Wednesday in December, when I got home from school and my mom left my (already opened) acceptance envelope on the table. I couldn’t contain myself as it was the proudest moment in my life.
This coming fall, I will be starting school at Marist College as a Business Administration major with concentrations in Marketing and Finance and minoring in Political Science. I’m so excited to embark on this next phase of my life and I can’t wait to see what the future holds at my dream school.
