Junior year. Senior year. What college are you going to? Where should I even apply? Do I go away? Do I stay home? I'm stressed. I have no idea what to do. I might as well just apply to at least 5-6 colleges and see what happens, right? Western Kentucky University has been a place I have been coming to for a year-long time.

It is a campus I fell in love with very early on and I always said I was going to make it my home one day. Coming home from school one day, there it was, that big envelope and you know what the big envelope versus the small ones meant at this point. I was accepted. It was the first school I had applied to and the first one I was accepted to. I had so much going on at the time I was excited but it was hard for me to actually feel happy about it.

In a couple weeks, I was having a tour of the campus (as if I haven't been here a million times already). I was more focused on my senior year and being a cheerleader and my relationship at the time; I didn't care much about college, even though I really needed to make a decision in just a couple months where I was going to be going.

The day of my tour, something felt off. It was probably because I made it that way, but I did not want to be there at all. The school I had always said was going to be my home, I wanted no part in. What happened? Why was I feeling like this? It was the same school and a lot of my friends were going with me, too. So what was my problem? I couldn't really figure it out.

As the weeks went by, I didn't put much more thought to it because the acceptance letters kept coming in and I had a lot of options to chose from and I knew I would make the right decision regardless.

Making such a life-changing decision at seventeen was super stressful for me. I ended up graduating undecided and continued to be until about the last three weeks of summer. I chose to go to a satellite campus of Campbellsville University in Louisville for my first semester to get some Gen-eds out of the way and continue to work while I was still living at home.

About three weeks into school I reapplied to WKU because I realized I may have made a mistake and I knew if I got accepted, I was meant to be there. It was less than twenty-four hours that I received an acceptance email in return. If that wasn't a sign, I don't know what is.

I was ready. I was ready to start fresh and begin my life in a new town and meet new people and live on my own. Once I got moved in, the same feelings came back I had previously. The first day of class was the worst day I have ever had at WKU. Heart racing. Crying.

Makeup everywhere. Snow on the ground. Major panic attack. I chose to just drive home. Did I make another mistake? I had no idea what I was doing; it seemed as if every decision I made was the completely wrong one and I was suffering badly from it. Maybe that was just how freshmen year goes. It got better, but I still wasn't liking it the way I thought I would.

I finished both semesters of freshmen year in Dean's List and was honestly ready to move back to Louisville. I was going back to my job and everything that I was used to. That summer, I had to make a big decision. I had to reapply to colleges and make the decision if I wanted to return to WKU or not and here came the pressure from senior year again.

I had a fun summer as normal, but when it came to my decision, I just couldn't make one. I went to the other colleges and liked them for the most part but I had to make an appointment with an advisor at WKU just to be sure. Mind you, this was FIVE days before school started. Yes, I am crazy.

This time, I loved being on campus. Something felt right this time. I knew I was going to live in a really good dorm and I just had a good feeling about it. So I was going back. The first night back I remember tweeting, "First night back and it's better than all of last semester." And it couldn't have been truer. I had more fun the first few days and nights I was there then my entire first semester I was there.

I had the best of friends that were happy as hell I came back, I was in great classes, I was in a co-ed dorm so it gave me even more opportunities to meet new people and I loved it. I started to fall in love with Bowling Green, too.

So here's all that to say, chose WKU because:

1. We have the prettiest campus in Kentucky. I promise. Each season it's even prettier.

2. You will meet the best people and they WILL be your friends for life.

3. Living in the hell hole that is PFT is a must for girl freshmen; it is all a part of the experience.

4. The white squirrels.

5. Our mascot is the best, even if he does try to eat your head or anything else for that matter.

6. We have buses that take you to class, ya know, just in case you don't want to walk up the hill.

7. The roundabout isn't as big of a deal that everyone makes it out to be. Just follow directions or don't have your license for the safety of all of us.

8. All of the red towels and free t-shirts you'll get.

9. It is home away from home.

10. Gary Ransdell. That is all.

13. WKU really has something for everyone.

All in all, WKU has been the biggest blessing in my life. It has given me an education that I cannot wait to share soon with a job I am going to love.

It gave and is continuing to give me friends I love more than anything in the world. It gave me a town that I fell in love with. I don't know where I would be without this place. I love the Hill out of my Tops!