Sitting in a wooden chair, scuffed and scraped, worn and used, I admired my Paw Paw’s dirt stained hand as he lay in a distilled hospital bed. Stained from the hard work that he had put in over the course of his life, his hand grasped mine. With a heart monitor on, I heard the beeping echoing through the cold, bare walled room. Speaking through his oxygen mask, upon taking some of his last breaths, I gained a piece of advice, my last piece of advice i would receive from a wisdom filled old soul: “Now, I know you want to go to USC, a big university, but keep in mind, you can be just as successful at a smaller school.”

As a fourteen year old, college was not exactly at the forefront of my mind. And little did I know, this piece of advice would play such a big role in one of the biggest decisions I’ve made to date.

Senior year, one of the most nostalgic times we go through during our life, but also the most crucial time to make some very important decisions. College app after college app, tour after tour, and where will you be accepted? Where will you end up? Will you follow your best friend? Your significant other? Will you go where you can get the best education for your future career? Do you even know what future career you want to have? Will you go where your parents want you to go? There alma mater? OR will you follow your heart and make the best decision you can possibly make for YOU? These questions are some I had a really tough time with and seeing how they would play a part in my decision.

I thought I had it all figured out. I knew the career I wanted, I knew how big of a gamecock fan I was, I knew so many friends going there, my parents were graduates… sounds like a perfect fit right? Wrong. Yes, I did submit an application to USC as well as several other schools, but something just never felt right in my heart about any of them. God was closing doors left and right and I couldn’t see why. I couldn’t see why MY plan wasn’t working out the way I thought it should. I was stuck and feeling helpless… until one day, deep in prayer, I instantly remembered that advice my paw paw had given my fourteen year old, immature self. A small school? No way. I wanted the real college experience. USC, Alabama, Tennessee, they all were right within my grasp but God was continually pushing my hand away. As I racked my brain over all the options I had, Wingate was always in the mix. A small school, nearly 2 hours away, started to become more and more ideal. While trying to decipher between a few pros and cons i could barely think of any cons for that small school in North Carolina.

Unfortunately, I am quite the procrastinator, so of course I waited until the very last day to submit my security deposit and commit to the school I would spend the next 4 years of my life at. But what a relief it was to finally click that “submit” button. Wingate would become my new home and I couldn’t be more excited.

So when trying to make your college decision, always remember, although a large university with a good football team and a greek village seems like the perfect way to spend the best years of your life, a smaller school may suit you even better, providing you with more opportunities to become successful throughout the rest of your life, while still having the best four years of your life. The opportunities I have had since being here have been unbelievable and I’ve made friendships that I know will last a life time. I couldn’t be happier calling this small school and town my second home.