Deciding which college I was going to attend for the next four years of my life was the hardest decision I’ve had to make thus far. There were 1,000 things to worry about during this process. First, there were the applications; I applied to about 13 different colleges. Yes, that is an excessive amount and most people only applied to four or five. But I wanted to have a lot to choose from, and didn’t want to regret not applying to a school I had really liked. I spoke to my counselor often about schools in Boston, as I had narrowed down where I wanted to be living. I was told specifically that my first choice school, Emmanuel College would be a reach school for me. I was told that I shouldn’t get my hopes up and that maybe attending an interview would help me to get in. To be completely honest that only made me want it more. I worked on my college essay for a good two weeks; I perfected my application and didn’t attend an interview. While that was a bold decision I firmly believed if it was meant to be, I would get in. About a month later I cried when I received my acceptance letter, making sure I had stopped by the school to show my counselor that I did it. Emmanuel College may have been my top school but I still hadn’t been able to make a decision.

Picking a college felt like online shopping, and I hate online shopping. I was seeing all of these amazing schools but you never really know what’s going to fit until you actually got there. I attended the accepted student’s day and got to sit in on a couple of classes that revolved around my potential major, the professors would introduce themselves and some of the things they taught. This is what really helped make the decision for me because we were able to experience what it would be like attending the school and that made it hard for me to feel the same way about any of my other options. In my heart, I knew that this was the college I wanted to attend for the next four years, that this was the college that was going to challenge me academically while providing me with incredible opportunities out in the city of Boston.

As a sports fan, living down the street from Fenway felt more like a dream than reality. I also chose Emmanuel College because I knew that its community was small, they want their students to feel like a family rather than just classmates, and that's an incredible feeling. After spending my first year living in Boston and attending classes, I know for certain that I made the right decision regarding my future, and that’s what I was most worried about. I spent my year being challenged beyond what I had imagined, but I knew I was being pushed toward achieving all of my goals. Most of my days were spent exploring the city, learning the T, and making connections; I was lucky enough to meet some incredible people along the way. I can now proudly say Emmanuel college has become my second home and I can't imagine having gone anywhere else.