So its senior year. The moment of truth will come in the months ahead as you will finally have some answers. Although it would have been easier to get the sorting hat from Harry Potter, at least you got to make some of the decision on where you want to further your education.
Throughout your schooling career you have been idolizing the dream of making it out of your hometown, away from certain people maybe, and with hopes of freedom away from parents. But you've also received a good amount of pressure from the fact that you'll have to figure out where you want to go. With approximately 2,500 four year colleges and universities in the United States alone, it is fair to say that there are plenty of options to choose from, if not too many. There are also countless amounts of rankings and opinions from "professionals" who will try to persuade you to going to a college that payed the most money to be written about. After you've read all the reports and opinions of a list of schools, you will decided which schools to apply to, and you will be excited and terrified to receive your admission letters. There is a lot of pressure put on college. As children, it was ingrained in our brains that college was the last leg of the education race and that it was important that we choose the right college and right field of study, or we would regret it for the rest of our lives. But what deems the "right" university or college?
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I spent the summer before my senior year learning everything I could about potential colleges. I created excel spreadsheets and weighed the pros and cons. I went into the college application process with a scattered mind as I liked certain schools but feared making the wrong decision. There were just so many options, so many paths to take, which was truly a blessing and a curse.
By October, I had narrowed my search to two schools, one in state, Michigan State University, and one out of state, Texas Christian University. There were both pros and cons of each, but what really stuck out was the feelings or sort of vibes I got from each campus. The overwhelming feeling about TCU is that it truly felt like home.
I was down right scared for college. I loved my friends, family, and school, and I feared that I would end up in college unhappy and alone. When I got my acceptance to TCU, I cried. As in, I straight up balled my eyes out in the middle of my cafeteria during my lunch period. With my friends clapping and cheering for me, I knew there was something special that made me so overcome with emotion. TCU truly felt like home and made me excited for the future. Now although TCU is not everyone's dream school (even though it should be) I believe that the feeling I got from being on campus and just being accepted is deserved by everyone that applies to college.
Here's how you know that you've picked the right college: you're happy and you're in an environment that allows you to learn and grow. No you won't find that in any college help book or anywhere else, but if you ask anyone who loves the college they are at, the first thing they will mention is how happy they are. I do not care if it is the best school for you major or whatever else, if you are not excited to go there, it is not for you. You deserve to be happy and you will learn best were you are the happiest.
Trust me. Coming from someone who put everything on the line and moved away from everything I have ever known and loved. Please go somewhere where you are happy and where you will be the best you.
College is supposed to be exciting, not scary and I am sorry if you have doubts in your head or you are overwhelmed with the process as a whole. Just know that you will find the place you are meant to be at, even if it takes a couple tries. I wish you luck during any admissions process, and I hope you can realize where you are the most happy because; you deserve it. And if you already attend a fantastic college, I hope you tell everyone you know, I'm sure they will be glad to hear it.
