Choosing a college was one of the hardest things that I had to do throughout high school because I was essentially defining who I was going to be in the future. As you enter into your senior year, you will have to make this choice for yourself, while constantly being asked what you are going to do. When it started, I was so excited, but then I got overwhelmed with all the choices I was going to be making.
When college first became a consideration for me, my questions were simple and it was always about academics. I thought I would just be comparing what majors to choose from and which school could be the best option for me academically. Soon, the pressure got to me, and I had all these questions about where everyone else was going and why they wanted to be there. What schools have the best teams or are more calm and relaxing? I realized then that choosing a school says a lot more about what type of person you really are. Oftentimes society tells people that to get into college you need to be smart, but oftentimes that won’t be why they go somewhere or why they still get in.
Seeing everyone choose their different paths for after high school was hard, but I could understand why everyone chose where they wanted to go. Some of my friends chose party schools while others decided they would do better at a place where they could focus more on academics. I learned that behind every decision my friends made was a deeper choice. You can choose where you want to go based on so many factors, whether it be partying, sports, academics or relationships. The choice is yours to make based on what you need it to be. As I have learned about colleges, I discovered that academically speaking you can learn the exact same things at most schools. If you are choosing to go to a school deemed more prestigious, it is based on the social environment surrounding the school rather than the school itself. This is the case even with Ivy League; while they have the same academic levels, they are viewed as higher, so you are deemed better qualified. Truly all that this taught me, however, is that you have a place where you might belong and it is perfectly okay to make that choice.
The main reason that you may consider when choosing the college you want to go to is for the independence or closeness it brings you. So many people are ready to go out and face the world by themselves, so when choosing a college they decide to go far and experience things by themselves, while others choose to stay closer to home at the nearby college. Whether they find comfort in being close to home near family or away from home experiencing their own life, it reflects one of their main core traits that everyone either has or hasn’t developed at this point. This is the point where decisions start to become more emotional due to the stress levels and having to choose whether or not to leave your family.
Reflecting on this whole process has made me realize that the process is about so much more than choosing a school. It is about identifying who you are as a person and then matching yourself to what fits you best. It is about the emotional turmoil that will come from choosing to leave your family or staying with them. Although no college will ever be able to ensure that you become happy or successful, the process is an excellent way to give the best shot at where it is best for you.
