That Time...Finding the Right Fit

Every high school student will go through this time in their life. The time in which the first letters and pamphlets from colleges are waiting on the kitchen counter when you get home from school. The time when your teachers and counselors encourage you to start prepping for the ACT. The time when your parents and principals strongly recommend researching colleges and programs that you might be interested in. This is a time filled with excitement, confusion, stress, and happiness. Its one of the first times that you really think about your future and can say, "Wow, I am really going to be gone in a matter of a year or a few short months." Its scary! Knowing what college is right for you is a very difficult decision and should be taken quite seriously. Personally, I don't really know what I want in a college so its hard to know where to start and I am sure many other students are in the same position.

Last summer I started this journey of finding the right college for me. In general I feel as if a medium size school would suit me best. As for private or public or in-state or out-of-state I don't have much of a preference. My visits last summer consisted of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. This was just the start, I have family ties to these schools and they are medium size and in the Midwest, my only preference.

Recently over spring break my family took a bit of a road trip and visited four more schools. A few of these I felt somewhat interested in going into the visit unlike some of my visits from the summer before. These consisted of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, St. Louis University, and the University of Missouri at Columbia. Every single one of these schools have a lot to offer both academically and socially. I liked things about all of them and hope to break each school down in future blogs.

This is a time for important decision making, you are essentially deciding where your going to live for four years and where your going to start your independent life. To all you high schoolers out there going through this time of your life, good luck!