Listen up boys and girls, I’m here to make sure you don’t make a huge mistake during your senior year. Everyone wants to go to a prestigious college, and everyone wants the ultimate bragging rights by getting into all of their applied schools. But what most high school students never really stop to think about is whether that dream college is actually one that suits you.
Searching for colleges is a bit like shopping for cars; you have to see the product in person in order to evaluate its functionality and test how comfortable you are in it before you can come to a final decision.
This summer, I went to see most of the University of California schools with a couple of friends, and I was especially excited to see UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. I was torn between the two because they both had great programs for my interests and I had heard many good things about the both of them from my family and friends, so I figured I should take it upon myself to decide.
When I had finally explored both campuses, I immediately knew that UC Santa Barbara was right for me. At Santa Barbara, I immediately fell in love with its environment and the people there. Its laid back lifestyle and great business program seemed perfectly tailored to my preferences, and that’s when I fully realized the value of a college trip.
Now I know that college trips are usually expensive and seem like a pain to plan, but there are a few alternatives recommeded by Ms. Amy Sisson in the College and Career Center that can help you save a little money.
This year our high school has planned a visit to Loyola Marymount University, and if they can gather enough funds through grants, an additional field trip will also be made available. All you have to do is go to the College and Career Center to sign up and get permission from your teachers. If this isn’t possible for you and you absolutely can not make the trip to the campus, at the very least try and visit Youvisit.com for a virtual tour of campuses you are interested in.
As a last word of advice and warning, don’t end up wasting your money and time just because you arrived at your new school only to realize that you hate the weather there, the campus is stinky and it’s 15 minutes away from a penitentiary.
Seriously consider this as one of the most important decisions you will ever make, so put your wellbeing and interests first. Be sure of your investment: you’re going to be spending at least two to four years at this place, so you might as well be as comfortable and happy as possible.
Searching for colleges is a bit like shopping for cars; you have to see the product in person in order to evaluate its functionality and test how comfortable you are in it before you can come to a final decision.
This summer, I went to see most of the University of California schools with a couple of friends, and I was especially excited to see UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. I was torn between the two because they both had great programs for my interests and I had heard many good things about the both of them from my family and friends, so I figured I should take it upon myself to decide.
When I had finally explored both campuses, I immediately knew that UC Santa Barbara was right for me. At Santa Barbara, I immediately fell in love with its environment and the people there. Its laid back lifestyle and great business program seemed perfectly tailored to my preferences, and that’s when I fully realized the value of a college trip.
Now I know that college trips are usually expensive and seem like a pain to plan, but there are a few alternatives recommeded by Ms. Amy Sisson in the College and Career Center that can help you save a little money.
This year our high school has planned a visit to Loyola Marymount University, and if they can gather enough funds through grants, an additional field trip will also be made available. All you have to do is go to the College and Career Center to sign up and get permission from your teachers. If this isn’t possible for you and you absolutely can not make the trip to the campus, at the very least try and visit Youvisit.com for a virtual tour of campuses you are interested in.
As a last word of advice and warning, don’t end up wasting your money and time just because you arrived at your new school only to realize that you hate the weather there, the campus is stinky and it’s 15 minutes away from a penitentiary.
Seriously consider this as one of the most important decisions you will ever make, so put your wellbeing and interests first. Be sure of your investment: you’re going to be spending at least two to four years at this place, so you might as well be as comfortable and happy as possible.