Priorities when picking colleges

One of the things that I considered when evaluating colleges was their proximity to my hometown. In doing so, I spent a lot of time worrying that if I stayed close to home, I was going to be too near my parents, never get to “spread my wings” and all that sort of stuff.

Looking back now, nearly four years later, that line of thinking couldn’t be any dumber. Two of the schools I applied to rejected me; another one admitted me, but with the caveat that I would have to defer admission until the spring, which is not what I wanted to do.

So, the choice came down to two schools: one that was almost a third of the way across the country and one that was about five miles from home. Both of these schools are excellent and the one close to my home even had a program that matched well with my academic interests. Nevertheless, I was dead-set on going to the far-away university. I ended up twiddling my thumbs until the end of June, because I was on the wait-list, to go to a school that had little to offer with my academic interests.

I just wanted to escape my parents’ shadow.

That type of thinking could not have been more wrong-headed. I’ve since had a great time at the school I’m at. I only run into my Dad, who works at the university I attend, when I want to (which, for the record, I often do, because I do enjoy seeing my parents). Additionally, because of the family connection, I would have turned down significant financial aid by attending the other school. Granted, that’s not a situation many students find themselves – but it doesn’t diminish the fact that many of the things that college applicants have hang-ups about won’t seem so consequential in a few years’ time.

The college admissions process is super-stressful. I haven’t forgotten that. I’d suggest that students who are applying now keep in mind that what seems like a life-or-death decision isn’t necessarily that. And that a few priorities you have when applying to schools might seem pretty silly in hindsight.