It is now the end of April and for seniors graduating high school the pressure is on to pick the right college. I’m sure by now a lot of you have made your decisions, I made mine mid-February, however, there was still a large group of my friends who still hadn’t decided when the end of March was rolling around, so if that’s you, don’t fret, I think they  are all succeeding.

• Don’t pick a college just because everyone tells you to pick that one. Everyone has their own opinion of what you should do, when really it’s just your choice.
• Don’t worry if you can’t picture yourself anywhere. I could not find a school that I pictured as my home, now that I have nearly completed I would 100% without a doubt call here home. Like no matter how hard it is to picture some place a home, I think it’s something that the people around you contribute to.
• Find a place where people are kind and will try to help you make your decision. The school I’m at, I talked to people here about my other options, and they didn’t tell me to go here, they encouraged me to do what I thought was my best option. If people can’t be honest about where you’re going it might not be the best place for you.
• Think about the geographical location, because it is pretty likely close to where you will end up post college. That’s the area where you going to start making professional connections and moving forward with life. This piece of advice was provided with the help of Eric.
• While a significant other can help influence a decision,  you should know that if the relationship is supposed to last, it will last no matter what. I don’t know if you could say I know this from experience or not, but I chose my own place and I was very comfortable with my choice when things didn’t work out. I honestly believe that if things are meant to be they will be if you work for it, and it won’t matter if you’re a five minute walk or a five hour drive. Don’t go somewhere for somebody else, unless that’s the place you honestly and truly want to be.
• It’s not the wedding dress feeling for everyone. When I say this I mean some people think college is like you try it on and you just know, like people feel about wedding dresses, I disagree completely. I don’t think I felt that at any college I visited and I love it here, this is where I want to be, I was mostly neutral about everything I saw, or I hated it. Don’t worry if you don’t feel that way.
• Go with your gut, it’s probably right. If you had to flip a coin, and heads and tails each designated a school, which side are you hoping for? That’s the side you go with, no matter what shows. That’s what you want to do. You want to do what you want, don’t let other influences change your mind about what you want to do.

So good luck with this decision! It’s so exciting, try not to stress too much about it. If you don’t like where you go, you can always transfer, but you probably will like it. Make your decision with passion and with your views, not the direct influence of anyone else.