College has always been something that was in my future. It was an expectation, an inevitable event that was bound to happen once I got out of high school. However, it was an expectation I put on myself. My parents have always encouraged me to have a successful future and wanted whatever was best for me. No matter the distance, or the size of the school, they have helped me carve my path towards college.
The first college I toured was the University of Colorado-Boulder. I was in awe of the campus, the town, and the mountains. I was ecstatic to continue my college search. Then I toured four other colleges before submitting my college applications. I applied to six schools, all of which I was overwhelmingly excited about. This included: CU Boulder, Arizona State, Penn State, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, and University of Pittsburgh. I had no clue which school I was going to choose because at each visit I saw myself at each of the schools. During the application process, I pushed CU Boulder off to the side so I could consider all of my options equally.
Throughout my senior year, I narrowed down my options to two schools: the University of Colorado and Penn State. I made it into all of the schools I had applied to, but I wasn’t sure which one I was going to choose. That was until I visited Penn State. I visited the campus and joined a hockey practice with their ACHA team. The coach was nice and said that he would love to see me next year. Everything was so perfect there. However, while I was considering Penn State (the perfect option for my academic and athletic career), I started comparing it to Colorado. That was when I made my decision. I knew right then that I wanted to go to Colorado. It may not be the closest to the airport or the closest to home, but I could see myself thriving there. I plan to try out for their ACHA D1 team and to meet new people who I will share the next four years of my life with.
Even though college was always on my horizon, I was never able to predict where I would end up. It took time to decide where I wanted to go. It was a decision that took months for me to make. However, when you find the school that you see yourself fitting best at, you should take that opportunity and explore it fully. You only go to college once… twice.. or as many times as you would like that would be best for your future career.
