Your classmates might tell you that when they visited XYZ College they “just knew” that it was the right college for them. But I’m going to tell you I think that’s a bunch of bologna.
“Just knew?” When I was a soon-to-be college freshman, I don’t think I knew much of anything. I had never been to college before, had no idea where I might or might not fit in. The colleges I visited seemed essentially the same: classrooms, trees, dorms and dining facilities, the place that would hand you your next four years worth of homework.
“Oh, it was just the atmosphere,” someone might tell you. What atmosphere? The one the paid student tour guide told you about? The one you inferred from the 2-second snippet of a conversation you heard on your way past the dining hall? Or was it just pleasantly warm on the day of your visit?
Maybe some students do get a “feeling” and instantly click with one place or another. Good for them. But I am no psychic, and I’m sure many others aren’t either. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that college visits aren’t good for anything; I’m just saying they don’t tell you everything.
Because my heart strings weren’t pulled in one direction or another, I focused on other factors when choosing a college. I wanted a school close to home, one with a good journalism program and decent food. A few schools offered me one or two of these things; Fisher offered me all three. These factors plus the fact that I enjoyed the campus visits helped me with my decision. And even though I am happy with my choice, I’m not convinced I wouldn’t have been happy somewhere else, too.
The fact is that there are probably a few schools that would suit every student, so don’t stress about finding the “perfect” one. You can listen to as many tips and testimonials as you’d like, but you’ll never really know how life at a certain college is going to be until you experience it firsthand. You just have to weigh your options, pick a school and hope for the best. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s what transfer applications are for.
