This is part of our monthly series 'Mission: Accepted,' in partnership with Minds Matter, which chronicles the lives of four students as they apply for college in their senior year.
April: Decisions, decisions. At the end and after so much time being invested, the reaping of our hard work pays off: We're getting to go to college. Whether it is attending a community college, a university or a prestigious institution, we get a chance to better our lives and not only for ourselves but for other generations to come. Teachers tell us we are the future, and that we are the ones to take up where the older generation left off and build upon it. We're going to pretty much make the world a better place and it all starts with us getting a higher education.
Sometimes the decision process in which you choose the college you'll attend to for four years, is hard, especially if you were accepted to many. A couple of my friends are torn between two (or more) and don't know what to do. They are afraid that they will make the wrong decision and end up regretting it. I once told you that an acceptance letter is like a golden ticket. Coincidentally, after my acceptance letter from UC Merced was sent to me, they sent me an invitation to visit the school in the form of a golden ticket. I had my doubts as well as to UC Merced being the right college for me. But once my parents and I visited the campus, I slowly but surely started to fall in love with the campus. Ironically, I'm more of a nature kid than a city kid, so the campus location was one of the great things about it. Oh, and the people. In my time there, not only were the students amazing but so were the town natives. Soon enough, I began picturing myself walking up and down the paths, seeing myself studying in their campus cafe, and going about in my dorm and, not to mention, becoming a member of many of their clubs. That's when I knew it was a right fit -- the college. What more is there to say? I found my home away from home. I missed it once I returned to Los Angeles.
When that idea pops up in your head and you feel a part of yourself at the campus, then that's how you know which college to choose. You have to remember that you will be living there/learning there for four years and, maybe, away from where you grew up. Don't let others choose for you, you must make sure that you'll be happy at the college you pick. So choose wisely.
Senior year equals the beginning of becoming an adult and making life-changing decisions. Sadly, we must give up our childhood and take on the world. Two more months to go before high school ends and we make our first decision with college. Remember, it's our choice to make and ours to live with. Make the right one. From what I've heard, college is the best time of your life. Do I doubt it? No, but I have yet to experience it and I'm excited to do just that.