So I haven't blogged on my own in a while, and I feel as if it would be beneficial te get all my thoughts out in word form in front of me. So here goes!
I've been thinking a lot about colleges recently because I'm planning on attending one next fall. I have really only looked at two colleges, ISU and Northwestern in Orange City (NWC). Along about Christmas time I decided to forget about NWC and just focus on ISU. I was going to live in an apartment with a friend from camp and major in business. I even tore up the housing form that I had filled out for NWC because I was just gonna forget about it. ISU was closer, more affordable, I knew people there, camp was close enough that I could work there on some weekends. It just seemed like ISU was the right school for me. So I forgot about Northwestern.......for about a week. After about a week it popped into my head again, and the next day I received another housing form from NWC. Then I started to remember the year before when I was looking at schools, NWC wasn't on my radar, but my parents made me apply there anyway. "Don't burn your bridges!" So I applied, but I said that I didn't want to go for a scholarship competition. Again, my parents made me. So I went, and I was definitely surprised at how much I liked the school. So I started thinking seriously about NWC, and I was actually prepared to commit to go there. I started having these thoughts that maybe that was where God wanted me to be. But then my financial aid package came, and I didn't get as much scholarship money as I wanted. So instead of going to college I went to camp and got paid to learn how to be a leader. Then during this summer I had a couple guys from my church who I respect very much tell me that I should go to college. So I started looking around again, and ISU came up from a friend of mine. He said that we could rent an apartment together, and I was all like,"Yeah!!!!!" So that was about Christmas, and then Northwestern made a come back, and I started thinking how interesting it was that I could never get rid of Northwestern, even after I had decided to skip college this year and do LAUNCH. I kept having thoughts about how maybe NWC was the place for me, and maybe God wants me there. However I'm glad that I didn't go to college and have had the experiences I've had this year. Anyway, so after I had all those thoughts about not being able to get of NWC it started to warm up to me. I started looking at both colleges and comparing them. I started to think that maybe such a big school like ISU wouldn't be right for me. I know that I don't particularly enjoy driving in Ames, and I like the feel of a small town where everyone knows everyone. I also started thinking that maybe going somewhere where I already know a bunch of people might not be what's best for me. I've never gone somwhere and started over completely, and I think that that experience would be good for me. Then I visited ISU, and I could tell that it's a top notch super quality school. I just didn't feel like it would be right for me. So I went to Northwestern today hoping and praying that something would happen to make up my mind. And I loved my day. I kept meeting new people that I was connected to somehow either through camp or soccer or my last time at Northwestern. I was really impressed how the "higher ups" at the college seemed to remember me either from last year or from sending emails back and forth. I know that I wouldn't get that at ISU. Even though I don't know really anyone there, I felt like I already knew them and really belonged there. I think it'd pretty easy for me to fit in there.
So I was actually gonna post this and ask what other people think I should do, but now that I have it all written out I know what my decision will be. I'm not even sure a full ride to ISU would convince me not to go to Northwestern. I suppose I should wait for financial aid packages to officially make my decision, but in my head I know where I belong.
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