4. The school’s brochure looks like a place with lots of good-looking girls/guys.
Obviously, you’re not going to be indifferent to the male/female population of the
school, but you don’t want to base your college decision on the cute-guy/girl quotient.
Great boyfriends/girlfriends usually show up when you’re not looking for them
(They’re attracted to the fact that you have your own life.), and, anyway, cute doesn’t
always mean cool, fun, interesting, or even nice- which is why a school’s hunk/beauty
queen count is about as much of a guarantee of a good time as, say, the promise of
enjoyable (let alone edible) food from the dining-hall chefs.
5. Your guidance counselor says you should go. When I went to my high school
guidance counselor for advice on where I should apply to school, he asked me what I
wanted to study and suggested, among others: 1) the most expensive school in the
country and 2) a college that was famous for its student activism. Sure, they both had
the programs I was looking for, but as a shy, financial-aid candidate, I felt neither
guided nor well counseled. The truth is, while lots of guidance counselors do have
good advice, some of them, like mine, might not know you from the next senior who
walks into his office. So listen to suggestions—especially if you know and trust the
counselor. However, make sure you, and only you, make the final decision.
6. To stay close to home. If the thought of leaving home has y ou sweating in your old
footy pajamas, you might want to limit your distance from Mom and Dad to a few
hours by car or a quick plane flight. But many a college student with the funds to
make a great escape has majorly regretted forfeiting the chance to see more of the
world/country/state in order to stick close to the familiar. Leaving home (once you get
over the initial bouts of homesickness –– and, believe me, you will) is a good thing.
If limited resources force you to live at home, you’ll definitely want to find friends on
campus with sleeping space to spare. They don’t talk about college freedom for
nothing –– it’s exhilarating, it’s fun, and it’s a growth experience. Yes, it can also be
scary, but so can your parents, right? Which leads us to...
7. To get as far away from home as possible. As mentioned before, by all means take
advantage of the opportunity that is college and get outta town. But just because a
college has an address 3,000 miles away from your dreaded brothers and sisters is not
a good enough reason for you to go there.
8. Alumni pressure. Even though you might feel pressure because Dad still sings the
fight song in the shower or your older sister can’t stop talking about Professor
Wonderful, remember that family tradition can be cool –– or constricting. Picking a
school is your chance to choose your own environment, so do it for yourself –– not
because you grew up believing that Clemson or S.C. State, where Mom and Dad met
in freshman English, is the only school in the world. As long as you choose a place
that makes you happy and productive, your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,
brothers, and sisters should eventually understand.
PROTEAM DREAMQUEST CURRICULUM
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