When we are young, we are influenced by parents, teachers, friends and other family members about which college to attend.  

  My mom went to Villanova, and I always wanted to go there. I wanted to be just like her, and I loved when she told me stories about her college days. After I was born, I came home from the hospital wearing a Villanova onesie.

 Villanova was the first college that I ever visited and my mom has been active alumna ever since she graduated.

  However, once I was on the campus and had a general idea of what I wanted to major in, I realized that Villanova wasn’t the school for me.

  As I figured out what I wanted to do and where I saw myself going to college, I realized I wanted to be on a college dance team and go to school on a large campus with a lot of students. These are two things that Villanova does not have.

  I was initially upset that I did not like the school as much as I thought I would have, but it made me aware of what was important to me and what I wanted to get out of college.

  I then thought about all of the movies and TV shows where kids have their heart set on going to one school for whatever reason, but once they get there, they are not happy. Or they never make it to that particular school, but wherever they ended up turned out to be the best for for them. Remember Cody from Suite Life on Deck? Pr Blair from Gossip Girl or Zack from She’s All That? All of these characters ended up okay – and I know these are just movies and television shows – but their messages can be applied to our lives.

  Students also want to go to the school with the most prestige behind its name. We all know which colleges are top notch and it’s nothing less than wonderful to say that you have been accepted into one of those schools, but it is okay if that doesn’t work out. Have you heard the expression “Why be a small fish in a big pond when you could be a big fish in a small pond?’

  This quote speaks volumes to me, because along with finding schools you like, you need to pick a school you will excel at – a school where you can show your personality, express yourself, and get the most out of every experience is the school for you.

  Visiting schools and getting a feel for them is important, because without getting to feel the vibe of a school you will never know if you can see yourself going to that school or not. Also, just because your mom, dad, brother, or sister went to a particular school doesn’t mean you have to. If you want to, then great! Go for it! Just remember who you are as a person and make the best choice for you.

  I know this is a lot to think about and the question that always pops in to my mind is, how will I know? We cannot be certain of every decision we make in life and not every decision is the perfect one, but we can be ourselves. By being yourself and following the right path for you, no one else is going to set you on the right path for choosing your college.