When You Know, You Know

Kate Murphy

Newswriting and Reporting

Weekly Assignment #4

When You Know, You Know

            It’s indescribable. It’s magical. It’s “The Thing.”

For some students, deciding on a college is difficult. Financial aid, academics, college size, the community, and distance from home can all be attributes that students look for when searching for the perfect place to call their home. The one exhilarating characteristic that students recall about their college process is that feeling they get in their gut. By getting to know the campus and having the sensation that this place “let’s me be me,” your college days ahead will be more than enjoyable.

            “When I toured CSS, I felt that it was right,” Amanda Moore, a junior at The College of St. Scholastica said. “I felt like this was my home. I honestly don’t know how to describe it.”

            College tours can be an exciting adventure in a young adult’s life, but it can also be a nerve-racking time when the student is ready for independence and is unsure on how they will transition. Whether the student tours one college or ten, it is important for the young adult to “get a feel” of the campus.

            “Coming into the entrance of St. Scholastica, I saw the ‘castle,’” said Moore. “Basically, I felt this awesome feeling inside of me. It reminded me of Hogwarts and I just fell in love. I knew it was going to be the place I called home.”

            It is important to remember that you may be living in this community and attending this college for four years or more. It’s crucial to feel like you belong, whether that means you like the people who attend the school, the clubs and activities are interactive and gratifying, or the town is a place you could imagine yourself spending time. When thinking about attending a particular school, go and visit the campus before committing.

             “After I toured here, I didn’t want to tour anywhere else,” Moore said. “I knew right then and there that this was the school for me. There wasn’t a need to go see any other school.”

            Some students create a list of the attributes they are looking for in a school, but it isn’t until you step foot onto the campus that you know. If you go to the campus and you do not like the vibe, then the school is not right for you.

Shelby Purdue, a sophomore at CSS, knew she wanted to major in nursing, but she needed to get a feel for the campuses before she could definitively make a decision. If you go to a campus and you do not like the vibe, then the school is not right for you.

            “I toured University of North Carolina and University of Minnesota-Duluth,” Purdue said. “They were beautiful but I didn’t have that feeling. CSS is not only one of the top nursing schools in the state, but it also felt like my soul mate. I remember when I first toured CSS and said to myself, ‘Whoa! I get to go to class in a castle?!’”

            Besides the “fit” of a college, students should have some concrete factors to base it on. A campus tour, scheduling an interview with an admission counselor, and meeting with faculty members is highly recommended. Visiting the college’s Web site and learning about the campus is a great way to further enhance your knowledge of the school.

            “It’s pretty important to go out and get a feel for the college,” Purdue said. “It’s going to be your new home. You don’t want to be miserable where you are at because you didn’t go out and explore.”

            Moore mentioned that when visiting a college, try to build in time to sit in on classes, eat in the dining hall or hang out the high-traffic areas. That will help you imagine yourself as a part of the community.

            “I visited a class and I couldn’t believe how welcoming and inviting the professors were,” Moore said.

            Both Moore and Purdue expressed that the college process can be a daunting adventure. Students are transitioning into their new life, trying to figure out who they are and what they would want to major in. The size, cost, distance from home and academics can all be influences on the young adult’s decision. No matter how long the list is that determines your idea of the perfect college, the one overwhelming element to consider is “fit.”

Choosing a college because your friends are going there or because of where it ranks on a list should not take into account who you are and what is right for you. College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won.

“Even though I can’t describe it, I had it,” Moore said. “In my head, heart, and gut I just knew. It was this overwhelming…thing.”