Too Many Questions
So I find myself slightly stumped about what to write this week. I don’t really have any exciting volunteer opportunities to talk about so instead I think I’ll write about my vacation.
This year my vacation wasn’t exactly a break from anything. My track season continued so I had practice all through vacation and was supposed to have a meet on Friday (it was post-poned until Monday due to the snow). I also skipped two days of practice to go look at colleges, which equals more school.
I’ll admit, I’m still at the point in the college process where anything is possible and my list of places I want to see is overwhelmingly (and unrealistically) large. My family had planned a vacation to Vermont before my track schedule “ruined it” for them so that’s where we went for our days off. I saw Williams College, Middlebury College, and the University of Vermont.
I actually did have fun because these were the first schools I’ve seen so it was really helpful to get the first few tours under my belt. But at the same time my parents questions just overwhelm me. So what did you think? What kind of a learner are you? Do you want big classes or small classes? Compare and contrast the two campuses. What did you think about the size? Does this school seem too rural to you? And you get the idea…
Sometimes I couldn’t even explain my answers or why I liked a certain campus. Its something I’m still trying to figure out and I don’t know how they expect me to have all the answers already.
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February 29th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Sarah, I can certainly commiserate with you. On my first college visit, it seemed like everyone expected me to know exactly what I was looking for and what I wanted to do with my life. What kind of classes do you want to take. What will you major in, etc. It’s all just way too much, way too soon.
February 29th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Sadly, I can’t offer any words of solace because at this point in the college process I still can’t define why I like a certain school. I guess you know when a school is right for you when you walk onto that campus and can actually picture yourself interacting with the kids that go there, sitting in those classrooms and just it feels right. I know I’ve felt that with only 2 or 3 schools, and the problem is that school may be a reach and they don’t want you like you want it. Wow that was a downer comment.
February 29th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Hey Sarah,
One thing I wanted to mention is the difficulty of visiting schools when playing sports. I understand that we get college visit days, but that doesn’t exempt you from the MIAA and team rules about missing practices. I have to be home for the December, February, and April vacations due to hockey and softball. It is really hard to take time to go on tours and such when all you are worrying about is the playing time you may get next game. I wish that they would change the rules regarding this, because I want to go to college, but I don’t want to be penalized for missing sports.
-Lauren
March 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Sarah, I have noticed a similar trend with my parents. Lately, I have been visiting a lot of east coast schools, and the minute the tour is over, my parents feel the need to ask me about my reactions. It’s as if I can summarize my thoughts about the school within 10 minutes of seeing it. I usually take my best shot, but always find myself referring to the same things- size, facilities, class options, food etc… However, I am not really worried. When I find a school suitable for me, I will immediately know.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Sarah,
Back in the olden days - when I was a junior in high school (1984),I didn’t visit any schools before I applied. I based all of my decisions on where to apply on those shiny brochures (we didn’t have the Internet) and my college counselors advice. I only visited after I was accepted, and then only the 2 schools I was choosing between. It all ended up OK in the end (I went to Dartmouth and loved it there). Sometimes it is possible to over-think things.
B.T.W. My cousin is a professor in the political science department at Middlebury College. We love to visit him there - but it is a small and rural town.
-Mrs. Davis