Posted by Tanmay G.
Right now, many of you all are in the same situtation that I am in, trying to decided where to spend the next four (or in my case, at least 7) years of our lives. I was in the same situtation as well four years ago, trying to decided what college I thought would be my best choice. I had the hardest time deciding, and didn't actually make a decision until the day the reply cards were due, but I'm very happy with the choice I made. I wanted to share a couple thoughts on how I made my decision then and what I'm considering now:
1. Ignore the stereotypes
Each college you will look at has certain stereotypes associated with it, and, as Wafa mentioned in her latest post, most of these come from people who have visited the campus or met anyone from the school. So don't cross schools off of your list because you've heard that they're "too boring", "too nerdy", "too Southern", "too hippy" or the like. Make these judgments for yourself, not based solely on the words of others
2. Don't give up if you're rejected from your "first choice" school - it may be a blessing in disguise
To be perfectly honest, Hopkins was not my first choice school when I applied - it didn't even make my ranked list of schools that I had applied to. I applied to Hopkins on a whim because of the strength of the BME program, but knew absolutely nothing about the University in general. I had a clear first choice school that I didn't get into, and this rejection prompted me to reconsider all my other choices. I initially ignored my Hopkins acceptance, but once I decided to come visit campus, stay overnight and learn more about the University, I was convinced this is where I wanted to be. Having visited friends at my first choice school, I'm kind of glad I was forced to reconsider all my choices. While I may have been happier four years ago if I got into my first choice school, I think I fit a lot better into the culture and environment at Hopkins and I'm glad I ended up coming here. (I'm not just saying this to convince you to come to Hopkins. Hopkins is not the right school for everyone - and the same is true of every college out there. I just encourage everyone to consider all their options carefully before settling on a final choice)
3. Visit the schools you've been accepted to if there's even a 0.01% chance you might want to go there
Continuing on my previous point, if you're even remotely considering attending a school, try to visit the campus and see how you feel there. I think the gut feeling you get when you step on a campus is a major factor in consdering where to go. If it's at all financially possible, try to visit as many schools as you can. While it may seem expensive to visit, I think it's worth making the investment now to ensure you're happy for the next four years. You may find that the school you thought was amazing and perfect for you just doesn't feel right when you visit and a school that you weren't sure you would like seems like the perfect place when you spend a night on campus. When you visit, don't just stick to the activities planned by the Admissions office. While these are always informative and useful, it's also useful to just wander around campus if you can. Sit in on a class and see how the students and teachers interact (you can get a course lists from the Admissions Office). Talk to students after class to see what they like and don't like about their school. Don't be afraid to talk to the current students - I know most would be happy to talk to you about their favorite and least favoriate parts of their experiences.
In conclusion, I guess all my three points are saying kind of the same thing - consider all your choices very carefully, visit as many as you can to get a feeling for campus, and then make your own judgements on where you think you will fit best.
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