When my five year old son stepped off the bus after his first day of kindergarten(many years ago), he had a broad smile on his face and said to my wife, “Mom, I have met the girl I am going to marry.” When she asked him what her name was, he had no clue, but he knew she had long curly brown hair, and he was sure that he had found his soul mate.
The same thing happens numerous times during the college search process, where a student suddenly finds “the one” college that is perfect for them, and suddenly rushes out to buy every item of clothing related to that university, puts college stickers on their car, and gets a tattoo of the school’s mascot. At times this happens even younger (sometimes even younger than five), when a child first steps onto a campus for their initial football game, with a school logo painted on their cheek all dressed in their school colors. But is this college actually “the one”, with the right major, the correct location, with the right size and the right feel, or was it just the first college they fell in love with?
The college search, just like the process of finding the right soul mate, should be focused on learning about the university/person, finding out the characteristics that are priorities for you (major/sense of humor), and seeing which ones are a good match for you.
As you can guess, my son is not still planning on marrying the curly haired girl from kindergarten. While she is still at his school (high school now), she is no longer “the one”, and as a dad, I am left out of the soul mate discussion altogether as I fall into the “embarrassing parent” role now. In the college search process, I hope that you are able to look beyond your initial focus, and and instead look at all the options that are out there in the world of higher education. Your initial “the one” might stay as the one, but make sure to give a look at all colleges that fit your ideals, and then make the best choice.
Go Dawgs!