A-Hunting We Will Go

I absolutely love the feeling of college.  I suppose I am slightly obsessed with the concept.

The waiting is the worst part, as is customary.  One of the worst things about high school is that it’s the prelude to better things.  It is the “sala de espera.”  I want it to just end so I can taste freedom.  It’s a tantalizing thing, college.

Since both of my parents have worked in higher education for most of their lives, I have been surrounded with college terminology, aspirations, and persistence.  Also stress.  Plenty of stress.  My whole education thus far has been working up to the culmination of graduating high school and beginning college.  I find it to be such an important decision that I have been thinking about it since I was in the fifth grade.  Whenever there was a library book sale, I would go with the promise of outdated college guidebooks, and how to choose your major books.  I became quite a source of information about college.  Friends would approach me and ask questions about it.  “What is a major?”  “Where do you live in college?”  Slowly, these would grow more complicated.

I suppose another thing that I am working towards and worrying about is the whole financial situation.  I absolutely refuse to let my parents pay for college or for any college courses that I take in high school.  They have already paid far too much.  This makes me even more stressed for the “decision.”  I push myself to the limit in terms of academics in order to receive scholarships and offers. Currently, I have only been given a very small financial scholarship for my high school.  Oh well, my research continues.

I belong to collegeprowler, zinch, fastweb, and Princeton Review.  I have Google Chrome apps of SAT Prep and StudyBlue (possibly the reason to my success).  I regularly receive emails from these operations wishing and hoping for news.

Recently, I have received propaganda in the mail from colleges.  This feeling is undeniable for a “collegephile” such as myself.  I have received propaganda from:

• Washington University in St. Louis
• Bay Path College
• Drexel University
• The College of Saint Rose
• Utica College
• Siena College
• Providence College
• Hofstra University
• Babson College

And the most exciting of the bunch:

• Duke University
• Reed College

Imagine my excitement.

This morning I lazily walk down the stairs and find a large envelope awaiting me.  It has my name and address typed on the front, so I know this isn’t a dream.  A large image in the top left corner stating “Reed College” is staring me down.  I hastily open the envelope and find my very first viewbook.  Then I sit down and write this post overcome with happiness of knowing yet another path my future could take.  Over breakfast I read through the viewbook and say to my parents, “I don’t know what is my top choice now!  It’s either Yale or Reed!”

Imagine my happiness when I received a poster from Duke.

In conclusion, colleges flirt with me and I am swept off my feet.  I fall very heavily.