College.

Sorry for my lack of posts this week! I was planning on posting my Project 365 for October on Wednesday, but then I didn't have enough time. I also wanted to get a post up on Halloween, but again I just haven't had the time to write it. So instead I'm writing a post I had planned to write weeks ago. I'm doing this one now and not the other ones because I don't have those pictures on my computer yet. Darn. Oh well, hopefully by Christmas I'll have my October and Halloween posts up :)

So this post is on something that has been on my mind a lot lately: college. I think it will be interesting to read this post this time next year and see how it all plays out!

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I was never one who had a "dream job" growing up. There was a time I thought I would maybe be a teacher, and another point when I though fashion design might be neat. I was never really attached to any of these ideas though.

When I started high school, college was the last thing on my mind. I obviously knew I would be going to college, but I had no idea what I would major in. My sophomore year we had to write a research paper on a career we were interested in. I wrote mine on Pharmacy because that was something I was beginning to throw around. But after writing that paper and researching it a little bit more, I realized it really wasn't right for me.

Then I was back to square one with nothing.

Junior year brought even more pressure to figure out the whole college thing. People started asking me my plans, and I was always in denial that I was going to college. Whenever asked, I would always just shrug my shoulders, say I didn't know, and change the topic of conversation. I didn't want to think about it at all.

Then my parents started getting me to visit colleges. The first one I visited was Thomas Moore, and I hated it. It was small, and I just didn't like the feel of it at all.

And I thought the same thing about the Mount. I was pretty much getting nowhere.

Then I visited Xavier, and I actually liked it. I liked it a lot more than I ever thought I would, and I was glad I finally found something that I generally liked. I've never wanted to go away to college and do the whole dorm thing. The thought of living in a tiny room with a random stranger is definitely not my idea of fun. And sharing a bathroom with a whole floor of girls? No way! I will totally be a commuter, and I'm not ashamed of it!

At the end of my junior year, I began thinking more about what I wanted to major in. I love math, so I knew I wanted something at least a little involved in math. I ruled out a total mathematician because I had no idea what I would ever do with that and it sounds completely nerdy - ha! So then I started thinking business. And the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea of it.

Next was deciding a specific major in business. So many decisions! My dad is an accountant, but he's told me that he works with numbers but doesn't really do any math. My mom was a marketing major, but that's really not math oriented. So I just kind of decided on finance. Finances include a lot of math, and I've always liked dealing with money. I've always been one to budget my money, and I think I've done a pretty good job so far of managing my money and watching my own spending habits. I don't know if I'll like finance once I start classes since I don't know a lot about it, but I think I will. If not, I'll find something else!

Once I had my major picked out, I had one last school to visit: The University of Cincinnnati. I went there a few weeks ago on a day I was off school and was required to do a college visit. I had high expectations because although I liked Xavier, I didn't absolutely love it.

My parents both graduated from UC, and I grew up around the Cincinnati Bearcats. Almost all of my family has gone there too. One of my aunts even works there and has been trying to recruit me for years. So I grew up always thinking that one day I'd get to be a Bearcat just like the rest of my family. I was just hoping that after I visited I would feel the same way.

And I did! I was SO relieved after the tour when I felt even more excited about UC than when I went there that morning. Everyone's looking for something different in a college, and I think UC is what I'm looking for. It's close to home, it's a pretty big school but it still has a low student-faculty ratio, and it's not crazy expensive! I like the fact that me going there is not dependent on scholarships (although they would be nice!).

I've heard people say that they don't think UC is that pretty of a campus, but I think this picture proves that it is pretty! I just really liked it overall. Plus they have TWO Starbucks and a Chick-fil-A on campus, so that pretty much sealed the deal :)

Since I pretty much decided I'm going to UC (I don't want to say definitely since I haven't officially committed), my mom bought me a UC shirt!

My parents were in no way trying to influence which school I picked - they left it totally up to me. But I still think they're probably happy I liked UC better than Xavier since those are big rival schools, and they are big UC fans.

If you would have asked me my plans for college this time last year, I would have wanted to hide. But now I'm proud and happy to say that I have a major and a school picked out. I guess now I'll just to wait and see how it all plays out!