We had visited four schools in two days and traveled over 500 miles. When my parents and I arrived in Canton, NY we had no idea what to expect. We began our tour of St. Lawrence with open and exhausted minds, but it didn’t take long before we were filled with a new, quiet excitement. My grandfather had always told me that when I walked on to the right campus I would get a feeling inside that told me “this is it.” He was right.
Choosing a college is stressful, overwhelming and confusing process. You’re pushed outside of your comfort zone and forced to focus on the next four years of your life. But when you find yourself on the right campus, you will know. How? You will know when you look around and are intrigued by the people surrounding you. You will know when they look and speak to you the way you would speak to others. You will know when you look at the size of the classrooms and see the nature of the professors and feel at ease. You will know when you can imagine yourself integrated as you watch how students engage with one another in the dining hall. And you will know when you feel that sense of calmness the very first time you step foot on campus. Every college is different and unique, but so is every individual.
Before arriving at St. Lawrence, I had tried and tried to picture myself as part of the communities at the other colleges we visited. I told myself that ‘this could work’ and that ‘I would be okay’. But I shouldn’t have bothered. That “this is it” feeling that my grandfather always told me about is real, and looking back I wish I had been nothing but honest with my own intuition.
When you know, you’ll know: “this is it”
Photo creds: St. Lawrence University