Almost Spring...

It's good to be back at school after a week off for Spring Break. Don't get me wrong, I was definitely ready for a break from responsibilities and classes and everything, but when I'm gone for too long I get bored.

Spring Break for me consisted of visiting my brother and his wife in North Carolina until Wednesday which was a lot of fun (Mary wrote more on that), and then coming home for a couple days and just relaxing. I had a job interview as well but I just didn't bring my A-game and I don't think it went all that well. Oh well, I am just taking that as practice and an experience to learn from.

So I imagine if you're reading this there is a good chance you are looking at going to college in the fall. If so, you are also probably being bombarded with financial aid packets from all the schools you have been accepted to. A piece of advice from good old Uncle Scotty- breathe.

The decision that you are going to make about what college you will attend is big and I don't want to minimize that at all. But at least from my experience it just comes together after awhile. When I was deciding on where I wanted to go 4 years ago (whoa, that went fast), I spent a lot of time talking with my parents, my older brother and sister, friends, teachers, and admissions counselors. We talked about everything from cost to quality of education to opportunity to get involved and everything in between.

While cost shouldn't (in my opinion) be the deciding factor, it obviously needs to impact your decision. Depending on whether you are getting a lot of financial aid or whether or not you have parents or grandparents are helping to fund your education can make a big difference as to where you might be able to go. Even if you are essentially on your own paying, however, there are almost always a way to make it happen. Talk to your admissions counselor- they will everything they can to get you on campus.

But I strongly recommend balancing that desire for a "cheap" education with a lot of thinking about how the colleges you are choosing from will help to form you in your path through life. I've mentioned in previous posts about how different I am now compared to four years ago when I was making this same decision and I am happy about that. If I had a chance to go back and do anything different, I wouldn't. I have loved so much about Bluffton and the opportunities and experiences I have had here.

So as you're making your final decision in these next few months, remember to keep some of those things in mind. After I factored in a lot of pros and cons about each college I was looking at, Blufton stood out as the place that I felt I should be. There was just a moment all of a sudden when I knew that it was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life.

Hopefully you have a similar experience. Talk to your parents, siblings, friends teachers, mentors, pastor, Sunday school teacher, etc. Ask them if they attended college what factors helped make their decision. Talk to current students at places you are considering. But most of all, make sure it is your decision by deciding what is important to you.

I hope that helps. Now if you have any advice for finding a job, please let me know as this is all new to me. :)

Until next time,

Scott