Visiting colleges is incredibly stressful. I already am not a fan of scheduling, but adding the element of figuring out where you are supposed to be when you have no idea where you are, is putting too much faith in my ability to function without a mental breakdown.

That being said, I loved this past week. I loved being able to pretend that I was an independent college student for a few afternoons. I loved seeing how a college class compared to those at HHS, and how much better the food will be once I leave high school.

The thing to keep in mind when visiting colleges is that you’re not going to be able to ask a bunch of questions and impress the admissions office. It’s impossible. The experience is too new to allow for you to do anything besides breathe it in. I tried to come up with questions to ask my tour guides, but really, all I actually did was stand there in awe of what I could be a part of come next year.

After visiting Roanoke College, the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond, I think I’m a fan of the small liberal arts college, but colleges all have their strong points too. I say this because the UVA is far too large for me to feel comfortable. That being said, I loved the way it looked all covered with snow. (Yes, it’s Spring Break, and it’s snowing. I give up.) Anyways, I loved how personal the tour at Roanoke was. It was one on one. Just the tour guide and my family which was completely unexpected and impressive. I loved the international focus at U of R. A large percentage of students studied abroad and that is something that I hope to be a part of in college. Overall, the trip gave me a starting point of where I should look further.

I think this trip has really taught who I am. Or who I’m not. I’m not the type of girl who will ever be comfortable being one of 28,000 some applicants to a school. I am not the type of girl who will just choose a school because I could potentially run there. I’m a fan of the liberal arts curriculum because I have no idea what I want to do with my life, and you know, that’s okay.

I think being able to imagine myself at school allowed me to get excited about college again. Sure, the organization going into the trip was stressful, but once I was on the campus, everything was okay, and I was actually there because in a year or two, that could be me leading a wimpy high school junior on her first college tour.