Bella Patton, Campus Carrier features editor

As a junior and senior in high school, I was one of many students stressed about college decisions. I was constantly comparing my “dream” schools to back-up schools, and at the time, it felt like the decision I made about where I wanted to go was going to dramatically affect my entire life. Everyone around me was in the same boat, constantly talking about college stats and worrying about their applications. Yet when the decision came, it wasn’t actually the end-all be-all that I thought it would be. While where you chose to go can and does significantly affect your life, it is nowhere near as detrimental as the conversation around college commitment seems to make it. 

I feel as though a lot of students get caught up in looking only at one to two schools that they think are the absolute best. This all-or-nothing mentality, which is also often pushed by adults and peers around them, unfortunately sets up a whirlwind of stress and disappointment for students across the country. Although it is amazing to celebrate students getting into their “dream” schools, those that didn’t should not have to feel as though the college experience or life they wanted for themselves is suddenly out of reach. 

In reality, as someone who ended up at a smaller school than the ones I originally intended to go to, the narrative that believing there is only one school is simply not true. At the end of the day, colleges are multi-million to multi-billion-dollar institutions that are designed to sell a brand. Websites, brochures and tours can only show so much about the true student experience at a school. Anyone who takes advantage of opportunities such as networking, joining clubs and being active in career centers can be just as successful as someone who goes to a more well-known institution. Even the curriculum is similar across most accredited institutions, and it matters much less about where you went to school and more about the skills you developed. 

In fact, I believe that if I really looked into student life, opportunities and academic rigor, I would have chosen Berry from the beginning. In comparison to the bigger state schools I was looking at previously, Berry has given me ample opportunities to study subjects I am interested in for my future career, create positive relationships with professors, find new friends, work on campus and join a community I am genuinely happy to be in; I don’t feel like “just a number” here. As a freshman, I’m just starting out, but so far, that has checked all the boxes of what I wanted out of a college experience. 

If I had to do my college application season all over again, I would reiterate to myself and others that ultimately, while where you go to college is important, it’s not determining the experience you want to have. It’s okay to feel disappointed during the decision season, but there is no such thing as a “perfect” school. The college experience you want can be made anywhere if you are taking advantage of opportunities, even if it’s not the original institution you planned on going to.