Looking at colleges, The Joy of being in high school!

     One of the many joys of being in high school is looking forward to college life. But first you have to decide what college to go to. When it comes to selecting a college you should first decide what you want to do for a living and/or what your going to major in. Once you have decided what your going to major in then start looking at schools with the best departments and programs for your field of study. Then look at the other things that are important to you, such as band programs, sports, nearby places and other things that you would like to go do while in college.

     As an example I will use myself. I want to be an astrophysicist so I would double major in physics and mathematics and minor in astronomy. Some of the best colleges for astrophysics are MIT, California Institute of Technology (CIT), Princeton, Stanford, Cambridge, Harvard and University of California (Berkeley and Santa Barbara). But personally I don't want to be on the east coast. So I will narrow down my choices to CIT, Stanford, University of California, University of Washington, or possibly Univeristy of Oregon (for chemistry and physics programs). But to make my college years most enjoyable I have 5 things that are a must.

Picture credited to The Atlantic

 1) The school must have a strong football team. But not because of the football games. Because schools with great football teams usually have a great marching band program. Marching band is one of my most favorite things I have ever done. 2) There must have many nearby places to go see local bands. Nothing is better than a good local band. 3) Must be within a 10 hour drive of a ski resort so that if an epic storm is coming in a I can head out and go skiing for a couple days. 4) Local coffee shops. Personally, I can do homework the best with a giant drink and being in a public place. Already when I am extremely stuck on an assignment or working on a large project I go to a coffee shop. 5) Not in the middle of nowhere. Preferably I would be able to get around either by bus, bike, or walking and with many places to go to away from school.

      So this is the joy of being in high school. Stressing about your future, dreaming about getting away from the house and starting your own life. But when looking at the big picture we have 3 more years until all of us freshmen will be going off to college and leave all of our friends and family. That is really scary, exciting and a little sad at the same. But I don't you but I am looking forward to college!!