'My Future, My Choice' $1,000 Scholarship: If You Could Pick Any College, Which Would You Pick and Why?

If I had to pick one college, I’d go with Seton Hall.

It’s got solid academics (especially the diplomacy program which I hope to be apart of), a real campus vibe without being huge, and you’re literally 45 minutes from NYC by train—perfect for internships and just getting out. Basketball games are extremely fun too. Feels like a place that actually sets you up for jobs in the area instead of just being a prestige name.

If I could attend any college, I would choose Duke University because it connects closely to my personal background and my career goals. Growing up as a military child meant moving often, learning to adjust quickly, and finding my place in new environments. Those experiences taught me resilience, independence, and how to build connections with people from all walks of life, which have shaped me into the student I am today. I aspire to become a NICU nurse so I can care for newborns and support families during some of their most vulnerable moments. Duke’s strong medical focus, research opportunities, and commitment to excellence would prepare me to provide that level of care. Attending Duke would challenge me academically while allowing me to turn my life experiences into meaningful service for others.

If I could attend any university in the world, I would choose University of Miami. I’m Brazilian, and since the end of last year I’ve been on the hunt for colleges that offered full-ride scholarships, and UMiami offers this amazing opportunity called the “Stamps Scholarship.” I’ve become enchanted by the university since I’ve learned about it, and it has become my dream to attend there. This university also is a beacon of diversity, the whole american campus energy every international student seeks, and its focus on real-world impact has really caught my eye. It’s now on the top of my college list (with five stars beside it :star::pink_heart:)

If I were able to choose any college or university to go to, I would choose to go to the University of California, Davis. I already am a college student at the University of Findlay in Ohio for Animal Pre-vet looking to continue my education further in Veterinary after I get my bachelor’s degree. I would choose to go to the University of California, Davis, because I have heard it is the best university in the world for veterinary studies and research. I love to see new places, and I have seen the campus from pictures, and I believe the campus is gorgeous. I have always wanted to get away and start fresh every few years, as it helps me grow and find who I want to be as a person, in new environments.

My absolute dream for the future is getting into MIT. I’ve always been obsessed with how math and coding can build cool stuff in the business world, and I’ve already worked with Python, plus I’m a beginner in Java since I’m taking it right now in school at Edison High. Back in 8th grade, I even got to team up with two other students to present a research project at Rutgers for the YPAR program,m which was a huge highlight for me since I love using tech to solve real problems!

I also play tennis for my school team and have shown major improvement over the past year. I actually moved from being the lowest-ranked player to just one level below the varsity team, which I’m super proud of because it taught me to stay focused on my goals and not give up.

MIT is definitely my dream college, and if I’m lucky enough to get in, I would love to work with Professor Alan Edelman. Since I want to be a coder, I feel like MIT is the best place to be because I’d get to learn from people who don’t just use languages but actually invent them. I’m really interested in how he deals with the “two-language problem” since I want to know how to make systems as easy to use as Python but as fast as C. It’s honestly so cool to me that students there can work on the Julia language, especially since big names like NASA and Pfizer use it.

The whole campus just seems like it has so much energy, and I’d love to be in a place where everyone is as excited about tech as I am. I’m also really interested in all the clubs they have, like the Undergraduate Economics Association or even the club tennis team, so I can keep playing. Another reason MIT is my top choice is that it offers amazing financial support for international students like me. It’s one of the few places that really makes it possible for students from all over to attend regardless of their situation. I also love how MIT lets you mix pure math with engineering since I want to see how things like random matrix theory can solve real-world problems. I really want to be somewhere that pushes me to use my skills to help my community, and I know MIT is the place to do that.

If I could chose any college to attend, it would be Maryland Insitute College of Art. For my entire life I have wanted to pursue art as a career but only recently got the courage to take that jounrney. MICA is close to my family and has amazing programs to help build skills for the artistic world. At first I chose to try and do what many consider practical degrees, trying to fit into society like many others. But my true passion does lie with artistry which is something I can no longer ignore. I feel that MICA is where I’d become my true self and grow into someone I was always meant to be.

If I could go to any college, I would choose the University of Edinburgh. It has a world class physics program and the kind of academic environment that would really challenge me, which is exactly what I want for myself. It also means a lot to me personally because my grandfather graduated from Edinburgh’s medical school in the 1950s, and his time there shaped so many of the opportunities he had in life. The idea of following in his footsteps and studying at the same university feels meaningful and motivating. Going to Edinburgh would be a big step toward independence and growth for me, and even though it would not be easy, it is the place that feels the most truly aligned with my goals and who I want to become one day.

If I had the opportunity to be accepted into any college I would choose the University of Virginia. I have worked so hard the last four years to be shocked at how little it has actually done for me. I am above average when it comes to my school, but apparently not the country because I have been deferred from most of my colleges. UVA being my number one with one of the top nursing programs in the country has always had my love and admiration. I was deferred however from my dream school causing me to continue to wait and learn the valuable lesson of patience. I would go to this school in a heartbeat because it shows that all my hard work for the past four years did in fact put me in a top school as well as show my dedication to school and my passion for the medical field. I hope that this coming April I get good news!

If I could choose any college, I would attend Johns Hopkins University because it represents the perfect intersection of neuroscience research, clinical impact, and intellectual intensity. This is exactly the environment I want as I pursue a career in medicine and brain science. Neuroscience is deeply personal to me. Growing up with a sibling whose decision-making and behavioral challenges shaped much of our family’s journey, I became fascinated by how the brain influences choice, impulse control, and identity. I don’t just want to study the brain from a textbook. Hopkins stands out because neuroscience there is not theoretical, but it is actively shaping how we diagnose, treat, and rethink neurological and psychiatric conditions. What excites me most is the culture of early undergraduate research. The opportunity to work in neuroscience labs studying neural circuits, cognition, neuroplasticity, or translational medicine would allow me to bridge my personal motivation with real scientific discovery. I’m also inspired by Hopkins’ connection to Johns Hopkins Hospital. The proximity between groundbreaking research and patient care reflects the kind of physician-scientist I aspire to become. I want to be part of a community where discoveries in a lab can directly impact someone in a hospital room. Finally, I’m drawn to the driven and intellectually curious student body. I want to be surrounded by peers who challenge assumptions, debate ideas about cognition and behavior, and push each other toward excellence. Neuroscience is complex and evolving, and it demands collaboration, resilience, and curiosity. Hopkins feels like a place where ambition is matched with purpose. For me, attending Johns Hopkins wouldn’t just be about earning a degree in neuroscience. It would be about turning personal experience into a scientific contribution, and ultimately using neuroscience to better understand and help people like my brother.

Stanford Graduate School of Business is my top choice to complete my MBA. Not only is this the leading business college in the country, but also it would provide me with both exceptional educational opportunities as well as networking potential that would last a lifetime. Receiving the highest quality education is, indeed, extraordinarily valuable. However, equally if not more important is the potential for meeting and working with the future leaders of tomorrow. The network development attained in college continues providing innumerable opportunities.

If I could attend any university, I would choose Baylor. Baylor’s integration of faith and academics reflects an essential pillar of my own values: advancing scholarship while growing in spirituality to heal with both knowledge and heart. Baylor’s academic and extracurricular opportunities will push me to grow my biomedical acumen to turn compromise into quality care, restoring dignity through design. Baylor provides me with a strong foundation in biomedicine and interdisciplinary collaboration in public health, engineering, and the Honors College. Baylor’s emphasis on student initiatives in innovation, such as Baylor Research+Innovation Collabrative (BRIC), fosters collaborative entrepreneurship in Greater Waco— I aim to prioritize empathy over efficiency within this cooperative approach. Here, I could transition from Mr. Donndelinger’s Engineering Design I to Modern Concepts of Bioscience & Lab, and then to Dr. Romo’s The Romo Research Group, to continue my research on pancreatic cancer treatments, similar to EGFRvIII regeneration in Glioblastoma I learned at Baylor College of Medicine during my summer internship in the ASPIRATION Program. I would be learning each level of the engineering dogma, applying my learnings through my community, and putting them into action through my research. Beyond the classroom, I am drawn to Baylor’s close-knit community and shared mission to serve others. The thing I find most striking about Baylor is its emphasis on the word “PRO”. Baylor students can be PRO texana and PRO mundo, PRO vivinus and PRO investigationis–I can pursue medicine at the local level, but apply my research knowledge as a service to the world. Through programs like Baylor GLOBE in BCM-NSTM TDRIP, I can personally contribute to underserved communities to receive quality care, making care a daily practice.

If I could go to any college I would go to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is a good Christian college that will allow me to get the degree I want, while also being able to do what God has called me to do, and also they have a ton of connections that I can use after to get a Job.

  • I would love to attend the California Baptist University, if I had the chance to go to any college! What draws me the most to this school is their integrated teaching credentialing program, where I can get a Bachelor’s degree and a single-subject credential at the same time. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was five, and being able to graduate with a credential and a degree in four years would mean that I don’t have to wait as long to get started on my career. I also enjoy how its close to home, which means I don’t have to spend money on room-and-board fees, nor so much on travel expenses. It’s also got quite a tight-knit community, something which I have always sought out anywhere I go, and have strived to create at my current school. It’s variety of clubs, such as the Swing Dance club and the Latino Student Union, also make me excited to get to try new things and build connections with people who share a desire to stay connected to their roots. Overall, I feel, and hope, that it’s the best option for my career.

I would go to northwest mississippi community college, because it would be very beneficial for me in multiple ways. i would be close to home, which will make it easy for me to keep my job while in college and have family close. I also would be able to go to University of Mississippi after Northwest which will make it so much cheaper and easier to get my bachelors then going straight to a 4 year college. All in all, i’m going to Northwest Mississippi community college because it’s financially beneficial, the credits transfer easily to a 4 year college i plan to go to after, and it’s close to home.

If I had the opportunity to attend the college of my choice, I would choose the University of North Carolina Wilmington. UNCW is my dream school for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that this college not only has my desired major, marine biology, but it has many research opportunities that would help me in my future career as a marine veterinarian. Along with marine biology, they also have club soccer which is how I want to continue my soccer career. To top it all off I went on a college tour there and the campus is beautiful. The surrounding area is also a place where I see myself thriving in.

If I could pick any college to attend, I would choose Fordham University because of their prestigious four-year BFA dance program through the Alvin Ailey School. When I was younger, my mom enrolled me in dance classes because of my poor posture and accidentally signed me up for a competitive dance team that traveled around the world, thinking it only participated in local events. Although those small misunderstandings were unintentional, they led me to a passion that fulfills my soul. As a person, I have always wanted to live a stable lifestyle through my academics while still being able to pursue my passion, and Fordham allows me to do both. During the summer, I was able to experience this dream lifestyle for a month when I was accepted into Alvin Ailey’s summer intensive program and lived in Fordham Universities’s dorms. I was amazed by the amount of opportunities available in a city environment like New York. Unfortunately, being able to afford life there throughout my college career is unrealistic for me. Therefore, I plan to continue to work hard and push forward toward where I aspire to be at the University of South Florida: strengthening my financial situation, academic standing in nutrition/health science, while continuing to pursue my dreams in dance.

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To be at ^through the University of South Florida:

Continuing the discussion from: If you had the opportunity to go to any college, which would you pick and why?

Well, I already chose CUNY Hunter College because it’s diverse and located in Manhattan, where I love to be!

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If I could attend any college, I would choose Elon University for its 3+1 Business Dual Degree program. In just four years, I could get a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Business Analytics. This program would allow me to be out of college a year early after getting a master’s degree, and it would save me thousands of dollars while putting me to work sooner. What I also love about it is that students have one-on-one academic advisors to keep them on track, and it shows that they really care about students. Another part that draws me to Elon University is its internship program. Elon has a great relationship with companies and sports teams in Charlotte, where you can intern and go to classes on a branch campus. This opportunity has stood out to me because I want to work in sports, and this would give me great experience. I could see myself thriving at Elon, joining some of their 250+ clubs, going to sporting events, and meeting new people.

If I could attend any college, I would choose Smith College. There are so many reasons why it stands out to me, but what truly draws me in is its strong commitment to empowering women and creating a space for intellectual curiosity, leadership, and community. Smith’s focus on social justice, along with its amazing academic programs, makes it the perfect place for me to grow, both as a student and as a person. I’m particularly excited about the unique opportunities to collaborate with peers and professors in a tight-knit, supportive environment. I love that Smith encourages students to take risks, think critically, and pursue their passions, whether it’s through academic pursuits, extracurriculars, or internships. The idea of being part of a community that values diversity and inclusion is also very important to me, and I can see myself thriving in such an environment. I’m looking forward to the possibility of contributing to the Smith community and, in turn, being inspired by the incredible women who’ve come before me. Smith College feels like a place where I can truly make a difference and shape my future in the way I’ve always dreamed.