<p>When i was a sophomore in high school i dreamed about the idea of college and i thought it would be a great experience. i researched and looked at so many different colleges and went on two college visits that year to xavier university and university of tennessee. i was so excited about going and literally could not wait. well by the start of junior year i was super busy with a new job and 2 ap/2 honors classes at school that i didnt have time for college visits or anything and by then i decided i wanted to go to a state school about 15 min away bc i didnt want to go as far as i had originally thought. so i was just waiting to take the act at the end of the year bc the state school is pretty selective but i had a lot of family who went/goes there so i wasnt nervous. i took the act and surprisingly scored a 28. i thought this would be enough to get me in and my counselor agreed. even a counselor at the state school told me i was a good fit for their criteria. well i applied in october and waited three long mon ths while other people from my school with lower acts were accepted and then in january i was denied. i cried for days i was so depressed and didnt even want to go to college anymore. i had my heart set on that school and with the school being 15 min away all anyone talked about was this school. well since my guidance counselor told me i should get in i didnt apply to any other schools so i didnt have a list of schools or anything i just applied to 5 other schools in my state that i knew i would get into so it was no surprise when i was accepted to all of them and i went on visits in feb/march and my parents made it pretty clear that we couldnt afford most of them. I was stuck between the two schools that gave me scholarships one school that was going to be $21,000 w/ room& board and tuition that i had a $1,000 scholarship to that was still going to be a reach to afford and i would end up w a good amt of debt and then the other school was about the same academics wise the was $18,000 a year but would give me a $4,000 scholarship making it only 14,000 for everything. i liked the campus and was accepted to honors and they went out of their way when i visited and i felt very comfotable. at the time i loved the school but now i feel like i made the wrong choice and i already have a roommate there and we met on facebook and talk and seem to have lot in common. just everytime i think about going away ijust dont feel excited of really wanna go. i feel like the school is not well known outside of my state and i feel like i might have trouble finding a job since im a finance major and now i feel like i should have picked the more prestigious school that was about 10,000 more a year but a well known business school. but i feel as though its too late now. i dont know what to do. and affording that school would be very hard for my family and it feels selfish. but i felt like i tried very hard in high school just to end up at a school where basically everyone gets accepted.</p>
<p>Which school? In TN? Did you not apply in time for scholarships to each school? My ACT was lower, I’m going to Tenn Tech, and the gave me $21,000. Maybe you could do well, see how everything goes, then transfer if you dislike it?</p>
<p>Actually i live in ohio and the school is bowling green state university which i doubt you’ve heard of and the scholarships i was given were merit aid scholarships that i did no apply for i just recieved them bc i had a certain act score</p>
<p>The reality is, the vast majority of schools aren’t well known outside of their region. When I tell people that I go to Emory, most have no idea what it is, or ask why I want to be a pilot (they think I’m going to Embry-Riddle). That doesn’t mean that my education at Emory hasn’t been outstanding. It has. It just means that most people from my state don’t immediately recognize the name of my school.</p>
<p>Also, for a very long time, the vast majority of students who applied to schools that are today considered quite selective, were accepted. Does that mean that they received a sub-par education? No, not at all. It just means that fewer students than today applied to colleges which means that the colleges had to accept a greater percent of applicants. So even though BGSU might not be the most competitive school to get into, it can probably still give you a great education.</p>
<p>With the money you save by going to BGSU, you can afford to take advantages of some of the interesting programs that might not have been available to you had you gone to one of the more expensive options. One of the highlights of my freshman year was going to Florida for a volunteering trip. Had I had to count every penny to afford college, I would not have been able to afford the trip, and thus would have missed out on one of my best college experiences. </p>
<p>Go into BGSU with an open mind. Take advantage of all of the programs. Go to your professor’s office hour, and try to make friends with people. If you come in thinking that you’ll hate it, that you’re better than all of the other students (which you’ll soon learn is not the case at the vast majority of public schools), then you’ll likely be miserable. If on the other hand you treat it as a way to expose yourself to a new region of the country, to as many ideas as possible, your college experience, and post bachelors employment opportunities will likely be excellent.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for saying that. I think I am looking at this experience in the wrong way and I’m trying hard to see it differently I think once it’s almost time to start school and once I’m there I will have a completely different mindset</p>
<p>I think it’s great not to be going to college 15 minutes from home with all your same friends from high school. You’ll have new experiences and meet new people, and you’ll be better for it. It will be as fun and interesting as you make it. </p>
<p>And yes I’ve heard of Bowling Green, I live in New England.</p>