I graduated high school in 2016. So if you do some quick maths, that was about three years ago. This year my lil sister is graduating high school and joining me at Gustavus (which I am pretty dang pumped about). This has made me reflect on how I, myself, ended up at dear old GAC three years ago and why I made this particular decision.
My sister has pretty much always known she was going to go to Gustavus. I don't think I've ever heard her mention another school she was interested in seriously. That made her college decision process pretty easy. Mine? Not so much.
I always knew Gustavus was an option. My parents met there. My aunt and uncle met there. And my other aunt and uncle met there. And yet another uncle went there as well. It's kind of a family tradition (and personality trait). There are pictures of me as a baby wearing a little gray Gustavus sweatsuit with all of my cousins. Some of my first memories are going to the Gustavus homecoming with my parents and watching the good old black and gold play football while eating brats.
But I never wanted to be the person who took the easy path (both consciously and subconsciously) and felt as though Gustavus would be the path everyone expected me to take. Apparently, my two cousins graduating alongside me in 2016 felt the same way because they made their ways to St. Olaf and Hamline respectively. So I looked into other colleges and even toured a few.
Ultimately, I ended up applying to four colleges: Lawrence (a small school I applied to solely because the brochure looked pretty), the University of Minnesota (because everyone applied there), Gustavus (duh), and DePaul in Chicago. Why DePaul you may ask? Well, I have always had a passionate love for Chicago and it is on my bucket list to live there, if even for a short amount of time. So I took the plunge and applied and got accepted (into the honors program to boot!).
Around March of 2016 DePaul and Gustavus were my top two choices. DePaul because it is located in downtown Chicago and Gustavus because of the near and dear place it occupies in my heart and family. So I scheduled visits to both of the schools relatively near each other date-wise. Honestly, I don't think I did that on purpose, it just happened to work out that way. And I'm sure glad it did.
I toured DePaul first and it was lovely. I loved the campus, I was thrilled to be in Chicago, and the Education program seemed interesting (in a good way). But nothing about it particularly made me go "I NEED TO GO HERE!!!". And all my classmates who already decided on a college talked about this feeling and I wanted it to. A few days later I drove to Gustavus with my cousin and a close friend from high school for an admitted students day. My cousin was planning on going to Hamline, but she got days off of school if she went on college visits. And my friends was still in the process of deciding, as I was.
The day went well: we toured campus (for the umpteenth time myself), learned about student organizations, and had a "fancy" lunch. Throughout that whole experience I didn't have that "I NEED TO GO HERE!!!"moment I was so desperately looking for--some kind of sign that Gustavus would be my home. I need not worry though, because that moment did, in fact, come.
I was sitting in a large room touted "Alumni Hall" and got a bag of popcorn. I was tired from the early morning, but content to be sitting in that hall eating popcorn (my most favorite snack). And then all of a sudden I realized what this content feeling was: home. I was home and comfortable and happy. And that was enough for me. The second I got home I told my parents I wanted to go to Gustavus. Naturally, they were thrilled that of the three graduating seniors in the family they were the ones with a future Gustie.
Gustavus is my home away from home. My happy place where the best friends I've ever met are. It's where I watched The Bachelor for the first time. Where I learned to play rugby. And where I realized I like brussel sprouts.
That does not go to say that everyone's college experience will be this positive. You may not ever find the school that makes you feel at home or have that "I NEED TO GO HERE!!!" moment. And that is okay. You will find your people. You will get your education. And you will have good times and bad times. College isn't the same for everyone, and it shouldn't be. Because that would just be boring.
