This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.<\/p>\n
During the winter of 2024, when colleges sent out their acceptances and rejections to high schoolers, I was petrified. It felt like the only thing everyone in my class could talk about, and so many of my peers wanted to go to the University of Florida (UF). When the UF decisions came out, it felt as though the stars were aligned for me to go.<\/p>\n
I got accepted into the \u201cNew Ivy,\u201d and it felt like everyone around me immediately thought I should go. My best friend and many of my other friends got acceptance letters and chose to attend. Those who were rejected were devastated that they couldn\u2019t go. Even my family, which consists of FSU alumni, initially wanted me to attend. It would\u2019ve been so easy for me to go there, and yet, it just didn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n
During my first semester at FSU, I told my peers that I\u2019d gotten into both UF and FSU, and I decided to go to FSU. I was shocked when they reacted differently from what I anticipated. I didn\u2019t realize that it was so common for people to go to FSU because of their rejection by UF, or at least, that\u2019s what many students perceive to be true.<\/p>\n
Why is it such a stigma? Why do we feel the pressure to go to the \u201cbest school\u201d if there are other options that are more suitable to you, even if it\u2019s not considered the \u201cbest\u201d?<\/p>\n
Your College Decision Should Be Purely Your Own<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been my experience that while your college decision should be based on what you want, there are always going to be other factors that affect your decision. For me, I knew that I wanted to go to FSU when I received my acceptance to UF and didn\u2019t even bat an eye. Whereas, with FSU, when I opened my decision, I couldn\u2019t even breathe; I was so nervous. Even when I knew what I really wanted, I still had doubts about the decision.<\/p>\n
Why is that the case? You may experience friends, family, and guidance counselors who want you to go to a school that doesn\u2019t agree with your style of living or learning. Yet, they urge you to go because it\u2019s the \u201cbest in that state.\u201d However, I disagree. I think that when you\u2019re deciding where to go for college, you should choose the college where you feel you\u2019ll thrive the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Listening to friends and family is one of the greatest things you can do when deciding what you want to do. In my case, the opinions of those close to me weren\u2019t ones I agreed with, and therefore, my decision for which college I ended up was fully the one I ended up at.<\/p>\n
Your Lifestyle is a Huge decision Factor<\/p>\n
When it comes down to it, where you decide to go is the college you\u2019ll study at for the foreseeable future. Therefore, the way you\u2019ll end up living in that college\u2019s sphere can alter the ways you study and how motivated you\u2019ll be to do the work. Many of my friends who attend a smaller college like how small it is because they learn better in smaller classrooms. Others like me like being in bigger colleges because they can thrive better without all the attention.<\/p>\n
For me personally, I tried to imagine what it would be like to cram for a test on both the UF and FSU campuses. The more I thought about it, the less I saw myself at UF. I couldn\u2019t see myself smiling when going to campus because of how pretty it was, and I didn\u2019t see myself wanting to go every day, even on the days I\u2019d be motivated. However, I saw all those things clear as day at FSU, which is what impacted my decision.<\/p>\n
Finding Confidence in Your Decision<\/p>\n
Of course, there are other things to consider, such as connections, acceptances, and college finances, and I understand that everyone is living with different situations and circumstances. However, should the occasion arise, don\u2019t think that coming to FSU is a step down from attending UF. Someone\u2019s best course of action could be different from yours. <\/p>\n
Ultimately, I\u2019m very happy with my decision, and I\u2019m grateful every day to say that I go to FSU<\/a>.<\/p>\n Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on <\/a>Instagram<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, and <\/a>Pinterest<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t