Emma

03/09/2020 1:09 AM

Choosing the best college for you is nothing short of stressful. It’s a massive decision that has a lot of factors affecting it. That’s a lot of pressure, so how did I choose Bradley and how do I know if I made the “right” decision?

As the first kid in my family to go to college, we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. No amount of research could’ve prepared us for what all the deciding process entails. Going into my college search, I had an idea of what I thought I wanted from a college. In my head, I pictured colleges to be the same all across the board. I thought I wanted what I saw in movies- a huge school with a massive campus, a major football team, giant lecture halls, etc. So I started to look for exactly that.

I visited big schools like the University of Illinois, the University of Iowa, the University of Georgia, etc. They were all so cool and had good programs and beautiful campuses, but I felt very isolated and overwhelmed. I wasn’t completely sure what to make of those feelings, so I continued to look. I checked out smaller, mid-sized schools like the University of Dayton, Syracuse University, Butler University, Bradley University, etc. After visiting those mid-sized schools I got a much better feeling. The more comfortable size of the universities was much more appealing to me- but I didn’t know that I preferred that until I actually visited!

So I narrowed down that I wanted a mid-sized school for a more personalized experience, which eliminated those big 10 schools. Then, I shortened my list of schools based on the programs they offered. I knew I wanted to major in public relations, so it was important that the schools I looked at had that program but were also flexible with adding/changing majors. That left me with a smaller list. In the end, I was torn between Bradley University and Syracuse University. They were both basically the exact same on paper. Both had great programs for what I wanted to do, were a really ideal size, had great connections for job/internship opportunities, had good locations, etc. All of the boxes on paper were ticked off for both schools, so I had no idea how I was going to make my decision.

Every time I visited Bradley, I felt so comfortable. I went for a few visits to Bradley. Each time, everyone would go out of their way to make me and my family comfortable. Tour guides/students that I met on visits would recognize and remember me, and people were genuinely interested in getting to know me and wanted me to be at Bradley. They didn’t want me to be there to increase their numbers or ratings, they heard my story and were so excited to potentially add a new Brave. Everyone at Bradley made me feel like I was already a part of the BU family. At the end of the day, no matter how great the program is, no matter how many resources you’re offered, no matter the size of the school, your experience will be determined by the connections you make and the people you meet at the school. Before even saying yes to Bradley, I had already made connections that are still a part of my life today.