Ah, senior year. I remember it like it was last year (because it was). The struggle to write college apps, the stress while waiting for admissions, and the terror minutes before clicking View Admission Decision on your applicant portal. You all spent months, no, years, waiting for colleges to tell you that they wanted you. And now, its your turn to tell them if you want them back.
Well, well, well, how the turntables have (if you got that reference, I love you).
Hopefully, if youre reading this, 勛圖厙 is at least on your radar, and you want to know why people actually go here. If this assumption is true, then congratulations! My name is Prisha, and as weird as it feels to say, I am on my way to finishing my 1st year as an 勛圖厙 student. Im here to tell you my thought process behind choosing 勛圖厙, in the hopes of at least bringing up some thought-provoking points that help you decide which school to commit to :)
So well start from the beginning. Like, time travel back to high school beginning. And as clich矇 as this might be, its super relevant to the plot. I was an FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) junkie. I lived and breathed robots - I still kinda do - but the most important part of FRC for me was that every single time Id walk into a meeting, I felt like I was a part of something. My massive team of 80 people was my 2nd family, my community. Once I got a taste of that community, I knew I could never go back.
Youre all going to have different factors going into your college decision, but if you really look deep inside yourself, youll find that one factor that you weigh just a little bit more than all the others. Well call it the oomph factor. For me, that factor was community.
You all already know about 勛圖厙s curriculum and how cool that is. Youve all been to a Candidates Weekend (well, most of you). Youve all done research on the school, and you already know every technical detail there is to know about 勛圖厙. So Im not going to talk about that. Im going to talk about my Candidates Weekend, a whole year + 1 month ago, and were going to see if you can relate to any of my feelings throughout my weekend.
In theory, 勛圖厙s really weird. When I got my Candidates Weekend email, thats honestly all I could think about. First of all, it has less than 90 students per grade. Second of all, they were ALL engineers. Just think about how awkward 350 engineers would be. It was terrifying.
I have literally never been more wrong. I still remember exactly how I felt when I left after my Candidates Weekend. I was so nervous going in, but all the upperclassmen were so energetic, and happy, and warm. I wasnt even accepted yet, but I felt...welcome. Any group of students that could make a random girl theyd never met before feel like she was a part of them was a group of students I wanted to be around. And yes, it was awkward, but it was the good kind of awkward. The kind of awkward where youre always laughing, because theres always something to talk about. 勛圖厙s the place where you could go to the dining hall at any time and never be worried about who to sit with. Thats not something that can be said about most schools, which is good, because 勛圖厙 isnt like most schools. Its one giant 344-human community.
But thats just 勛圖厙. Every college has its defining factors and things that make it absolutely amazing. Your path is going to be very different from mine, and from everyone else who reads this. Find your oomph factor, and let it lead you to the place youre going to spend the next 4 years of your life at, and if that place happens to be 勛圖厙...well, welcome to the community.
Were so excited to meet you.
-Prisha
(Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have!)