I have been wanting to create a post for a while now about college. Actually, I've still got one that's become more of a rant/place to vent than anything else still saved in my drafts, but I thought it was finally time to sit down, write a full post out, and actually hit the publish button. But first some information that is kinda, sorta needed so you aren't too lost.

  • I'm 17 at the moment - 18 the end of April
  • I have taken my GED exam and am waiting for it to be scored and have said scores be sent to me (I did not complete high school because of some very interesting, highly unnormal reasons)
  • I'm going to major in Interior Design
  • I want either a BFA (bachelor of fine arts, 3 years) or BA (bachelor of arts, 4 years) degree when it's all said and done (I haven't picked either one or the other because that narrows down the list of schools by a lot)
  • A portfolio is something that all schools require for admissions into an interior design program
  • I am shit at drawing and thus have nothing to put in a portfolio except for one or two bedroom concept drawings that each took a couple days to complete, and more erasing than I care to admit
  • I am using google way past it's extent to learn to draw as well as I possibly can, with as many different subjects as possible so that come mid-summer I will be able to start putting together a portfolio
  • I am just now taking my ACT exams this Saturday, and will be extremely upset if I get anything lower than a 23 (which means I'll be retaking them if I get lower than a 23)

Oh and then there's one other teensy tiny little thing...

  • I live in the middle of nowhere, Illinois.

Exactly.

Which means, ladies and gents, that I am at least 1,000 miles away from any college I can apply to. Fun yes? No.

Why? Because this makes things more difficult.

1) College fairs at the local community college do nothing for me. I do not care about being a mechanic or hair dresser. These careers do not concern me.

2) Visiting campuses? Only in my dreams.

3) Even just going to a more local school that is somewhat like the ones I'm applying to so I can get a feel for what it's like? Well, I'm still waiting for someone to decide to build one.

So I'm stuck with my BFF, Google, and that's it.

Now normally this means you've got a sign above your head that reads 'You're Screwed!', but my BFF has yet to fail me and told me about a lovely site called The Princeton Review. Who has become my new BFF, but don't tell Google I said that.

And what do I find at TPR? A search engine for colleges. But it's not just any college search engine. Oh no. It can dwindle down a list for me by:
  • State/Region
  • Lists (Best Green Colleges, Best Midwest Colleges, ect.)
  • Total Enrollment
  • Campus
  • Public/Private
  • Majors
  • Activities
  • Sports
  • Greek Life
  • ROTC
  • "Can I Get In?"

Which just makes things awesome. Because I know the size of the college I want to attend, I know the regions I'm comfortable with living in (coast lines, nothing that doesn't at least almost border an ocean), I know I prefer private schools over public schools, I don't care about greek life, sports, activities, or rotc. And I obviously know my major. See? It's fan-freaking-tasticaly grand!

And then there's that lovely 'can I get in?' section. Which means you fill out a little form telling them your gpa and exam scores, as well as how active you are in sports and student activities and bam! TPR tells you if a school is a safety, match, or reach, as well as what these terms mean. So...you want to try applying to a couple reach schools? Awesome. You can find a list of those schools in seconds. Need a couple more safety schools because you're worried you won't get in elsewhere? Alright. You've got a list of those too. And same goes for those match schools that are just right for you.

It's all right there. It's like a high school counselor, without the constant 'APPLY, APPLY, APPLY' and 'COLLEGE, COLLEGE, COLLEGE' in your ear. Actually, I think TPR can tell you more than the average counselor could anyway.

Oh, and get this. You want the website, phone or fax number, or even pictures of the school and their address? They have all that too. Because every school has their own 'profile page' of sorts with all that information, and more.

Fast-forward and I've got a list of schools.



my schools

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So out of these Syracuse and Salem are my only Reach schools - neither of which I'd be too sad about if I don't get in. They're pretty much only on my list so that I have a larger pool of colleges that I'm applying to, just so I feel like my eggs are spread out into more baskets, so to speak.


As for Match schools, I've got Arcadia, Converse, Parsons, Pratt and WSU. Again, I'm not going to be too bent out of shape if I don't get into any of them. In fact, the only reason I'm applying to Pratt is just that. To apply. To see if I can get accepted. Because let's face it, pretty much any parent would be proud to say 'my daughter was accepted to Pratt'. Okay and I also want to be able to say that.


But really, all of the schools that I'm going to be super nervous about getting either a big fat no from, or a pretty package full of information from are Safety schools. Which, from what I can gather from hours upon hours of researching for college, isn't exactly the norm. Apparently, the norm is having an even - or close to even - distribution of schools in all three categories. But even if I tried to find more schools to even it out, it wouldn't happen. Because I have tried. Everything else is either the most shitastic excuse for a college I've ever seen, or it's in A) California or B) Texas. Both states are hot and icky and the weather quite literally makes me physically ill.


So what does all this equate, ladies and gents? My having my ego inflated a bit more than I'd like. And what's sure to be an interesting appointment with the local high school counselor I go to once in a while with college questions.