College Life

Traveling to different parts of the country has always been one of my favorite things to do. Every summer, my friend Sarah and I would conquer all of Cape Cod, including Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Every summer, my family and I would travel to Rhode Island to enjoy all that the beautiful beach has to offer. There would be the occasional family trips to Disney World, which I enjoyed every minute of. However, no trip sparked more enjoyment than my trip to North Carolina and South Carolina on my quest to find a college.

All through high school, I knew that when it was time to go to college, I wanted to go somewhere warm. I only had a few options, since my mother told me I had to stay on this coastline. My options of college choices were in the states of: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. My mother was iffy about Georgia, Alabama, and Florida since they were so far away, but she was willing to let me spread my wings on my own. Last Spring, as a Junior in high school I settled on visiting schools in the Carolina’s. The week I spent in the South visiting schools had to be one of the happiest weeks of my life.

My mother, my Grandmother, and I decided to take the scenic route to the Carolina’s- driving. I did not mind staying in the backseat cooped up for 15 hours because I knew as soon as we got to our destination I would be as happy as I could ever be. The drive down was memorable, but it did not compare to the memories we made on our college visits, soon realizing this is where I will hopefully be spending the next four years.

We made our way to beautiful South Carolina first, staying in Myrtle Beach and Columbia. Myrtle Beach, or Conway is home to Coastal Carolina University, and home to some of the most beautiful beaches I have seen in my seventeen years of living. My first ten minutes on tour at Coastal, I fell in love, soon hoping to go there. The next day, we made our drive to Columbia to visit The University of South Carolina. On the day I visited USC, it was terrential downpour. I was soaking wet within five minutes of the tour, but I could not have been happier. Stepping onto the USC campus felt like home to me, which made my decision between USC and Coastal even harder. Two days into my trip, I knew that I was meant to be there.

Next, my mother, grandmother, and I drove back up to North Carolina hoping to visit a few schools. We got a tour from UNC Charlotte, and though I liked it, it still did not feel right for me. Catawba College was our next stop, and I instantly fell in love with wandering the campus. I wanted to play field hockey in college, so Catawba was my way in. Then, we got to facts and figures and I did not want to be at a school with 900 students. So far, on my list were Coastal Carolina, and University of South Carolina. That is, until I visited High Point University. I took the tour of HPU, and knew that this was where I wanted to be. There was not one bad thing to say about the campus, and even though they say nothing in life is perfect, to me High Point was. I knew that this was where I wanted to be for the next four years, with no doubts about it. I was so happy the day I visited High Point, and I went and text messaged all of my friends to tell them what a wonderful experience I had. Little did I know, was that High Point would be my home for the next four years ever since the day I received my acceptance letter.

My college trip down South has been the most important trip that I have ever embarked on. Sure my trips to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket have had some of the greatest memories with family and friends, but nothing compares to the memory I have of first stepping foot onto my future college. There is such a good feeling that comes out when you visit a college and know that that is all you want, and you will do anything to accomplish your goal. Traveling to the Carolina’s has helped me to reach my goal of getting into college, and looking forward to the next four years that I will spend at High Point University.