Five Tips to Choosing Your College!

A lot of the people doing the college search right now are high school juniors.  Being a junior is awesome, especially when you know you are about to be a senior and done with high school forever!  But, it also means that you have the very hard task of choosing the place you will further your education and live for the next 4+ years!  Here are some things to keep in mind while you do it:

1) Don't be afraid to stay close to home!
              I know that a lot of you out there are REALLY just itching to get as far away from home as possible when you're done with high school.  But, keep in mind that there are probably a TON of really great schools close to home that you should NOT discount!  Living at school IS being away from home, regardless of the actual distance from you doorstep!  Plus, as much as you may think you will be independent and ok not going home often, it is REALLY nice knowing that the trip home can be quick and affordable!  I am only 2 hours from home when I am at Mercyhurst, which is great!  I am close enough to get home is I need/want to but still not at home.  But still, sometimes I really wish I were closer.  I really like going home and it's not always too easy to make the trip often.  So, REMEMBER, look at schools close to home, too!

2) Look for a school with a great academic program, but also somewhere you WANT to live!
             A lot of students search for colleges on the only basis of having the program that you want to study.  Then again, others look at schools that seem the most fun or friendly without really considering academics.  When you do your search, find a good medium between the two.  You are going to school to get an education, primarily, but you WILL also be living there for a good chunk of time.  Stay open minded and smart about your choice!

3) Try not to follow your friends, carve your own path!
            I know that it is very easy to look at the same schools as your high school friends simply because it is easy and you know you will have fun and friends there when you move away from home.  But take it from me that following a friend to a school just because that friend wants you to go to college with them does not always work out!  I came to Mercyhurst not only because I loved the school, but because I would be with my best friend from high school.  Now that we are no longer friends, I almost wish I could have broadened my horizens when I conducted my college search as a junior is high school.  I have NO regrets, of course, but you all need to choose where YOU want...no one else matters!

4) Keep price in mind!
             A lot of college's out there are pretttyyyyyy pricey, and it is not so easy to pay for school!  Just remember that private colleges WILL cost more than public universities, but that doesn't mean it is impossible to attend a private school.  Mercyhurst, for example, offers substantial scholarships to deserving high school seniors to be a student here!  Many other schools do, too!

5) DO. YOUR. RESEARCH!
            Bottomline-- know your stuff!  Explore the school's website, call, ask questions, take a tour, and read things like this very student blog!  All of these things will help you become more sure about this huge decision in your life!  The information is all out there, its just up to you to find it!


I wish all you college-searchers that best of luck!   But, enjoy your time in high school while you still have it!  It goes fast and life will never be as simple as it is now ever again =]!

An Amazing Weekend Away!

I have some advice that doesn't so much have to do with being a student at Mercyhurst, but being a college student in general.  My advice for you after this weekend is that if you have a chance to go to a formal for some type of organization, take it!  My boyfriend is in a fraternity at his school and his formal was in Cincinnati right on the Ohio River...and it was SO much fun!



My guy and I at his formals!



Of course, Mercyhurst doesn't have greek life so you can't really get that here but there is a military ball in the spring for the ROTC members!  Plus, the school has a Fall Ball and Spring Charity Ball.  It is really fun to dress up and have a night out!  Mine was especially fun because it was somewhere new and fun that I hadn't really experienced before.  It was surely a weekend to remember!

Right now, campus is looking forward to the Easter weekend.  A definite benefit of being a Catholic school is that we always get a 4-day weekend for Easter off, while a lot of other school don't.  It will be nice to go home and celebrate the holiday, and hope that the rain will hold out for a while so we can have an outdoor Easter Egg Hunt!

Tomorrow is the Leadership Certification Program's end of year induction ceremony!  I will officially be handing over my presidency to the newly elected president for next year!  I can't believe how fast it went!  I also love this event because it is always catered with REALLYYYYY yummy mini deserts and finger foods...can never go wrong with those! 

Well, time to sit down and start pounding out a final paper for one of my history courses!  Ready, set, focus!

Short, Sweet, and to the Point...

It is finally getting warm out!  Needless to say, moods have lifted and life is just good!  That's pretty much enough said about life at Mercyhurst right now!

Hoping it lasts!  Now back to studying for midterms...

The End is in Sight!

It is obvious around campus that we are quickly approaching the end of the year.  Seniors are bustling around and getting nervous for their last 5 or 6 weeks of classes before graduation, clubs and student government are holding elections and being taken over by new officers, and the work load of a fast moving term is sitting on most students' shoulders!  It seems the ONLY thing that isn't ending is the cold weather!  STILLL holding out for that one!

This point in the term is a fun, yet stressful time for me.  I am really looking forward to summer time but the end seems to be coming so fast I am starting to get stressed about finishing all my work in time.  Of course, I always do get my work done but the thought of it is still scary!  I have pretty much dedicated most of my free time for the next few weeks for school work, researching, and studying for exams (with a few exceptions on the weekends, of course!)

Luckily, there are some fun distractions to look forward to that will keep my head above water at Mercyhurst.  Tomorrow during the day is the "Breastival/Testival".  It is a little carnival event that is taking place in order to raise awareness of breast and testicular cancer.  I will probably stop in because there are supposed to be games and awesome prizes!  The leadership certification program exec board and I are also working on planning an Easter Egg Hunt for the club to participate in, which is definately going to be a fun event.  Plus, this weekend there is a comedian on Friday night and the Spring Charity Ball on Saturday!  It should be an awesome weekend!

So, here's to keeping focused and still having fun as the end of the year sneaks up on all of us as Mercyhurst!