Where should you apply to college? Big school? Small school? Business school? Strong focus on…read moreliberal arts? Design? Business? Near? Far? City? Rural? Middle of the road? Sports? Scholarship opportunities?
These were the things I thought about when I was in high school, looking at different options for college. I ended up focusing on schools that had a strong liberal arts program, were close to (but not in) a city, and were out of Connecticut. Stonehill fit the bill, and out of the 7 schools I applied to, this was my #1 choice, for a variety of reasons.
Fact. You will scour the internet looking at rankings, reviews, ratings...(even this very review)...and that all has merit. But keep an open mind, and check out a lot of different schools, and talk to a lot of different people. Why are they there? Why did they choose to go (and stay) there? Don't get hung up on the small stuff. Where will you be happy for 4 years? Don't just take the cookie cutter tour - make sure you find the time to see everything.
For me, the choice was Stonehill. I liked everything about the campus, the people, the mission, and the opportunity to grow. I had no idea what I wanted to do, and Stonehill was that blank canvas that allowed me to pave the way to where I am today.
College.
A blur. Year after year, I became more and more attached to everything that was Stonehill, my friends, and the life I built here. I look back and only now know how good I had it. The petty stuff that bothered me (and will inevitably bother you) is nothing. Ah, four years of absolute freedom - where the biggest decision you have to make on any given night was simply where you were going - and how many places you would end up and how many different groups of friends you would see.
I don't care that the SEM is small, far, and old. I was a SEM kid, and I will always be a SEM kid. I maintain all rooms should have sinks in them.
Can't have your car for the first year? Yeah, you'll get over that. (Unless that has changed..)
Sports? We're no D1, but we have teams that are a hell of a good time to root for.
Not in a city? Well, embrace (parts of) Brockton and travel to Boston.
Find out what you are interested in, and get involved. There are plenty of different ways to do this here. Don't get hung up on who is or isn't doing it - take the opportunity to find a new interest and grow. Among other things, I chose Res Life, and being an RA for the last 2 years I was at Stonehill was the best choice I could have made - some of the people in Res Life (and residents that I had) became my best friends post-college.
I also made a point to make a change in who I was. My quiet, reserved, hating-the-spotlight persona was shifted overnight into a front-facing, middle of everything kinda guy. I purposely put the spotlight on myself to become different (better) - I could think of no better place to do this. Well, it worked. Being the go-to guy for 70+ residents at a time with pages of responsibilities will do that to a person.
Post College.
I can't wait to graduate! Sure - we all thought that. Class of '07 - time to head out! I got a job in the Boston area and kept close with a lot of my friends that also chose to stay around. My education prepared me for the post- college world, and I did pretty well.
Like many others - I miss college. Everyone tells you it will be "the best 4 years of your life", and they are undoubtedly telling the truth. Since then, not even in grad school, did I have such an open opportunity to grow, explore, learn, and become a better me. Stonehill gave me the opportunity to learn from some of the best professors out there, and I believe that I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them.
So why now, 5+ years after graduating, do I choose to write this?
I am in a time of transition, and I find myself thinking about my college experiences - everything I learned, how I grew, and how it is helping me take action to move my career forward and figure out what is next.
If you embrace your Stonehill experience, you'll be a Skyhawk (or in some cases, a Chieftain/Skyhawk hybrid) through and through.
I live and breathe NYC on the daily right now, and still pump myself up with Dropkick Murphys while rumbling along on the PATH into 33rd Street.
I could have gone a lot of different places - and I chose Stonehill for good reason.
So should you.
