Branching away from college status quo

By Natalie Hill, center spread editor

This is the time of year that the college acceptances come rolling in to the anxious, awaiting seniors. Texas A&M, UT, OU, Baylor, and Texas Tech letters have been making their rounds prominently around Coppell making CHS seniors futures seem closer than ever. Though these are the schools that many Coppell kids are looking at for their education, I look to a school that will separate me from my friends, family, car, town, mentors, and home. This is a school that doesn’t give me an easy ride home if something goes wrong. At this school, I will learn to grow up and live on my own (with my roommate) and be an adult. I, like many others this week, have been accepted to my college of choice: Savannah College of Art and Design.

Allow me to tell you a bit about SCAD. It is “The University for Creative Careers”. And that’s exactly what it is, the possibilities of what I could become as an artist are endless. Freshmen are undeclared majors but come sophomore year I will be majoring in graphic design (I think). The reason for my indecisiveness is that as freshmen, everyone has the same Gen. Ed. classes: Drawing I, 2D Drawing, Composition and Freshman Seminar (or that’s what I’ve heard on the streets, at least). And part from the “not the norm” courses, SCAD is located in THE most beautiful place in the world. Now, I know, I’ve never been everywhere in the world, but I’m pretty sure Historic Savannah is the most beautiful place in America, if not the world.

I’m not writing this just to boast about the next incredible four years of my life (that’s only part of it), but I want to encourage seniors who have been accepted to more than one school and are wobbling on the line of big vs. small, private vs. public, in-state vs. out-of-state, college vs. university to really consider the places you are looking to go. Especially examine the less popular of schools. I’ve always considered college to be a time where you leave home, make new friends, gain connections and start earning a life away from your parents. I know it will be nice to go to a school with 80 million of your closest friends living in your same dorm; everywhere you turn there is someone you know. It’s hard to become homesick in that environment like that, and maybe that’s what you want. All I’m saying is to examine the other choices. Texas A&M, UT, OU, Baylor, Texas Tech and Arkansas are all fine schools, don’t get me wrong, but I bet you can’t count on two hands how many people you know who go there.

This is a deciding time in seniors’ life, choices are abundant and the pressure is one. I got lucky by applying to one school, getting accepted to that school, it being my first choice, and receiving scholarship money from them, as well. My situation is a rare one. I will be missing my family, 918 miles away. But I’ve made the choice to branch out and experience college in a different way than the rest of my fellow classmates and I encourage them to follow my ambitiousness and go beyond the normal college life.