Finding The Right School

      I recently went to a college fair, and was completely overwhelmed by just how many colleges there are. As I walked through the clausterphobic gym, college representatives from over 200 hundred schools tried to convince me to learn more about their school. When picking your college there are so many considerations you have to put into it: size, location, cost,  major, sports, admission criteria; the list goes on and on. Every school is different, and there are endless possibilities. Walking by each booth, we passed several colleges that my mom had never even heard of! With so many colleges throughout the country, you many not even find the college that is completely right for you. There also may be several colleges that are a good fit, and you never come across them.

        We as Americans like the idea of having endless places to chose from. In the Thoreau reading we discussed in class, there are many important American values that relate to picking a school. The idea of more choices is key. Most Americans are the complete opposite of Chris McCandless, as he believed simplicity was better. Additionally, competition is very important in our country today. Getting into college is one big competition. It's like a contest of who can get the best GPA, or do well on their ACT. It is something that is taken very seriously here, maybe more so than in other countries of the world.