Let's regain focus. Let's stop crying. Let's take a look at all the greenery growing along the road of life here. Let's admire anaphora for the preeminent syntactical device it has become.
I decided that tonight's post should focus on some less sentimental things and lead a new direction for writing on this here blog. For some inspiration, I went over to the works of a friend of mine who has frequently blogged her travels afar. Her newest series chronicles her journey throughout the Northeastern US, which I myself have only seen portions of (although I will be going to NYC and Philly in the summer, but more on that later).
So, there are two things about Kathryn's blog that I want to (appreciatively) rip off in the future. First of course is the commentary on locations, from the minuscule elevators in the big cities (try fitting five people in a lift at St. Ermin's Hotel in London) to the appearances of mathematical constants (she seeks out pi in all its glory, while I'm more of a tau guy myself. No, I am not a frat). That's a much more creative means of getting out opinions and observations on life than just.... I dunno, thinking really really hard?
The second thing which I want to focus on for the future AND today's post is-wait for it-the colleges. My nerdy colleague has her eyes set on much higher, out-of-state institutions (I mean, why do you think she's going Northeast), while I already mentioned in "Faith in Blue and White" that I'll have to betray my Heels and go stay in-state.
I like to ask myself why exactly I want to stay in-state when I have fallen so utterly in love with the rest of the world. After spending two weeks in Europe last winter, I have now been in six foreign countries (assuming you count the accidental turn my family took into Austria and the 20 minutes it took to get back in the right direction) and 16 US States (soon to be 17, as I'm going to Louisiana in December). It seems like I shouldn't be confined here to SC, the US state most known for not wanting to be a US state, but I admit that this Carolina has grown on me just as much as the Carolina I was born in. I can't see myself leaving quite yet, but there will be many opportunities beyond that. Oh, and the fact that these schools will give me more money. Money that could be used to teach me how to use less run-on sentences. Moving on.
Yesterday evening I was given the "jaded student" tour of the University of South Carolina. Even though the school was practically in my backyard, I never really took the opportunity in the past to truly look into it. I guess the past me wanted to at least get out of Columbia. The tour was given by a quartet of students from Engineering Without Borders at USC (an acronym which, here, doesn't refer to California), who worked with my mom to mentor the robotics team at Oak Pointe Elementary. Saw all the stuff we hoped to see: the Honors Residence Halls (blew me away), the engineering building (one of our guides mentioned how the sidewalk out front manages to cause some flooding. Great job, engineers!), and all the pretty antebellum buildings all along the way. Those antebellum buildings really make you feel like a Confederate.
As an aspiring Chemical Engineer and Honors College student (no matter what school I settle in), I wanted to know straightforward about what research and internship opportunities I could get at this school, and how beneficial the curriculum would be. I got good, sufficient answers, and I can say for certain that this school would be right for me if I decide to go here. The Honors College at SC is very renowned, of course, and this tour did even more to impress me.
After the group ate at an Arabic restaurant I hadn't been to in years (man, I missed the Damascus bread and hummus), I had to get to thinking. This was an awesome campus, but I can't forget how much I enjoyed touring Clemson back in the summer, especially since I'm going up there Thursday and Friday. One advantage that this jaded student tour at USC did have was that it was given by honors college engineers who know exactly what I need and interacted with me personally, as opposed to an overexcited sorority girl preaching about how OH MY GOSH CLEMSON IS SO... SO GREAT to a big group. There are a lot of other small factors that will go into all this, and it will take a lot of time to come to a conclusion.
But I'm enjoying every single minute of it. I don't have to worry about getting into either school, and frankly, I probably don't have to stress that much about getting into their honors colleges either. I feel like these schools want me more than I want them. I'm like a 5-star football prospect being fought over, only... more academic. I'm not letting that last part go to my head, but I'm going to enjoy every single damn minute of the decision process, and either way, I can't make a wrong decision.
Staying in-state won't constrain me because I will always find ways to travel. There's the glorified idea of the road trip that all college kids take, and there are the bounteous opportunities to study abroad that I will find. This is going to be tons of fun, and I'll have a bunch of stories to tell.
So, is there a favorite right now? Is it USC?
Nah. I ain't revealing a thing until I enroll.
Mornin' Hays, signing off.
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