After several months filled with research, standardized tests, countless essay revisions and several other atrocities, I stand at the end of my “College Quest.”
Applications went out and letters came back; the waiting was the most difficult aspect of the process. My list had expanded from eight to 13, and as time went by I became more and more eager to receive my decisions.
I hit the ground running, with my first eight letters coming back as acceptances from schools such as Boston College, NYU and the Macaulay Honors College, but rejections from Georgetown and two Ivy League schools brought me back to reality.
I ended up being offered admission to 10 schools, and my goal suddenly shifted from being accepted to weighing my options and making a decision. There were countless factors to consider, such as size, location and academic rigor. However, one area soon became a major concern: cost.
I went into this process knowing that college was expensive, but it never really hit me until I was face-to-face with the expenditure. Most schools on my list had a tuition of anywhere between $40,000 and $55,000. Even with impressive scholarship offers I was offered at certain schools bringing those numbers down considerably, the cost would still add up to quite the sum over four years, and if I wanted to pursue graduate school, I would only add to my debt. However, I had another option.
The Macaulay Honors College is a relatively new program within the City University of New York (CUNY) system, but it has already gained national recognition as a highly competitive program. Macaulay students enroll in one of the seven CUNY colleges; I applied and was accepted to Macaulay at Hunter College. My adviser, along with various faculty members at my high school, has spoken highly of the institution as an excellent setting in which to pursue an undergraduate education.
It gets better: Macaulay students, or “University Scholars” as they’re called, receive a full scholarship for all four years. Along with this, those who applied to Macaulay at Hunter are guaranteed dorms (with only 612 spots for more than 25,000 students, that’s a major plus) and receive free housing for three years.
Also, Macaulay gives their students laptops and provides $7,500 to aid in pursuing various opportunities such as study abroad and internships. When I consider all I know about college and this process, it seems impossible to turn down such an incredible offer.
So, it’s been decided. I’m part of the Macaulay Class of 2014 at Hunter College and excited to begin a new chapter of my life.
I think now that I’ve been through the college process, I have a different perspective on what it’s about. There is such an overabundance of information about college that rather than clarify, it muddies the waters.
My opinion now is a huge part of college is not what school you go to, but rather what you make of it. No matter how much research you do, you won’t really know how much you like a school until you’re enrolled and experiencing it for yourself. So much is made of the process in today’s world, that it’s easy for a student to let it become bigger than them.
My advice to those about to embark on their own quests can be summed up easily: Remain open minded, take chances, and don’t define yourselves through the letters that come in the mail. Good luck.
Eric Barbera is a senior at the Garden School in Jackson Heights.
