Very early on in my senior year of high school, my parents pretty much carried the flame for my future college. I was happy going to a 2-year college before going after my bachelor’s degree. This was for two reasons: to help them save money and to make sure I major in English. However, they insisted their only boy should attend a 4-year college right off the bat.
I was pushed to start searching for colleges therefore, ones that my parents approved of and fit within the range of tuition that my mom thought was acceptable to. I was also restricted to the immediate area, which really only included New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, so I was talked out of applying to any colleges in one of my favorite places: New Hampshire.
I should be honest: it got a bit tense at times with several different opinions between my parents and me, and with other family members or friends voicing their thoughts to my parents.
In the end, I ended up applying to three schools: SUNY Albany, SUNY New Paltz, and Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. I had been to New Paltz quite often as it was only 45 minutes away from our home. And Kutztown is located in an area our family often visited.
I was accepted by all three, and I quickly gave up Albany. I was not impressed with the city and wasn’t familiar with the area. It was between New Paltz and Kutztown. After a few weeks, I ended up settling on New Paltz because Kutztown just didn’t “feel right” for me. When I was on the campus, I had a feeling that this was it.
Looking back now, I wish I had known more about the application process and had a little more freedom of choice about which college I could apply to. I probably still would have attended SUNY New Paltz, but I would have loved to have a few more options.
【小题1】What did the author’s parents think he should do?| A．Choose a college that can provide good jobs. |
| B．Go to a community college to save money. |
| C．Choose a college that he likes best. |
| D．Directly go to a 4-year college. |
| A．He wasn’t familiar with it. | B．His situation didn’t allow it. |
| C．The living expenses there were too high. | D．He wasn’t sure if he would fit in there. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Regretful. | C．Satisfied. | D．Worried. |
| A．How I Chose My College | B．How to Apply to a College |
| C．Different Choices, Different Future | D．The Meaning of Attending College |
