Wednesday, December 25, 2019

My Life For A Road Trip - 1323 Words

It was the hottest summer in California, and of course this is the time my parents’ decided this would be a good time for a road trip. We went to LA for the weekend to visit my Grandma Jane and Grandpa Albert, but it was time to head back to Colorado where we had no beaches, but the air was somewhat cooler. All four of us--Mom, Dad, my older brother Eric, and myself, Chloe--all crowded in a 10 year old Subaru Outback with all the stuff we brought along. The air was blasting out of all the vents yet it wasn t doing much to counteract the hot sun shining through the window. It might not have been one of the best memories of my childhood, but I found myself holding on to it, because we were all together as a family. It s only been three years since the trip, but it felt like ten years had gone by. Eric was in college, and I had just started high school. It was September 21st, the day my parents told me that Dad was moving out and they decided to get a divorce. I sat in bed wondering What did i do? I kept on replaying the moment when they told me. I remember it started to get cold and rainy. From the moment I woke up I could feel something different. I thought it was just the weather that was changing, but it was something bigger. After lunch Mom and Dad sat me down on the brown leather couch between the two of them. Oh no. They just looked at each other. Mom took a breath and said straight out, â€Å"Chloe, I m sorry, but yourShow MoreRelatedMy Life For A Road Trip1323 Words   |  6 PagesChange It was the hottest summer in California, and of course this is the time my parents’ decided this would be a good time for a road trip. We went to LA for the weekend to visit my Grandma Jane and Grandpa Albert, but it was time to head back to Colorado where we had no beaches, but the air was somewhat cooler. All four of us--Mom, Dad, my older brother Eric, and myself, Chloe--all crowded in a 10 year old Subaru Outback with all the stuff we brought along. The air was blasting out of all theRead MoreUnplanned Roadtrip760 Words   |  4 PagesUnplanned Road trip The most people take risks to go on a road trip; some people believe it’s not important. Road trip is one of the most excited events. Road Trip is full of fun and people suffer through, some different experience. I was too excited when; I went last time with friends on a road trip and had lot of fun but planning play great role in road trip. On the Sunday morning, it was raining outside and I was getting bore at home. I called my friend and make a plan for road trip. I pickRead MoreSummer Road Trip1174 Words   |  5 PagesMy Summer Road Trip The late June Texas sun was hot as it came through the window of my Caliber. I had begun my road trip to the lake house in Mineola early that morning. I had dressed for comfort, wearing my blue shorts and my favorite worn out tee, I knew it was going to be a long hot drive. As I drove down the road, I soon realized that I had never been anywhere alone before. This was a new feeling to me, one of strength and fear rolled into one. While fighting the traffic to get out of townRead More Fort Bragg: My First Road Trip Essay1739 Words   |  7 PagesFort Bragg: My First Road Trip When you are a teenager you reach a certain point in your life when you want to be independent. You get this feeling that you want to do something on your own to prove you can. When I was seventeen, in the fall of 2001, I had that feeling that I needed to do something on my own. I needed an adventure to show everyone that I was old enough to be on my own for once. I needed something exciting and new. I talked to my friend Annie and we came up with aRead MoreRoad Trips in Literature: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Travels with Charlie970 Words   |  4 PagesRoad trips are known to be fun adventures. When someone says they are going on a road trip people expect them to go and see amazing places and then come back. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck and On the Road by Jack Kerouac are about road trips but these trips are not about the adventure. Duke from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Sal from On the Road and Steinbeck from Travels with Charley all go on road trips because of the American driveRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story The Kim Family 779 Words   |  4 PagesThanksgiving trip during winter weather was truly tragic. They made a decision to take a road trip under harsh weather conditions with limited amount of food and gas. They missed their exit, and decided to take an unknown, dangerous route where they got stuck for nine days. In my opinion, the moral of the story is to plan and prepare for a road trip especially under inclement weather. It’s essential to carry an emergency kit, extra food, water, and clothing in case one gets stuck due to poor road conditionsRead MoreA Picture Of The Kancamagus Highway812 Words   |  4 PagesPainting a Picture of the Kancamagus Highway The mountains are known for cutting through the landscape like glaciers. The Kancamagus Highway, or â€Å"The Fearless One† cuts through Lincoln, to Conway, New Hampshire. Rich in history as well winding roads, and mammoth mountains are often traveled by the fearless, and adventurous traveler. For some, they stumble upon this great beauty is small and not appreciated, but for others the venture is a state of mind and continues to inspire long after the visitRead MoreShort Story : Memoir 1155 Words   |  5 Pagestowards the end of June last year, it was family rodeo back home where my mom grew up at. We had always gone back to that town and that rodeo since i was a yee young lad, around 5 or 6. We used to go see my grandma, but she died when i was 10. Anyways, it was my mother, my brothers, sister and her family, me and my girlfriend. Well, the car we were suppose to drive 5 hours north with was very cramped for all of us, so i asked my girlfriend if we could borrow her new car she just bought the day beforeRead MoreThe people around us make experiences great and unforgettable. I was oblivious to this fact before800 Words   |  4 Pagesfact before my first completely independent summer trip for three weeks. In the past, I always traveled with my parents. They were all great vacations but they were not planned or controlled by me. It was all up to my mom. This time, however, I was the one who found the opportunity to go to the seaside with a group of young people and spend 21 days there. My parents were happy to let me go on this trip; as they also saw it as an exciting opportunity. It was up to me to plan it all on my own. I learnedRead MoreThe City Of The Nairobi Airport1201 Words   |  5 Pagesinto Nairobi. The darkness was broken by the lights of the city and airfield. Touching down around 9:30 local time, I climbed wearily down the stairs and saw my first sight of Africa, the Nairobi airport. It didn’t look especially impressive and I only wanted to sleep because my body ached in a way that only eight hours in an airplane can do. My family was taken to customs; two hours later, we emerged, glad that we had hurdled our first obstacle. After, finding our driver, we had a 45 minute tour on

Monday, December 16, 2019

Passion in A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay - 963 Words

Passion in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream may come off as a simple comedy but is a complex play with many interesting aspects. Passion, a significant characteristic, is often expressed through the play. Characters in the play show passion for different reasons; Puck passions for mischief, Helena for Demetrius’ love and Bottom for theatrics, are a few of the many examples. Passion shows much significance, being the most important characteristic in the play. Puck is a mischievous sprite, involved with most magical events in the play. Often playing tricks for his own enjoyment or by his master, Oberon’s, commands, Puck is depicted as a young, deceptive character. When first discovered as Robin†¦show more content†¦Being the only character, other than Bottom, to enter both the human and fairy world, the play makes Puck to be the protagonist. While there his trickery and trouble are antagonistic in nature, his vital part is that of a positive character, ultimately resolving all problems. Puck treats the entire idea of love as madness, the idea Shakespeare was conveying with his trickery. Helena is portrayed as a desperate character, her passion being for the love of Demetrius. Helena spends most of the story pursuing Demetrius in hope of receiving any form of affection in return, only receiving affection due to magic. While chasing Demetrius, Helena says â€Å"What worser place can I beg your love, - And yet a place of high respect with me, - Than to be usà ¨d as you use your dog?† (II.i.208-210) Helena, knowing demeaning herself to the position of a dog, believes that she is not worthy enough for such authority, therefore hoping she will be given the honour. Helena compares herself to a dog in the sense that the more Demetrius rejects her, the harder she will try to receive any emotion from her master. Although heartbroken by Demetrius’ hatred for her, Helena showers Demet rius with comments, only to be continuously beaten down. This is explicitly shown when Helena comments on Demetrius’ demeanor and is, again rejected, saying, â€Å"You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant; But yet you draw not iron, for my heart Is true as steel: leave you your powerShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Article Twelfth Night 998 Words   |  4 Pagesmagical freedom that A Midsummer Night’s Dream encompasses. Mahood delves into the cultural significance of Puritanism early in the 17th century through the character of Malvolio. Although Twelfth Night is a comedy, the presence of morally strict Puritanism affects the lightness of the play. The Puritan Revolution took away the foolish fun and celebration in life. Mahood connects the cultural context with Malvolio’s objection of fun throughout the play. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is completely andRead More Shakespeare in my World Essay1580 Words   |  7 Pagesspring, Met we on hill, in dale, forest, or mead, By paved fountain or by rushy brook, Or in the beached margent of the sea, To dance our ringlets to the whisteling wind, But with thy brawls thou hast disturbed our sport. ~ Titania A Midsummer Nights Dream 2.1 I first truly gazed upon William Shakespeare during college. I had to do a monologue of Joan of Arc from Henry VI part I. I remember wrapping my mouth around his words, tasting him for the first time. This had not been our first introductionRead MoreLiterary Love Essay968 Words   |  4 Pagesof world, negatively being the cause of death and anywhere in between. In Aristophanes Lysistrata and Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, the theme of love is present throughout moving the story along through many trials and tribulations; however, Lysistrata is more of a love of beliefs of freedom empowered by the drive for sexual desires where as A Midsummer Nights Dream is the search for true love between young couples. In Aristophanes Lysistrata, the women of the country do not agreeRead MoreWeathering the Storms of True Love1159 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom the truth. Shakespeare presents the truth about true love in his comical tragedy A Midsummer Nights Dream. Lysander clearly stated loves situation when he told Hermia the course of true love never did run smooth (Griffiths 94). In some ways Lysanders declaration becomes the plays structural and thematic point by which Shakespeare uses to explore the storms of love (Bloom 12). In A Midsummer Nights Dream, Shakespeare uses young lovers to depict how love masters young people and pushes themRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1474 Words   |  6 Pagesconsistent and underlying concept of romance in each of Shakespeare’s plays and related movies. For instance, one could look at the movies A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare in Love. The latter follows the life of William Shakespeare himself, everything from h is love affair with Viola de Lesseps to his creation of Romeo and Juliet. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is one of the most famous plays of Shakespeare’s, revolving around the tumultuous relationships of four lovers, aided, and sometimes thwartedRead MoreEssay about Love in Mid Summer Nights Dream988 Words   |  4 Pagesdifficult mysteries of life. The difficulty of love is shown throughout A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the play, the characters have to deal with jealousy that comes along with being in love. Love’s difficulty in the play comes from love being out of balance. Love being out of balance is a romantic situation where a difference gets in the way of happiness in the relationship. William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream demonstrates these conflicts with a little bit of humor and buoyancy. The fourRead MoreDifferent Types of Love in Midsummer Night’s Dream1508 Words   |  7 Pagesof Love in Midsummer Night’s Dr eam Love and lovers, both can be described as many different things. William Shakespeare shows us this in his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In this play we see all types of love, from passionate love to foolish love. Along with this we also see different types of lovers and pairs. Examples of these lovers come from pairs like, Hermia and Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, Titana and Bottom, and Oberon and Titana. It seems that in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ShakespeareRead MoreAnalysis Of Midsummer Night s Dream 1251 Words   |  6 Pages Midsummer Night’s Dream is a perfect example of just how deceit can tear people apart. When trying to force a situation into something/ a situation you wish it to be you can end up putting yourself in quite the compromising position. It is a good story on the struggles of true love, parents wills, and fighting for what one believes in, with just a hint a magical alure to it and a slight pull of betrayal to make things even more interesting. In the end though, just as almost every other love storyRead MoreInconstant Passion with Consequences Essay1016 Words   |  5 Pages Inconstant Passion With Consequences Extreme passion results in irrational actions with horrifying consequences. The indecisive and fervent whims regarding love and the human heart are often selfish and fickle. For the victims of love, destruction is often inevitable. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, unrequited love forces both Romeo and Juliet to commit suicide, as neither one believes it is possible to continue life without the other. Both, through mere days of desperation, elationRead MoreEssay on A Midsummer Nights Dream: Comedy650 Words   |  3 PagesA Midsummer Nights Dream Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream is a comedy that is full of mischief. Instead of having a main plot, it seems to be about random thoughts and emotions (much the same as dreams are). In fact, I have to wonder how much of the whole play is really supposed to be a dream Ââ€" as Puck even suggests toward the end of the play. There is no real protagonist to latch onto in this play, probably because there are three main groups of characters, but many people

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Gambling Essay Research Paper Gambling while it free essay sample

Gambling Essay, Research Paper Gambling, while it lowers revenue enhancements and creates occupations, it besides causes nuts to lose money and hence creates a higher offense rate. A Quick History of Gambling. Gambling was a popular interest in North America long earlier there was of all time a United States. Playing cards and dies were brought over by both the British and the Dutch. By the terminal of the seventeenth century, merely about every countryseat in colonial America had a lottery wheel. Cockfighting flourished thoughout the states, particularly in the South. Bear Baiting was besides a popular athletics, but the Puritans banned it. ( Ortiz 4 ) About 100 old ages subsequently chancing in the West gave chancing a 2nd life. Early church leader struck down all signifiers of gaming and so in the East gaming for the most portion died wholly. Army for the liberation of rwanda from both authorities controls and moral intervention of reform groups in the East, chancing became so popular in the West that Monte tabular arraies were frequently setup in the center of the town. ( Donovon 13 ) Organized Crime During the Prohibition Era ( 1920-1933 ) , illegal gaming was organized into an autocratic regional and national system. Duty for the syndication of chancing is normally attributed to Arnold Rothstein, who invented the inner-city layoff. He is besides known for maestro minding the # 8220 ; Black Sox # 8221 ; dirt in which the White Sox threw the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds to guarantee chancing net incomes. Gambling lawfully, one time once more, becomes acceptable. Since the 1970s, the United States has turned full circle in its attitude toward chancing. Three hundred old ages ago, the # 8220 ; athletics # 8221 ; , largely in the signifier of lottery, was seen as a absolutely acceptable manner to raise money for public intents. ( Savage 12 ) Over the past several old ages, slow economic growing, cuts in federal support to provinces, and turning public demands have forced many despairing province and even local authorities to seek extra beginnings of gross. Most provinces have turned to lotteries, Equus caballus and Canis familiaris racing, and, most late, a turning figure of provinces have resorted to casino chancing as a manner to raise money and maintain revenue enhancements low. ( James B5 ) Sports chancing During the late eightiess, and early 1990s, several provinces have tried to present athleticss wagering, either as portion of lottery, like athleticss pool, or as athleticss bookmaking. Never the less, the leader of the state # 8217 ; s athleticss unity, including the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , the National Football League ( NFL ) , and Major League Baseball ( MLB ) , were concerned that the provinces, in their despair to raise money, might get down to bind in athleticss wagering with the lottery. Then the three athleticss teamed up to seek to set a halt to this. First, they began to set strong force per unit area on province legislative assembly non to bring on athleticss wagering. Second the athleticss industry besides started buttonholing Congress, and as a consequence, several measures have been introduced in the U.S. Congress to restrict the growing of athleticss beting, either as portion of the lottery or as athleticss bookmaking. ( Savage 18 ) Making Gambling Interests Heard The province legislative assemblies decide if gaming will go legal in the single provinces. Currently, some signifier of gaming is legal in all provinces except Hawaii and Utah. While success is neer assured, revenue-hungry province authoritiess are virtually ever willing to give gaming involvements a hearing. In April 1994, casino involvement spent $ 4.2 million to convert Missouri electors they should allow slot machines in their province. The ballot failed by 1/10 of 1 % , so gambling involvement spent another $ 11.5 million for a similar referendum in November, which passed. In Connecticut, chancing corporations spent $ 4.9 billion in a four-year-long failed attempt to acquire the province to allow the edifice of a casino in economically hard-pressed Bridgeport. ( Goddu E1 ) Gambling is by and large a well-regulated concern. Virtually every province that permits casino chancing or pari-mutuel betting has a province racing or chancing committee to supervise chancing activities. While today # 8217 ; s chancing industry is large concern tally by immense corporations, virtually every province regulated committee feels it must demo it is doing gave that no underworld or mob figures play a function in its province gaming activities. ( Ortiz 50 ) The committees besides controlled other activities such as how late casinos may remain unfastened and whether there will be bounds on betting. Since these ordinances are normally determined by province legislative assemblies, it is merely natural that chancing companies try to act upon their determinations through lobbyists and political contributions. ( Siebel 19 ) Resistance to Gambling The rapid enlargement of chancing across the United States has non been good received by all Americans. The failure of many chancing enterprises over the past few old ages indicates an resistance powerful plenty to either influence province statute law leting assorted signifiers of chancing in their province or to regulate adequate ballots to get the better of enterprises which would make the same thing. ( Siebel 27 ) A Moral Issue Many who oppose chancing see it morally or theologically incorrect. The domestic force and offense that might ensue from compulsive gaming could lead to the dislocation of the household and divorce. Gambling, particularly the lotteries, contribute to the attitude that a individual can acquire something for nil, a belief many people consider peculiarly harmful to the nation’s morality. The provinces, by administrating the lotteries, have become party to this. By approving gaming, authorities governments have contributed to doing chancing publically acceptable. Many oppositions believe that authorities and community leaders have had a pick between money and morality and, in all excessively many instances, have chosen money. Not merely have they degraded their ain unity, but they have besides debased the values of their communities. ( Donovon 45 ) Increased Addiction An estimated.7percentage of Americans are addicted to chancing. Perceivers estimate that with the increased chances to chance, the proportion of compulsive gamblers has increased to over 2 to 5 % of those who gamble. ( Siebel 35 ) Beting on Sports # 8220 ; Almost half of those surveyed by the Gallupp Poll thought wagering on professional athleticss should be banned altogether. # 8221 ; ( Ortiz 90 ) About 12 per centum of those interviewed had bet on professional athleticss at least one time in the last twelvemonth. Men, immature people, people populating in the metropolis, those with the same college instruction, and those who Bet on athleticss, at casinos, and at racecourses was most likely have placed a athleticss stake in the last twelvemonth. ( Siegel 96 ) Gambling in the Future The gaming industry is analyzing how to develop ways to let Americans to bet utilizing the Internet or overseas telegram telecasting. Presently, it is illegal to chance on the Internet because it violates the Interstate Wire Act. ( Goddu B5 ) Arguments back uping Gambling Americans by and large agree with the statements back uping gaming, many of which are economic. Most Americans agreed that chancing # 8220 ; creates occupations and helps excite the local economic system # 8221 ; . # 8220 ; About 3 out of 5 will chance anyhow so we might every bit good do it legal and roll up the money. # 8221 ; said one California city manager. ( Siebel 69 ) Arguments opposing Gambling In add-on, a bulk oppose to chancing. Stating # 8220 ; it # 8217 ; s the Satan # 8217 ; s work # 8221 ; . Over half the population agreed that chancing # 8220 ; encourages people who can least afford it to waste their money. # 8221 ; Sixty two per centum believed it # 8220 ; opened the door for organized crime. # 8221 ; Well over half thought chancing # 8220 ; can do compulsive gamblers out of people who would neer take part in illegal gambling. # 8221 ; ( Siebel 70 ) The moral statement, nevertheless, held small sway since hardly one-third believed gaming was immoral. Protestants were more than twice every bit likely as Catholics to believe gaming was immoral. Among the assorted Protestant denominations, Southern Baptist churchs were far more likely to believe gaming was immoral than were the other Protestant denominations. ( Siebel 71 ) Make You Know Anyone with a Gambling Problem? When asked if they knew anyone who now had, or did hold, a gaming job, three-fourthss did non cognize anyone. Fourteen per centum knew a friend and 13 per centum knew a relation. The male parent of 3 per centum and the partner of 2 per centum had a job. About 4 per centum said that chancing, by either respondent or a member of the household, had made his or her place life unhappy. When asked whether they knew anyone who gambled excessively much ( but did non needfully hold a gaming # 8220 ; job # 8221 ; ) , 28 per centum said they knew person with such a job. ( Savage 40 ) Most New Jerseyites believed that the province and the legal gaming companies should lend to educate province occupants about gaming and aid handle compulsive gamblers. A big bulk thought the province should supply instruction plans to pupils. A smaller bulk believed the province should supply support for intervention of compulsive gamblers. Almost three-fourths agreed that chancing companies should supply fiscal support for chancing plans. ( Savage 46 ) Attitudes Towards Legal Gambling The New Jersey survey found that while most occupants did non believe chancing was illegal most did believe that chancing entailed hazards to society. Merely 22 Percentage of those interviewed believed that chancing was immoral. Those over age 65 and those gaining less than $ 25,000 were most likely to believe gaming was immoral. ( Donovon 70 ) However, 66 per centum thought chancing # 8220 ; encouraged people who can least afford it to pass money gaming, # 8221 ; and 59 per centum thought that # 8220 ; chancing can gnaw immature people # 8217 ; s work ethics. # 8221 ; The respondents were equally split on whether # 8220 ; chancing Teachs kids that one can acquire something for nil # 8221 ; with 49 per centum agreeing and 48 per centum disagreeing. ( Siebel 82 ) Decision In decision gaming is all right every bit long as its is done in moderateness. Besides if you know that you have a job with chancing you should name the gamblers hotline so that you can acquire the aid that you need before it # 8217 ; s to late. I would besides wish to state I learned a batch from this research paper. I hope whomever reads this research paper does so to. Donovan, Hedley. The Gamblers. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1978. Goddu, Jenn. # 8220 ; Blue Chip lives up excessively most of its goals. # 8221 ; Hammond Post-Tribune 24 Feb. 1999: E1+ James, Rich. # 8220 ; All five casinos show January gross drop. # 8221 ; Hammond Post-Tribune 23 Feb. 1999: B5+ Ortiz, Darwin. Gambling Scams. New York: Dodd, Mead + Company, 1984. Savage, Jeff. A Certain Thing? . Gopher state: Lerner Publications Company, 1997. Siebel, Mark A, Nancy Jaids, and Alison Lanes. Gambling Crime or Recreation. Texas: Information Plus, 1996.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

What You Ought To Know About Choosing The Right College

High school seniors all over the world have been eagerly waiting to finally receive their college acceptance letters. Some may have already gotten more than one, while others are counting down the days till April 1st. Though you may have a dream school in mind, that doesnt mean you should quickly rule out the other schools you were also accepted to. There are a number of things to look consider, like financial aid and the types of classes offered . Whatever the reasons are, if youre struggling to decide where to commit, take some advice from our college users who have been through it all before:Liberal Arts Colleges798741280240737FB(Vassar College ‘19): I chose Vassar College because of its tight-knit community, open curriculum, and financial generosity. When I first visited, everyone was so nice and eager to help me answer my questions and make my decision. Furthermore, everyone was open and accepting of each others beliefs and differences. There are only 3 requirements in ter ms of courses and afterwards, I just need to fulfill major requirements while taking classes in subjects that interest me. Finally, I did not have any loans in my financial aid package due to Vassars commitment to meeting 100% demonstrated financial need.dddominica:I fell in love with an all-womens school for the camaraderie that it brings. Theres taboo out there about selecting a gender exclusive school, but I really feel that this small liberal arts school, complete with strong-willed and diverse students is someplace I want to belong. I spent countless nights researching statistics, reading up on current students blogs, and one fact about Smith that always came up was how friendly and inviting the population is. In addition, Smith College gave great financial aid, is surrounded by beautiful scenery, and guaranteed an amazing education. I used niche.com predominantly in making my college selection because it was too far away to visit! I made a list of pros and cons for each school , and while it finally came down to which was the best financial choice, I love Smith College.West vs. Eastalijetv(Stanford ‘19): I chose to attend Stanford because it is a university with the opportunities and quality of an ivy league school but without the ego. While everyone there is extremely intelligent and hard working, they dont seem to take themselves too seriously and the competition between students does not seem as intense. Instead, Stanford stresses collaboration, especially interdisciplinary collaboration, instead of cutthroat competition. I was also sold by Stanfords new commitment to the arts, as they seem to pouring a lot of money into their arts and humanities programs right now, and it seems that as a more humanities and arts centered student, I would be in the right place at the right time.MPaike96: Choosing an early action/decision school was extremely difficult. My interests are varied, but I knew I wanted a school with: 1) a strong cognitive sciences prog ram; 2) strong research; and 3) great humanities. This narrowed down my list to: MIT, Harvard, and Stanford. I nixed MIT because, despite my love for the campus and the (surprising) strength of its programs, I did not sense much of a humanities presence. To be fair, Harvard v. Stanford is comparing apples to oranges: Harvard has a (surprisingly) great computer science program, while Stanford has a (surprisingly) great philosophy program! Both schools also have excellent cognitive science interfaculty initiatives. I chose Harvard because I preferred Boston as a college town and I love changing seasons.UC SchoolsAmairani Rolon (UCLA ‘18): I had narrowed my options down to UC Berkeley and UCLA. I ultimately chose UCLA over Berkeley because of the location and the atmosphere. Coming from a small town I wanted to be in a big city, and experience something different to what I was used to. It is half an hour away from downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. There is always something to d o. Also, UCLA has that Southern California warm weather that I love and it is only twenty minutes away from the beach. Plus, its about two and a half hours away from home. I felt like this was a good distance, since I was far away from home to feel independent and close enough to go home when I needed or wanted to. In general, I also preferred the atmosphere UCLA.GoBears: I ultimately decided to choose the University of California, Berkeley after doing extensive research of each school I was accepted to. I researched internship, research, and post-college opportunities for students of my majors (Business Administration and Computer Science) and analyzed which school topped the charts in these fields and had the characteristics of a university that I enjoyed. For example, one of the schools I was accepted to did not have any sports teams or sports programs and I was averse to selecting that school - even though it had a great Business Program - because I knew I wanted to go to a univ ersity that had the school spirit and sports culture. One of the main things about choosing a school to attend is that you pick a school that you know you will be happy at. Dont choose a university just because it is ranked really high - you may end up hating your time in college.To Ivy or not?Andk: Before choosing Duke, I was stuck between Duke and Penn. Both schools are of equal esteem, so I decided to visit them to get a better idea of what I wanted. I ultimately chose Duke because I viewed the school as one giant community. Since Duke is situated in Durham, a somewhat bland city, students are on campus most of the time. This creates an environment where students live together, do homework together, go to classes together, and hang out together. Most of the social events are on campus or at venues within walking distance of campus, rather than at far-off bars and clubs in the city. At Penn, the city of Philadelphia offers so many exciting places to visit that students often stray from the campus on weekends, making the community feel less unified than at Duke. I chose Duke because I valued strong solidarity and community among students over living in an exciting city. For other people, the opposite may be true. Another selling point was the fact that Duke shines in basketball. AtDuke, you can get the academic experience of an Ivy League with the sports experience of a state university. Duke is one of the few top schools with a thriving school spirit, due in large part to its basketball team. Lastly, I felt that Duke would give me more freedom in choosing my courses, major, and minor as my interests evolved. I applied to Duke for Mechanical Engineering, but discovered during my first semester of freshman year that I was more interested in economics and finance. I was allowed to take several economics courses and zero engineering courses, despite the fact that I was enrolled at the engineering school until the end of the school year. Switching out of the engineering school at Duke was easy and painless; all I was required to do was meet with a dean and fill out a simple online form. At Penn, I would have been more confined to the engineering school. If I had wanted to switch to the business school, there would have been a rigorous application process. Additionally, I would have only been able to take a certain number of courses from the business school. At Duke, you can take whatever courses you want, permitting that the schedule for your major can fit them.Buttsc: Having already discussed my post-undergraduate plans, my ultimate choice related strongly to this plan. I talked to everyone whos opinion I value the most and the quote I heard the most was that I cant go wrong either way once I had narrowed it down to two choices. As I already said, I did not choose until the day before the deadline so clearly I had an incredibly hard time. It just made it even harder when my two best friends had committed to the two choices I narrowed down to. It made me feel like I had to choose one friend over another. To get on with how I chose, once I felt like I had exhausted all of my resources, I asked a friend who I never thought to ask. My friend had an older sister and older brother who had been through extensive education and knew a lot about different universities. After having talked to my friends older sister, she enforced the fact that its much harder to attain a strong economic and quantitative background in grad school than it would be to attain the international side of my interests. To go along with this, she also reinforced something in my mind that the school I would not be choosing has an amazing law school and an amazing program that would be ideal for my passion while the undergraduate opportunities at the school I would choosing are nearly limitless. If I had not talked to my friends sister, I might still be choosing today or I may even be at home convincing myself that no choice was the right choice. In the end, your personal feelings matter most, but to have someone to cons ult is always extremely helpful.College is where you’ll spend 4 years of your life learning, developing critical skill sets, and expanding your social circle. Make sure you choose the school that is the right fit for you because a shiny title is not a guarantee of success or of a fulfilling college career. Make an informed choice by talking to current students on ourmentorship platform. Access 60,000+ successfulcollege application filesuploaded by college students (they get paid when you view them). is a community of students helping students. Our goal is to bring much-needed transparency to higher education.