AHhhh! College!!

It's March, and that means the last batch of college admissions, scholarship selections, and program decisions are coming out. It's March, and I'm freaking out.

For the past six-ish months, I've delved into a world I knew little about - a world of advanced chemical processes, medical strategies, and fascinating imaging techniques, a world that indirectly, though enormously, affects lives everyday, and a world that I've grown to love.

But in less than five more months, I'll be entering another new world... the world of college.

Even though I haven't even heard back from my three top choices, I've knocked them off my list. Why? Because I know that in order to do what I want, I must earn a Ph.D., which means I must save money on an undergraduate degree. So I've narrowed my list of thirteen to a list of three: UT, UTD, and Alabama. And I'm glad to say that, with the arrival of one of two letters (whose implications I won't detail) I'll have made my decision in the next 24 hours.

ISM has changed me. Not just because I've learned so much about one topic, but because I've become more confident, more proactive, and more able to advocate for myself. That's certainly been useful in the college admissions process, but these skills are things I'll carry with me throughout college, into internships, leadership roles, and eventually, a job. Because, let's be honest, the end goal is to get a job, right?

Making a decision is scary. My favorite decision is one that can easily be changed, but the funny thing about putting down a deposit for enrollment, and another for housing, is that is can easily be changed, but not without losing about five hundred dollars. So here I am, having made a plethora of decisions this year about where to apply, what to study, and who to choose as a mentor, and I'm still trying to grow a little - just enought to make one BIG decision about the next four years. Wish me luck

Until next week,

Megan Rondinelli