What I wish I knew in 12th grade—

Determine what you're looking for in a college and go to the school that just feels right

After more than 2 years of college, high school seems so far away. Gone are the days when I'm in class from 8 am until 3 in the afternoon, followed by sports practice until dark. Nevertheless, I still remember the agonizing college search process that you're experiencing right now.

Like many high school students I knew where I wanted to go to college and was constantly worrying about whether or not I was going to get into UNC. It's easy to fall in this trap and get fixated on only one place being right for you. My advice to seniors in the college process is to determine what you're looking for in a college before considering a college on its name alone. For example, some people will apply to a variety of Ivy league schools just because they want to go to a school with that prestige.

As a tour guide at UNC, I always tell my groups that I'm not here to recruit them to UNC, but rather to tell them what Carolina can offer. I want these prospective students to determine for themselves if Carolina is the school for them. For me, Carolina has been the perfect choice because it fits with what I'm looking for in a college. I was lucky in that my dream school matched my personality and felt right when I visited. Others, however, are not so lucky and end up going to a school because of parental influence, the school has a higher ranking, or they want to follow a girlfriend or boyfriend. Unfortunately, they later discover that they convinced themselves into the wrong choice. Do not let this happen to you as college is truly awesome if you go to the place that just feels right.