<p>I went to a flagship state public in a great plains state. There were a number of reasons why I chose it:</p>
<p>1) It was out of state, but close - only about 3 hours from home which was perfect. I didn’t have to deal with the people from HS, but if I needed to go home for a weekend it wasn’t a big deal. </p>
<p>2) I got a scholarship so that I only paid instate tuition. This was key to getting my parents to pay for my college expenses so I had no debt from undergrad.</p>
<p>3) The size was big. I graduated from one of the larger HS in my home state (with about 440 students) and in a major metropolitan area, so I wasn’t intimidated by size but didn’t think that I would be interested in a smaller school. </p>
<p>4) My parents are both alumni of the same school, so I grew up supporting the athletic programs of the school. Division I sports were important for me coming out of HS and I wanted a place where the students were enthusiastic about supporting the team. </p>
<p>5) I got into the honors program. I didn’t keep my grades high enough to stay in (a little too much partying freshman year) but in the end it wasn’t like being in the honors program would have really affected my education - my HS performance had been good enough to get invited by a number of departments to take honors sections if interested. </p>
<p>6) I didn’t realize it at the time, but after graduating, I’m glad the school had a great Fraternity/Sorority system - definitely impacted my undergrad experience in the most positive way imagination.</p>
<p>7) At the time, coming out of HS there was a girl…but we only lasted together for about 6 weeks. Luckily there were other positive aspects that were more than enough to make my choice worth it.</p>
<p>In the end, I graduated in four years and commencement was the saddest day of my life. I was accepted to two medical schools and have continued my education at the College of Medicine in the same state as my undergrad university. I should note that the nature of med school admissions severely favors in-state applicants and so the fact that I stayed in the midwest shouldn’t be an indictment that my education limited me and my opportunities.</p>