<p>Lately I have found myself giving back on these forums. Offering encouragement on a "chance thread", adding to an essay idea, or simply listing a few colleges that might fit a certain applicant's wishes.</p>
<p>I remember when I discovered these forums a year back or so. I was mystified at how involved the college process was. I'll be honest, I was quite intimidated, yet also excited for the challenges that awaited me.</p>
<p>I was often a lurker. I would log on occasionally, read through a few threads, and by the end of the day I would have completely different college plans. All of you folks are quite influential!</p>
<p>At one point I was sure I was majoring in Public Policy/Humanities and applying to Brown, Dartmouth, NYU, and Texas A&M...just to name a few. At another point it was Political Science, and then later it was Environmental Studies. Now it is Business and Secondary Education, but I completley forsee change as I begin to develop a passion for what I want to do and what I want to learn. This has truly been a whirlwind of knowledge cast upon me. I feel like a spider web that has absorbed so much information.</p>
<p>I thank you all greatly for your contributions to this forum. Without you, I would have never discovered SAT II's, or understood that you can actually self-study AP Classes at your school. I never would have grasped FAFSA, Fastweb, US News, and finding the right "fit", even if it lacked what others sometimes call prestige.</p>
<p>Someday I am pretty sure I want to go to graduate school, whether it be Public Administration, Public Health, Law, or going for an MBA degree. I understand my financial situation perfectly, as well as my ties back home to my family here in Ohio and the support that I want to continue to give to my brother who will be a rising freshmen at the same high school that I will be a senior. For that reason, I have decided simply to find a school that loves me for exactly who I am. Not the "smarter me", or the "more independent me", or even the "more preppy me".</p>
<p>I have ten schools finally selected to apply to. All are different in numerous ways, and I know all would offer me something great. Conveniently, seven of them are with the Common Application Program. It is always great to cut some slack in the work load. I also know that financially, a good number of these schools will be able to offer me an affordable education through the merit aid I need to achieve my dreams. </p>
<p>I am applying to Ohio Wesleyan University, Xavier University, Bowling Green State University, Capital University, The University of Dayton, The College of Wooster, Marquette University, St. Louis University, John Carroll University, and The Ohio State University. I anticipate a hard decision in the near future, but I am happy now that I have the options to truly evaluate all of my choices.</p>
<p>Again, I thank anyone who has ever contributed in anyway to College Confidential. I hope and pray that all of you find the same security that I have found within the college process. God bless and good luck.</p>
<p>--Nathan</p>