By Nadja Jauregui
Put yourself back into your high school senior shoes for a second. What stages and emotions were you going through at this time?
You were no more than 18 or 19 years old and having to make a huge decision – choosing a college. Your mailbox soon started getting frequent letters from colleges around the country.
With so many to choose from, it made the decision process that much harder, and you had no idea if you were making the best choice.
I remember getting mail from Florida Southern and getting really interested in attending. I went through the whole process. I applied, got scholarships, and got accepted.
However, I still had never even stepped foot onto this campus. How would I know that I truly wanted to go here for the next four years?
That’s when Scholars Weekend came into action.
Because of my ACT score, I got my plane ticket covered by the school, and I didn’t spend a dime during my two days at Florida Southern. It was during these two days that I realized I wanted to spend the next four years here. I was greeted with a friendly smile and hello from every person that I came across!
The fact that it’s such a small, involved campus appealed to me. I wanted to be able to stand out and be more than just another number. I got to learn about my major during the tour and found out about their amazing internship program. Not only that, but I learned about the Junior Journey program as well!
It was one great thing after the other during my weekend. I met some of my potential professors, and I got better insight on what I’d be doing in my major.
I wanted to make sure I was getting a better opportunity here than I would have at my college back home. Florida Southern guaranteed graduation in four years, study abroad, and financial aid.
Those were all the things I was looking for, not to mention that the campus is absolutely beautiful and well taken care of.
After all the technical stuff was out of the way, there were a plethora of activities to do that night!
From pancakes to video games to Greek life and Studio Box, it was pretty much understood that I would not be sleeping that night. All these events made me confident that I’d never be bored here, and it would make being away from home a little easier.
I was introduced to many friendly new faces that night. Little did I know that I’d be seeing those same faces that upcoming fall.
Scholars Weekend was just what I needed to help me reach my decision about college. The minute I stepped foot onto that campus, I knew this was the school for me.
Being able to actually spend a whole day learning about the school and getting to meet actual students gave me that personal connection I longed for. I was no longer that scared senior in college. Scholars weekend changed me into a confident, anxious future Moc.
