As a senior in high school, I am often asked questions, such as where are you going to college? For a long time, I did not have an answer to this difficult question. However, with experiences, research and prayer, I found the answer.

This past weekend, I decided that I will attend Arizona State University next fall. The school is one where I enjoy the social feel and I can excel at my major, sports journalism. I am not sure I would have found out that Arizona State is where I am supposed to be if it weren’t for a couple things I did to prepare for making this potentially life-changing decision.

Something that gave me clarity to make this important was extensive research. I spent plenty of time on the Internet trying to determine which programs sounded the most interesting and get a grasp for life on campus.

Doing this helped my decision tremendously, as I got to see the specializations each school offered me in my degree. For example, I discovered that Arizona State student journalists not only have a chance to cover Sun Devil athletics, but they are also offered the opportunity to cover professional sports. I found that it was hard for other schools to compete with these types of opportunities.

Research not only helped me get a grasp for degree plans and academics, but I also looked into the life on each school’s campus. I found out that a couple of the schools I was considering had quite a few negative rankings on the Princeton Review, which ranks several aspects of campus life, which include “Students Study the Most” and “Top Party Schools.” For instance, the rankings of some of the schools I was considering included “Lots of Hard Liquor” and “Students Study the Least.” These lists did not make the final decision on why I did not choose these schools, but they did not help.

In addition to research, I also visited all of my top schools and did summer programs at some of them. This helped tremendously when making my final decision because I found things that I loved at some schools, but some that I hated at others. In the summer, I was selected to attend a summer program at Arizona State, which was awesome. I found how great and innovative the school’s sports journalism program was, and also how much I loved ASU’s campus.

On the other hand, a summer program at University of Missouri, which was previously a top school of mine, helped shut the door on my interest of the school. I discovered how Missouri was very sensitive and easily triggered compared to my other top schools. They declared their entire campus a “safe space” and had a campus riot last November. I left the program and decided I would never come back to the school.

Finally, thought and prayer is key when trying to decide which school is best for you. I often found myself evaluating the pros and cons of my top schools in my thoughts. Prayer was also vital to me finding where I wanted to attend. With this thought and prayer, I found the decision was starting to become clearer, and I ultimately decided months before I thought I would.

Of course, not everyone wants to pursue sports journalism, but the process I took to deciding on my school can be followed by most anyone. Best of luck to those who are looking to make a college decision soon.