Mastering the art of making decisions

The process of selecting a college is essentially equivalent to online dating. First you skim through profiles, noting which campuses attract your eye, and then look to see if they share your interests. You check if they are local, become aware of your preferences on long distance relationships or whether you would be willing to move.
After picking a handful of candidates, you show you’re interested with an application, and if they feel the same way, you’ll receive an acceptance letter and you can start planning a date.
Narrowing down which college is “the one,” however, isn’t as simple and formulaic. It’s OK to be picky and look for any faults within the candidates that could potentially make you unhappy, but you also need to be wary of losing sight of the big picture. Choosing a college is a big commitment, and although you can always transfer, most seniors, like anyone in the dating game, hope that they will make the right decision the first time around.  
Naturally, a decision like this is concentrated to the brink with pressure and anxiety, but also a sense of liberty and purpose. From the day we are born our home is chosen for us, and now this is the first time in our lives where the choice is up to us.
In my mind, selecting a college also felt similar to those “You Decide Your Fate” children’s books where Choice “A” will lead you to your destination, Choice “B” will get you lost in a forest and Choice “C,” more brutally, will get you mauled by a tiger. At first I felt that if I made the wrong decision the entire whole of my future would be crumble. However, I realized that the future is not a physical object that could break if not handled with care, and that I need not be afraid of making a mistake, because no matter how hard you try, you can never predict what will be. With this in mind, I let myself decide which college seemed to be the best for me in the present.

It very is possible that the date, May 1, will be branded in my mind forever. Even though I made my decision a week prior to this deadline, it still reminds me how quickly the whirlwind of ambiguity that blocks our future can pass to reveal crystal-blue skies.
For nearly a year, the search for a college has been my main priority. Now, with a deposit of $250 that, compared to the thousands I will have to pay for my schooling, seems too minute to actually hold my place as an upcoming student, I can officially say that I am done. It’s comforting watching all of my peers’ lives fall into place around me, and knowing that I can celebrate with sentiments of relief and excitement right along with them. Although the decision-making process doesn’t end here (there are still roommates to pick, majors to explore etc.) at least I can say that I’ve mastered the art of  “pros and cons” lists and that I am well prepared to face any future decisions that come my way.

Kohn, a senior a Lawrence High School, will attend SUNY New Paltz and major in journalism.