This Week in Education College Final Decision

Start an Office Pool

You know how it works.  Everybody throws a dollar into a pool and takes their best guess as to an outcome.  We all have run across pools for various reasons.  Sporting events and even births of babies have been placed in pools.  Make your guess and if it's correct you take all the cash in the pool.  Our pool will be what college did my daughter chose.  Where will she end up.  Will it be a university far away or close to home.  So chuck a buck in the hat and take your chance at winning it all.  In previous posts, I told and showed you the schools that we took one of our college road trips to.  Do you remember the Socal, Southern California, college swing?  Check out the April 11th blog, This Week in Education College Road Trips.  We visited the University of Southern California, San Diego State, University California Los Angeles, and University California Riverside which she had guaranteed acceptance to because she was in the top nine percent of California high school students.

Building at USC

Strolling at UCLA

A place to study at San Diego State

All of these are beautiful campuses that offer a rich college environment.  They each have or have had excellent sports teams to give students college spirit.  They have quality academic programs with famous alumni.  Could it be one of these prestigious schools, or one of the Norcal, Northern California, schools?  

These school are closer to where we currently live.  These universities were featured in my April 21st blog.  Since we were much closer, we were able to visit more of these schools.  For those of you wishing to play the game and enter our imaginary pool these are the possible choices for Northern California:  San Jose State, San Fransisco State, University California Santa Cruz, University California Davis, and Stanford.  

San Jose State, they all seem to have towers

A beautiful day at San Fransisco State

Pacific Ocean and tall Redwoods of UC Santa Cruz

A campus that made bicycles popular UC Davis

Hoover Tower and a father's dream 

So there they are the universities that we traveled to in order to give our daughter a clear choice for her future.  We stayed a total eight days at three Embassy Suites Hotel.  We traveled nearly two thirds the length of the state of California easily over 1200 miles.  So what are your picks?  Before you go all in, I'll let you know that she was not accepted at USC and Stanford.  I'll never forget seeing the look on her face when the she received that business sized envelope from USC.  She knew that that was not the same large envelope that contained the necessary forms for acceptance and enrollment.  Stanford emailed her that she was not accepted.  I was ready to box up the Cardinal Red Stanford hoodie that she wore proudly and send it back to them with a letter telling them of the intelligent hard working young lady the were passing up.

The final choice is, drum roll, University California Santa Barbara.  

Did that come from left field or what.  Good thing this is not an actual pool.  How did she come to this decision?  Two years ago, my wife was an advisor for a program for elementary school students who are interested in science, math, and engineering.  It is called MESA, Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement.  Competitions are held at the local area and winners from these contests are then able to go to the state finals.  As an advisor, my wife got to take her mentees to those finals held at University California Santa Barbara.  She was allowed to take our twins, who were sophomores in high school, with her to the MESA Event.  They all came home talking glowingly about the UCSB campus.  They loved the weather, and the fact that is was located at the beach on the Pacific Ocean.

Sunshine and fine weather

Michael Douglas walked this path

Coral trees are in bloom

She made your dream, Nonna

UCSB Library

Peaceful lagoon

Student Union seating with a view

"Ring dem bells" for Marge

 After all the time, expense, and distance traveled, she chose University California Santa Barbara.  Maybe seeing all the other campuses only solidified her decision to attend UCSB.  As a father it is a little difficult to drive to and has limited air service.  This may be why it was chosen, because it gives her independence.  I am extremely proud of both children.  I am proud of my daughter.  She did all the hard work to get there.  I also know that her Grandmother Marge and her Nonna would have also been pleased and proud.  May they watch over her always.