My College Search Process

Hey everyone,

So I think it's time to tell you about how I ended up coming to Coe.  At first, I was really overwhelmed with all the colleges out there.  How on earth would I pick one, I thought to myself.  Finally when the end of my junior year came around I started to really look at colleges.  I visited some in Wisconsin such as Lawrence University and Marquette and also decided to check out colleges in Iowa.  During August the summer before my senior year I visited three private Iowa colleges as part of Iowa's Private College Week: Drake University, Cornell and Coe.  My mom, sister and I made the trek to Iowa and we had a great time.  Coe was my last stop on our trip and Coe really made an impact.  My mom always tells people that during my visit to Coe I leaned over to her and said, "Mom I can really see myself here."  And I could.  But it was still too early to tell.

Senior year began and I ended up applying to five colleges: Augustana (Rock Island, IL), Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI), Drake University (Des Moines, IA), Luther College (Decorah, IA) and Coe.  I was accepted at all five but it wasn't until January did my college search process kick into high gear.  My mom, dad and I visited each of the colleges, usually during their scholarship weekend and also tried to observe some classes.  We had it down to a science: we wanted to see an English class (since I'm interested in majoring in English), a French class (because I love French) and a Psychology class (because I loved taking AP Psychology in high school).  We also met with the music professors at each college because I was interested in continuing my clarinet playing.  This is really nice because I was able to judge the colleges on a fair playing field because I looked into the same things at each college.  I meet a lot of people on my visits and learned so much about each college.  But still no choice.  As the May 1st deadline got closer people kept asking, "So Hailley where are you going next year?"  And I would always say, "I don't know but I have until May 1st you know!"  

Once April came around I was down to two colleges: Luther and Coe.  To try to make my final and biggest decision I visited Luther and Coe one final time.  I observed similar classes at each one and meet with professors in the same areas.  And suddenly one week, I knew: it was Coe.  I don't remember the exact moment I knew but one day it was just clear.  For me, Coe had everything I wanted: small campus, small class sizes, a strong English and Creative Writing programs, the Writing Center, a band I could see myself playing in, and a campus community I knew I could become a part of.  It was one of the best feelings in the world when I decided Coe.  My mom continues her story of me choosing Coe by saying that I was on cloud nine when I picked Coe.  "She was just so happy, it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders," she tells everyone.  And it was.

To talk a little bit more about my visits to Coe I made three: one in August (Iowa's Private College Week), one in February for Scholarship Weekend, one in April for the Writing Center Competition.  During Scholarship Weekend I did an overnight which was a lot of fun and gave me a chance to really see what students do on campus.  I stayed with a girl named Amber who is now a senior at Coe.  One of the things that really attracted me to Coe was knowing people and just the people I met when I was with Amber smile and wave at me when I see them around campus today.  That feeling of acceptance and acknowledgement is such a great feeling and one of Coe's strongest attributes.  I also talked to a current Coe student who happened to be a Boy Scout in the troop my dad and brother are a part of.  We had coffee and hot chocolate one night during Coe's Winter Break and he gave me the scoop on why he loves Coe.  It was nice hearing from him because he was really passionate about Coe and you could tell he was loving there.  

So my college search process was intense but it led me here.  Get ready for the next post: where I live and who I live with on campus!