College Considerations

I'm a quarter through with my last year of high school, which means that very, very shortly I am to send out applications to all the colleges I'm toying with the idea of trying to go to. A lot of my peers have already applied- and been accepted into- their college of choice; I've yet to fully apply for college.

In fact, I can hardly decide which of the several colleges which interest me I'd like:

• College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine;


• Warren Wilson in Asheville, North Carolina;


• Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida;


• Reed College in Portland, Oregon;


• Yale in New Haven, Connecticut (it's very vegan-friendly..);


• University of South Florida (ehhh........) in Tampa, Floirda; etc.

(These are the main ones as of the moment.)

My guidance counselor suggests applying to six or so colleges, so I guess I'll be applying for all of those... But first I need to prove that I'm poor enough to warrant and application fee waiver for all of them, determine whether I'm up to par with some of their standards, and whether I want to live in that location. It's all very strange to me: I spent some number of years yearning for the adventure and mystery that would be college (if I could ever get there... Will I?) and now it is close at hand, and I have tethered parts of me down, for the worse or for the better.