Assignment #7- Haley Noehren- The not-so-Distant Future of College

I've always grown up on a college campus. From VMI in Lexington, VA, to University of Delaware, and finally here at UK, I found myself somewhere on campus at least once a week. For the first half of my life my family moved from school to school as my dad got his PhD, finally settling here when he was offered a position at UK. Growing up I always said I would attend UK. It made sense, my dad worked there and I often helped him organize his lab or even attend a few of his lectures. Entering high school, my perspective shifted and I began to realize just how many schools there were out in the big wide world. But during this exciting time of finding a college that suited my needs for a future career, there was also the unsaid pressure to consider one school in particular' BYU. 

Brigham Young University, or BYU, is not a really well known university. If you have heard of it I can usually assume one of three things; you are mormon, you know the sports teams (specifically their cross country and track teams), or you are just really knowledgeable about colleges. Well, if you assumed the first option about me, then congratulations, you are correct. Besides the obvious religious reasons to attend BYU, it also offers many academic opportunities for me. As a mormon, it's common to want to attend BYU, but I have always wanted to keep my options open. I want to pursue a degree in psychology or enter into a criminology program, so what schools give me that opportunity? I haven't done too much research yet, but I know what criteria my ideal college will need to meet. 

There are many aspects that excite me about college. Making new friends, and living on my own are both scary and exciting prospects. But I can't wait too finally narrow in on an area of study that really interests me and grow my knowledge there. The education that I receive there will be important in carrying me, hopefully, into the FBI or a criminal profiling agency. My grades and education have always been important to me, and I can wait to see what I can do at college.  

Currently my two top options are BYU and the University of Virginia, two schools that I have looked into, and have found that they would help me grow in the field of psychology. Obviously, UK is my back-up, but it's possible that I may end up there too. John Hopkins also has a really great psychology program, but I've considered that for a graduate program, rather than undergraduate, incase I change my mind and don't want to be stuck with a psych degree forever. The future is full of possibilities, and frankly, I have not considered enough of them. But the few I have considered seem very promising, and hopefully they take me far in life.