Applying to College

About a year ago I began the preparation of applying to my chosen colleges. I am generally a very proactive person, but I know people who are the complete opposite and ended up putting off applications until their due dates. For about a year, I was certain that I would end up going to Clemson University in South Carolina. I visited the campus twice, and absolutely loved it. On a whim, I decided to apply to the University of Georgia, because it also had everything I was looking for (including my major, which most schools do not have). I ended up being accepted at every school I applied to, and chose to visit Clemson and UGA within the same weekend, so that I would be able to compare my top two schools back-to-back. I ended up falling in love with the University of Georgia. The campus is beautiful year round, they have a well developed genetics program, and a tremendous greek system. I am so glad that I ultimately chose UGA, and I am so excited to be a Dawg! I wanted to share some of my tips with y'all, because my application and decision making process was fairly smooth sailing.

1. Do your research- Find out everything there is to know about your top schools. This will make your college visits and final decisions much easier!

2. Create a list of all of the colleges that you are interested in and their stats- It was very helpful for me to have all the facts about each school displayed in front of me, and made narrowing down my choices much easier. I ended up making a spread sheet on Microsoft Office to do so.

3. Visit each school that you are applying to- It is 100% true that you will not be able to tell if you truly love a school without visiting the campus. The school's atmosphere is definitely a part of the experience.

4. Get your applications done early- I had all of my applications submitted by early October, which allowed for a relatively stress-free application process. This also gave me the opportunity to apply for early action (non-binding) application review, and receive my admission status early in the winter/spring. 

Sweet Georgia Peach

I spent this past weekend (Friday-Monday) traveling through South Carolina and Georgia to make my college decision. I had a really good time with my family. The weather was beautiful for the most part (upper 50s and 60s) which is much, much, much warmer than it is back home. The South truly is a beautiful place, and I could not be more excited to be able to call it my future home. 

While in Athens, I came across some great places to eat and shop. My favorite was Mama's Boy. Wow. It had been recommended to us by multiple people that we had met in town, and they were right, it was fantastic. It is true "Southern" food. The breakfast options were lengthy, and all sounded fantastic, but the biscuit was definitely one of the best things I have ever eaten. I also stumbled upon the famous Red Dress Boutique and bought a really cute dress for spring. The store was adorable and the girls working were very nice. My last favorite from Athens is Insomnia Cookies. This cookie bakery serves warm freshly-baked cookies from 7 AM until 3 AM, and they were absolutely delicious.

I ended up absolutely falling in love with the University of Georgia. The town of Athens has so much character, and I definitely felt at home. My major, which will be genetics, is developed at UGA and will provide me with lots of great opportunities and background before medical school. I am also planning on rushing in the fall, and the sororities (and their houses) at UGA are phenomenal. The campus itself is beautiful and the student life seems to be exactly what I am looking for. I am proud to say that I will be a Georgia Dawg!

Tuesday Two {10}

This past Saturday, I received some very exciting news! I was accepted at UGA for Genetics! 

These winter-themed Diet Coke cans are getting me into the holiday spirit!

I only have one more day of school (half day, actually) until my "Thanksgiving break", and I'm very excited to have a break for a few days. This year I am planning on watching the entire parade! I hope y'all are having a great week so far, and be on the lookout for upcoming holiday posts!