So, I’ve made a mistake or two in my life. Human and all. But to me, the biggest mistake of my life and one that I’ll never be able to right, is my choice of college. I didn’t try hard enough in high school. If I had, I could have gone to a better school than I did. Money was a factor too. Neither of my parents went to college and I don’t think either had any idea how college gets paid for. And thus, I ended up at a state college 20 miles from my home, just like I had said I wouldn’t throughout my childhood.
If you could indulge me in a fit of grandeur, I’d like to be 17 again and get to choose where I would spend the next five years of my life (Yes, I’m going to take an extra year too).
There’s a lot that plays into the decision of where to go to college. Majors. That’s very important. I went to a school whose broadcasting/communication department was markedly behind the facilities I used in high school. I probably could have done some investigation into that matter prior to applying to BSC. But I didn’t. And my dream of being a broadcaster was sort of dead on arrival.
Beyond education, there’s a lot more though that should go into the undergrad decision. Like athletics (if you like that sort of thing). And location. And thus, weather. Internship opportunities are huge because you don’t get a job without one unless you’re lucky or “know people” (neither of these apply to me). And there’s other stuff too. So where should 25 year old Jason pretending he’s 17 years old go to college? Let’s break it down.
I’m going to major in communication no matter what, I feel. It’s just what I enjoy. I don’t have the voice for broadcasting though, so I’ll need to learn how to do other things. I’m thinking I’d like to be a video editor. Or maybe a more successful version of what I am now. A cool advance person. So who has a great communication program and the opportunity to intern in a place where I can get my foot in the door? (I’m using U.S. News and World Report) Carnegie-Mellon University is regarded as the best school for Communication/Media. And I like Pittsburgh a lot. But the weather would be tough and the school isn’t exactly an athletic juggernaut. The next two, California Institute of the Arts and Rhode Island School of Design have obvious flaws (athletics, one of them is in Rhode Island). Needing a school with athletics, my options in the top 10 are UCLA, USC, and Virginia Commonwealth. The latter is eliminated because it is in Richmond, VA. The other two are too easy. Huge athletic programs. In Los Angeles. Lots of feelings of entitlement. I’ve never encountered a person in my life from either school that could be considered “down to earth,” and it’s understandable. I mean, it’s L.A. And it’s not for me.
So I resign myself to the fact that I’m not going to get a Top-10 school, but really, I’m not exactly Top-10 material.
Now is probably a good time to describe what I want in the athletic world. I want a school where there is a passionate fanbase and a successful basketball or football (preferably the latter) team, but not USC successful. I don’t necesarily want to root for a football factory. I want a program. And a Division I program. So every state school that doesn’t have a Division I basketball and football program, please take a hike.
When it comes to weather, I’m flexible. I don’t need to be in Hawaii. In fact, it would be too expensive. I also don’t want the University of Maine (for a variety of reasons). My ideal climate is whatever you call Berkeley, California’s climate. Or something close to it.
So here we are. I want a school with good athletics, enjoyable weather, decent opportunity for post-college success, and a communication program that is better than my high school’s. But there’s something that we’ve missed. Location! What if I could get all of these things while also living in a big city without all of L.A.’s pretense? Where can I do that?
University of Washington
I’d have a Pac-10 athletic program. Not too much success, but enough that I’d want to go to all of the games and root for the teams. The weather is not a problem. I’m not that concerned about it being cloudy. I would have plenty of internship opportunities living in Seattle. Oh, and I’d live in Seattle. And, low and behold, they have my major.
So now it’s your turn, readers of the Mid-Atlantic Bias (now the Pacific Northwest Bias). If you could do it all again, where would you end up?
Mid-Atlantic Bias 