Until the last year, my ambition was to attend the University of Nebraska and study nursing. That way, I could get a full scholarship, ace a public university's easy classes, sit in the student section at Husker football games, see a lot of my high school friends, and be able to go out and have fun in a city I know well instead of just studying. These were my reasons to attend UNL.
The only other college on my radar was Hillsdale (where my sister attends), a very intellectual liberal arts school that is one of the most difficult colleges in the nation. I had dismissed Hillsdale in my mind, telling myself this was because it was too far away and wasn't a good college to study science anyway, but my real reason had been that I didn't think it was fun enough.
My realization came in July when I took part in a girls' Bible study on Ruth. One week, the question was posed: did Ruth really want to stay with Naomi? The leader of our study made the point that the biggest decisions we ourselves make often reveal our deepest desires. Perhaps Ruth didn't want to stay with Naomi–who, in her situation, really would? But more than to please herself, Ruth desired to do what was best for Naomi (even though Naomi told her to go) and what was best for herself (not the same as what she might have liked).
I pondered this and eventually came to the conclusion that my reasons for wanting to attend UNL were all wrong. Don't get me wrong–there are good reasons to attend the University of Nebraska, but mine were not good. I began thinking about college entirely differently, asking questions like: what is best for me as a person? what college will benefit my future life the most?
I came to the conclusion that Hillsdale is what is best for me. I need to be challenged, taken out of my comfort zone, and educated on what it means to be human instead of simply what I have to know to get the right job. Hillsdale has an excellent community of students–the kind with whom I want to engage and make lifelong friendships.
If the price of my college education is five figures, whether I, my family, or a scholarship pays for it, I'd be a terrible steward to make my college decision based on fun. Instead, I decided to follow Ruth's example and do what will truly be good for me as a person.
