Big Decisions

We decided to combine our big trip to Utah with some college visits for Madison. It seems a little crazy to think that she's going to be heading off to college a year from now! She's not really interested in many east coast schools but does like the idea of heading west for school.  I'm not sure if it's the distance from us, the proximity to extended family, or something entirely different that's appealing to her about going to college two thousand miles away from where she currently lives.

Our first stop was the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The campus tour at UW was really well done. We were able to see pretty much all the buildings on the campus - but that's probably because the school is pretty small - we also had time to explore on our own in between the official tour and her meeting with the Education Department Head. At the end of the day we were able to meet with an admissions counselor to talk about scholarships, residency, and campus life. On the way out we ran into the head of admissions who really went out of his way to help us try and figure out if Madison would be considered a resident or non-resident student.  Overall Madison really enjoyed our day in Laramie. I'm pretty sure it was her top pick of the schools we visited. Go Cowboys!

On the football field, she'd have to get used to the altitude of 7220 feet!
Emily tagged along for most of the campus tours. Here the girls are in the Arena-Auditorium where the Cowboys play basketball. 
Sock monkey loving Emily was so excited to find a Wyoming monkey
This helmet that was on a shelf outside of the admissions office was probably not meant to be tried on...
The next school on the docket was Utah State University in Logan. I think this was Jared's first choice and a very close second for Madison. Utah State felt pretty similar to University of Wyoming, but the setting in the mountains took it over the top. Both schools have a good College of Education so that was a draw. Some other benefits that Utah State had over Wyoming were the large LDS Institute program, proximity to extended family, and the Creamery where you can get Aggie Ice Cream.

We were a little less snap happy with the camera on this visit so this is all we've got...
The next day we drove just twenty minutes of so south of my parent's house to visit Weber State University. Jared loves their cheer (Weber State, Weber State, great, great, great!) and the beautiful new fitness facility and that's about it. I didn't feel as if Weber State would be a great fit for Madison because she's looking for the experience of going away to college but most of the students at Weber State commute in from the local area. They have 26,000 students and over half of those attend part time and live in the two counties closest to the school. She'd definitely be close to family here and would maybe even live with a relative, but it was the bottom of the list for all of us. I don't think she'll even apply to Weber State. At least we got a t-shirt to remember our visit!

It was hot and sunny on our tour at Weber State, I was always happy when our guide would take us inside a building. Also there were so. many. stairs! The campus is basically in the foothills of a mountain. She'd have some killer legs from walking around campus if she did choose Weber State.
The last campus visit we scheduled was in Rexburg, Idaho at BYU Idaho. It was a long drive to get there from Utah but I'm glad Madison had the chance to compare the other schools with a Church school. For me, this is the school for Maddy. The only thing I don't really like is the track system because depending on what track she's given her school year might be wonky. Emily tagged along on this tour as well. Madison liked BYUI; I think for her it was second or third of the schools we visited.

This was the second school sock monkey we found on our summer college adventures. Emily wants all of them!
BYU-Idaho Domo picture in honor of our friends the Kennedys
And a quick picture of our sweet Madison (and Jared and Emily in the background) when we were finished with our visit. We took this picture in the beautiful Thomas E. Ricks Horticulture Garden on campus.
Now that we're back home the applications process begins. She'll apply to all the schools she's interested in, take the SAT and ACT again, and make a final decision sometime in the next six months. We're so excited for Madison and know that wherever she ends up it's going to be amazing!

Comments

  1. LarisaAugust 4, 2015 at 10:28 PM

    You're right--she'll have an amazing time wherever she goes. For our children, this was one of the first times that they really depended on Heavenly Father, helping them make a really important (aka a really BIG) decision. As parents, it was touching to see them making that connection with their Heavenly Father, and for me as a mom, it was KILLER to step back and let them take control :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. DebbyAugust 5, 2015 at 6:17 AM

    What an exciting time! Good Luck to Madison as she makes her decision.

    ReplyDelete

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