The smallest big decision: choosing a college.

Isn’t that a bit paradoxical? A small big decision? We often talk about how small decisions make big impacts, but rarely the inverse. For me, my college choice felt like a small big decision. Hear me out: I am not saying that the choice is not important, nor that it shouldn’t be approached with great consideration and prayer, but I hope that by end of my story you understand why I view my college decision that way. To explain how I made my choice however, we need to start at the beginning.

Throughout middle school and high school, I was dead set on attending Rice University. I had the Rice shirt, mug, keychain. With the campus only an hour drive from home, I toured it often. At the end of high school, I applied to Rice as part of early decision, binding myself in a contract to attend the school if I was accepted. However, December comes around and I found out I didn’t get in. It was a difficult moment to process, with a lot of prayer, but at that point it was time to choose between UT and A&M.

Making a choice

I toured A&M and UT, and I loved them both. I could really see myself thriving at either school, and that made the choice far more difficult. If you are in a similar situation, here is the factors with which I approached the decision:

Church & Ministry

Is there a healthy Bible based church that you can attend, serve, and become a member of? Does anyone in your previous circle have any experience with the church? Is the church focused on building up their members?

Living

Where would you be living? Who would you be living with? How far away from the college? What would your daily transportation look like?

Work Opportunities

Does the school provide any job opportunities that interest you? What kind of jobs and fields for college students are available nearby? Are there any local internships that you could apply for?

Financing

Is the cost of tuition reasonable and affordable? Is the college providing you any scholarships? What is the true cost of attending the college?

Location

Where is the college located? Are you able to easily go back home if you wanted? Can friends come visit you?

Career

Does the college provide what you are seeking to study? Will the college adequately prepare you in your field? Is your major prevalent in the college’s city?

This is by no means a complete list, but it’s a really good start. Ultimately, this helped me discover that UT Austin was the correct choice for me.

Austin, a liberal city?

As I told people where I would go, I often got negative comments about Austin being a liberal city. And well, they aren’t wrong. Here is a piece of wisdom though, and it applies to far more than a city’s political stance:

Your atmosphere is the friends and people you choose to hangout with.

The Bible speaks on this too:

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. (Proverbs 13:20 NIV)

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV)

If you are looking at a school who’s got a certain reputation, remember that your environment is mostly in your control. There’s also wisdom however to being aware of what the culture is around a school, and how that might affect you.

A small big decision

Why is college a “small big decision” then?

(1) I think there can be several right choices when it comes to a college. Like I said earlier, I could have thrived at either A&M or UT. Worst case, you can always transfer between colleges. I’m confident that God can use any college for His glory.

(2) Choosing a college is mostly only a four-year decision. Once you leave college, hiring tends to becomes a matter of experience. There are other decisions in life that have far greater impact, such as picking your friends, choosing your spouse, and knowing Jesus in a personal way.

To the Juniors/Seniors looking at colleges

Regardless of where you choose, understand that God has complete control. He can empower you, He can exalt you, but just as easily He can also humble you. No matter how good a school or a program you go to, God is far more powerful than any university name on a paper. Stay in prayer, and you’ll find rest in whatever decision you make. If you are after God’s heart, trust me, your heart will be happy as well.