At my junior meeting, I made it very clear that University of Wisconsin-Madison was my top choice for college. After a visit to the school and additional combing over every aspect of Madison I knew it was a great school, just very large and too close to home. I needed to find a new top school.

By the time I realized this senior year had began and I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. A frantic search for a more fitting school ensued. Everyone around me tried to push me back to Madison as I tried to scramble away.

I tried to look on College Prowler and Parchment with the limited options of choosing a school on location, size, major, or tuition. I struggled through many searches, realizing they were no help. I wasn't looking for a college in a certain place with so-many kids, I was looking for the right atmosphere.

So I made my own search, combing through every single school in Wisconsin. I used my own options of a school looking for somewhere devoted to educating the next generation of teachers, volunteer atmosphere, classes not taught by TAs, near a water source, and reasonable in size. La Crosse kicked butt in all fronts. Not wanting to have a false belief that this college was great for me I began to build a cons list. The only flaw visible to me is the lack of a yearbook, but I may just have to fix that once I arrive by restarting the yearbook that stopped production in 1990.

After volunteering as a camp counselor for 3 years, I know how important it is to help children through volunteer work and “Advocates for Children” sounds like an amazing student organization that holds the same values that I work for each summer at camp. I know I will be joining other clubs ,too, because I can easily walk the 10 minutes across campus to expand my horizons. I know I will have to keep some free time ,however, so I can take advantage of the rock climbing wall and kayaking on the Mississippi River.

I would be lying if I didn’t admit something. The omelette bar for breakfast added to my excitement about your university. You better have ham and cheddar! In all seriousness, my friends who attend UW- La Crosse ,including a Vanguard, gave me amazing reviews about classes and faculty that will get to know me. I believe I will be provided an amazing opportunity if I attend a university that hires faculty that root for their students.

For some reason, I know I will be sitting on Pettibone Beach with new friends and eagle pride in my heart a year from today.