Trisha - Westmont College - Class of 2011

I set a goal of scoring over 2000 on my SAT. Once I achieved that score, I decided to move on to more important aspects of my high school career, such as volunteering at an elementary school. It was a great opportunity to test out teaching as a career. (Unfortunately—or fortunately!—I won't be becoming a teacher anytime soon.) I felt my grades, scores, and extracurriculars made me well qualified to get into a college. The problem was—where should I apply?

From no clue down to two

I still had no idea where I wanted to go by the summer before my senior year. I only knew I wanted to stay in California. I searched through a book describing colleges and flagged about thirty potential candidates. As I continued my search, I quickly realized that extremely large campuses were probably not the best choice for me. The smaller, private Christian schools began to appeal to me since I like small classes. I narrowed it down to Pepperdine or Westmont by April of my senior year.

My second choice college finishes first

In the end, I chose Westmont. It was not my first choice, but it offered me a generous financial aid package. And after a few visits to the campus I completely fell in love with it. Every last detail from the cozy forest environment to the dorm spirit intrigued me.

I liked the friendly counselors and teachers. The small classroom environment would allow me to express my opinions and not become lost in a bunch of large lecture halls.

My ups and downs

I had problems with procrastination. My best advice is to submit applications way ahead of deadlines so you have no problems at the last minute. I submitted several applications on the day of their deadline. I do not recommend doing that!

Talking with friends really did help me to find out about college. In fact my best friend is going to Westmont. She was the one to show me the campus.

What I learned

My head was easily turned by each potential college. Every time I visited a college I fell in love with it. As soon as I stepped on campus, I could picture myself fitting into that world. Every time I submitted an application it was exciting to think about the possibility of going to that school.

The money factor

Money played a big factor in my college decision. I had narrowed my decision to Pepperdine, but the $11,000 annual academic scholarship I received from Westmont relieved a huge burden on my family. The financial aid saves almost one year of tuition over the four years! Although Pepperdine was my dream school, the tuition was just too much for my family to handle. Although I was sad at first, I know that Westmont is going to be the best choice for me regardless of money.