College is a big thing looming over every Junior's mind right now, and it is stressing us all out! There is so much stuff we have to do before the year ends! We have the SATs, the ACTs, the APs, Finals, and Regents! How will we ever manage to do all of it?! Not to mention we also have to keep up with our sports, clubs and college visits! Our heads are going to explode! This kind of makes me wish I had started college visits sooner...I actually haven't even visited one yet... But that's okay! There is still time, and I am lucky I already know what I want to major in, so I have been able to narrow down my college list considerably.
It's actually a funny story how I picked my college major. It all started with your normal road trip to the relatives for Christmas, and I had been reading a book I got out from the library when my mom said to put it down and start doing some SAT prep. I, because I still am dreading the SATs and refusing to study, decided to look out one of the other giant books I had brought: The Fiske Guide to Colleges, 2012 edition. I mean, who wouldn't rather be reading about which college is a party school over reading boring passages?
I had been flipping through randomly and post-it noting any colleges that intrigued me, when I flipped to Cornell. I had a friend that went there, so I decided to read through the list of majors they specialized in, and one of them was Hotel Administration. At first I thought that was a joke. Who goes to college to run a hotel? A bunch of rich peoples son's I bet (actually, this is more or less still true). So I asked my parents and they said that it was completely serious. I soon became mildly curious as to what a hotel administrator does, so I began to Google, and Google, and then Google some more... I spent hours on the internet looking at site after site, and when I found out that nearly everyone who graduates from Cornell through the Hotel program finds a job within a couple of months, and many are offered one right out of college. The only ones who don't get a job right away are the ones who go back to school to learn even more (usually about the food industry).
When I told my parents just an hour after researching (yes, we are still in the car. It takes about seven hours to get to Toronto), that I was interested in the career, they were completely on board! I had previously wanted to go into graphic design, and my dad didn't like that (he wanted me to be a lawyer), but this he totally thought would be a good fit for me. It would allow me to still be creative, but also allow me to put my good math skills and people skills to use.
Interesting Facts about the Hotel Program at Cornell:
1) Students and Alumni are nicknamed "Hotelies"
2) There is a full service hotel on property named The Statler Hotel, and in 2011, it was awarded a 4 diamond rating by AAA
3) Every year there is a weekend long educational conference, called Hotel Ezra Cornell, put on by the students of the hotel program for leaders of the hospitality industry. It is planned, managed, and staffed completely by students.*
4) Cornell's SHA (School of Hotel Administration) is considered the best in the world
*I am actually going to be staying at the hotel during the convention, and while I was emailing one of the students running it, he asked me to be a part of it too!!! I can't wait!!!
Don't even worry about being behind on college shnaz. Take it from someone who had to decide everything in about a month. You're actually doing quite well in your college endeavors in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI visited my first college over winter break, Marist, and I loved it. It was scenic, beautiful, and had all the new amenities, but this was just my first taste of the experience. My mom is on my case about looking at college websites, telling her where I want to visit, to specify my major, and to start looking for scholarships. I'm not ready for all of that. I am interested in some colleges, but the fact that so much pressure is being put on Juniors as of right now is ridiculous. We have time, and even in college we can switch majors. The majority of kids do. Many kids even transfer from another college! There are so many options that we don't have to deal with right now. Parents and smarter friends piling on the pressure doesn't help. So I think you're doing a good job, and you're at the same stage as me in the college search. Whatever college you get into, you get into. It's all the same education. The only value is in the name. Good luck!
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