the hunt for a grad school .

When it came time for me to look for my undergraduate college, my Mom did an incredible amount of work. She narrowed down schools based on things that I looked for and parameters I sort of had an idea about. I have to say, I definitely didn't have any perfect school in mind, and was open to pretty much anything -- as long as it was far away from home. I had also had the experience of tagging along on all of my sister's college visits. While we were and are interested in completely different fields, it was still interesting and enlightening to see all the campus facilities, different available lifestyles, accommodations, commodities and more. It sort of gave me some loose boundaries about what I wanted my college experience to be like. Clemson, oddly enough, was the very first school I visited for myself, and that's where I ended up going. I think I ended up doing alright. But I'm ready for the next step.


The plan is to go to graduate school right away. I'm assuming it'll take 2 years at the least, and 3 at the most. And this time, I've taken up the challenge on my own to find where I want to go. I may not have started looking for the right reasons, but I know I want to live in a different part of the country. And by different, I mean totally different.

I'm heading west.

Or at least I want to.

I've lived in Jersey for my whole life, sans the time I've spent living in South Carolina. But it's time for something new. I want a fresh and exciting location. I thought about Vermont, but couldn't find any architecture schools. Then I thought of Colorado: there's mountains, cities, and best of all, a great climate. It leaves the opportunity for plenty of activities in addition to my schoolwork. The University of Colorado has a masters architecture program that seems really interesting. Located in Denver, the mountains are a stone's throw away, and the program takes that into consideration. It goes ahead and talks about how the program integrates the combination of architecture, urban planning, and the natural environment. How cool does that sound!? Forgive my architectural obsession.

I'd like to apply to 5 different grad schools. But more importantly, I need to find a program that fits me, and a location that fits me. That may be a taller order than I now realize. It also needs to happen over the course of this summer so I can get applications, portfolios, and other work together.

It's scary, but exciting. But I feel like I'm truly taking the reins in my life! It's the first time I'm really making a major decision, from start to finish, on my own. I'm almost impressing myself. So here's to something new. I'm looking forward to it. May the right school pop up into my sights.