Elizabeth Mendes, Class of 2013, Evansville, IN
Update: “In Indiana the sky goes on for miles regardless of the direction you're looking in. Almost everyone who has asked me where I went to college has asked me why I picked Indiana (specifically UE). I didn't want to live in Connecticut. The only school I applied to in CT, and my only rejection, was Yale. I think I applied to around 12+ colleges including: Boston University, University of Miami (Florida), Penn State, and Colorado State (just to name a few). Out of all of those I picked a small private liberal arts school in the middle of the US that I HAD NEVER VISITED BEFORE! Why? I honestly don't really know. At the time I was between archaeology (UE) and environment engineering (Umiami), and I just kind of decided to go with what 7 year old Elizabeth would have done. UE had a great program, gorgeous looking campus, small class sizes, and gave me a wonderful scholarship.
So one hot day in August I loaded up a mini -van and made the trip out to UE for the first time. It was the best choice I could have made. In Indiana I made friends I consider family, grew as a student, and met professors who truly believed (and still believe) in me. I look back on every individual experience I had throughout my undergraduate career and reflect on how truly precious it was.
I am in graduate school, but it doesn't compare to those first few years where you discover who you really are. High schoolers or people reading this post thinking about going to college. Go with your gut. Pick a place that is sticking out to you (even if you don't really know why) and just do it, it might be a truly treasured experience. Do not be afraid to "let college consume you", I think if you are going for a career / path in academia, that is kind of what you have to do. I KNOW there are many other roads to take, but I love the one I traveled.
"No memory is ever alone; it's at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations."
What are you up to? I'm a Biology Major and a senior at the University of Evansville.
How'd you get here? Applied to college right out of high school and ended up choosing to go to the University of Evansville.
What are your goals? I want to eventually go to graduate school and get my PHD in Animal Physiology.
Advice for WHS Students? Don't give up. It doesn't get easier when you graduate and go to college and it probably never will, but the wisdom and experience you gain through the work you put into your future will pay off.
What do you lie about? I try not to lie.
