College Stress

Even though I am only a junior in college there are lots of times already that I have stressed about college. Big questions like what do I really want to be? Where should I go to college? Do I really want to go out of state? These questions pick at my brain and have started to bug me.

I have pretty much decided that I would like to be an Occupational Therapist (OT) because I really would like to help people be able to be independent and do every day tasks. I realized that it’s not really the title that I like but the concept of helping people with every day tasks that many wouldn’t even think of being a struggle. Preferably I like the pediatric side because it involves helping children from the very start but I could also see myself as just a general OT.

While looking for potential colleges I have focused on places in the Midwest that have an OT program plus ones that have smaller student enrollments. I have visited two schools already, St. Ambrose University and Concordia University Wisconsin. I loved both of them so much that it is hard to have to choose between them. There are parts that I like and don’t like about each. At the moment I am planning on looking at other colleges in the Midwest that I can go visit and get the feel of.

On big part of college that I value is the interaction that the school has with the rest of the community and the world through service. At both of these places they view community service very high and I really like that. God is also another big part. Even though St. Ambrose is Catholic they have many views that I value. Concordia is Lutheran, which is what I am. I feel like having either of these would be fine, because it shows that a majority of the community at the school have similar Christian beliefs and want the same thing out of their college experience. Attending a college where there is a presence of God and other students with similar beliefs will help me keep believing and stay connected with God.

Choosing a college is something that I stress about a lot but I know that God is right there with me though these times of struggles and when I leave my home and start something new.