The Big Questions

“Where you going to college?” What are you majoring in college?” Sound familiar, they should. As a senior, these two questions are asked frequently by our relatives, especially during holidays and family dinners. Usually, I am unable to answer this question because I am very indecisive, especially when it comes to my future. This time, though, I was finally able to answer these two questions, and for certain family members that know me, they were pretty shocked that I had answers. For the question “where are you going to college?”, I have narrowed it down to only two options, University of Cincinnati and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

I have already gotten accepted into the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Now I wait for my acceptance letter from University of Cincinnati, which the release date on January 17th and 5:30 pm. I have already visited University of Cincinnati and loved the city and school, but still have to visit the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Now even though I haven’t visited that school I have a feeling that I will like the school because one of my close friends is currently enrolled at the school, and says that he loves it there. He also brought up examples as to why this school is for me, and just hearing that made me excited to go there. I also had a sibling go there, and he said that my personality would fit in at a school like Nebraska. With having a sibling that went there, my parents also liked it and stated how it has a nice campus, and that it isn’t just corn fields there. There are many activities for me to get involved in there. Another good things with these schools is that they are ranked to be good criminology/criminal justice department. This moves onto the second question of “what are you majoring in college?”. When asked this question, I actually want to go for two majors and maybe one minor, but that all depends on if I am committed enough. My first major would be criminology/criminal justice. I have always shown an interest in this area because crimes pull my attention immediately. I always want to know more about them, and see how they are solved. I’m interested in the evidence that is gathered, and then the different type of testing they do on certain evidence. That goes a little bit into forensics, which then leads me to one of my minor choices. I have always sparked an interest in forensics because I find it remarkable how machines are able to gather small particles off of evidence and be able to trace different information from that piece of evidence. It’s just insane on how we have the technology to do that, and how technology over the years has progressed to give us better information. Another minor that is similar to forensics, but it slightly different is forensic accounting. This is where you trace money from all over the place and watch where money moves when a card or transaction is used. I didn’t know this was a thing until recently, and as soon as I heard it, I immediately was pulled by what it is. I thought that was so cool to follow the money trails and see where it all ends up. That to me sounded so interesting because you get to see different ways from different criminals and kind of get a sense of who they are financially. Lastly is my second major, which is accounting. Accounting, although seems unrelated to the criminal justice world, is actually a key things to know and understand. Most FBI agents have a major in some sort of business degree because they have to take into account different motives. This degree would help in the field because when it comes to breaking down a crime scene, one must look from different aspects because many things could be thrown into the equation, and you need to be ready to come up with a hypothesis. When I told my family members, the answers I just talked about, many of them were impressed because most people hear the generic “oh I don’t know”. With having answered those two questions, as a senior, it puts me more at ease because at least I have somewhat of a plan.

College decisions

Recently, I have just about finished my college applications to all my schools. As I started to think about my college choices for when I get accepted, I came upon the thought that the schools in Ohio are the ones that I for sure want to get into. The two schools that I applied to in Ohio are The Ohio State University and University of Cincinnati. 

I can’t really explain what this feeling is and as to why Ohio because many people when they think of Ohio they have the same reaction as if someone had said Illinois or Indiana. The reaction is that these states are boring and there’s not much in these states, but for some odd reason, something is pulling me to Ohio. I feel like there’s something in Ohio that is waiting for me to explore/discover. With this feeling, I know that maybe I can improve and get the degree that I want with no hesitation on my part. Maybe there are opportunities there that will help my get to my career goal, but I won’t know until I go there. I will get a better sense and hopefully more reassurance when I go to visit these schools. I am visiting University of Cincinnati this coming Monday, and I am excited to see if this is going to be my school for the next four years. They are known to have a great criminal justice program, which has ties with many of the federal agencies. With these federal ties, the school might have more to offer with better education and hands on experience. In November, I will be visiting The Ohio State University to get a feel on which school I like better, assuming that I get into either of the schools. The Ohio State is also known for their criminal justice program, and offers didn’t pathways within this degree, which could open more doors for me. Each school has very good intentions for me, which is very reassuring because my career is what matters to me most since I want to start working in my field right away.

 Another thing about Ohio is that I have family out there. My uncle is a professor at The Ohio State University, and his family lives nearby, which would be a huge plus because then I will still have people that I can go too if I ever need anything. Also, my favorite cousin, who is a year younger than me, is closeby, so I can talk to her whenever because we don’t really see each other that often since we live in different states. I trust Olivia with everything and anything, and oftentimes, I am either texting or facetiming her. She helps me with a lot of personal things and gives me great advice, which can be harsh at times, but it’s good to hear the truth than hearing generic advice. With having her close by, I can then stop by to talk to her, and we can go out more. 

With these factors, I feel like my decision making for what college is a lot easier because I have never had this strong of a gut feeling for anything. This is a huge thing for me because I’m usually the type of person who second guesses my decisions and has trouble making a decision. With choosing a college in Ohio, I know that I will feel right at home there for my next four years.