Georgia State is cheaper. Closer to home. Has a bigger name. By every practical measure, I should have chosen Georgia State.
But I didn't. I visited both schools. At Georgia State, the CS advising office had a line out the door. Students were stressed. The advisor looked exhausted. When it was my turn, she spent five minutes with me. Five minutes. Then she said "next." At Oglethorpe, I walked into the CS department. The professor was in his office. Door open. I knocked. He invited me in. We talked for 45 minutes. About CS. About my goals. About his research. About life. He said: "You won't be lost here. We're small. We'll know you." That's what I needed. I'm an introvert. In large classes, I disappear. I don't raise my hand. I don't go to office hours. I just sit there. And I don't learn.
At Oglethorpe, I can't disappear. The classes are too small. The professors call on me. They expect me to talk. It's uncomfortable. But it's also making me better. My parents were confused. "Oglethorpe? We've never heard of it." I sent them a ranking from The Princeton Review that listed Oglethorpe as a "best value" college. That helped a little.
They still don't fully understand. But they trust me. And I trust myself.
But I didn't. I visited both schools. At Georgia State, the CS advising office had a line out the door. Students were stressed. The advisor looked exhausted. When it was my turn, she spent five minutes with me. Five minutes. Then she said "next." At Oglethorpe, I walked into the CS department. The professor was in his office. Door open. I knocked. He invited me in. We talked for 45 minutes. About CS. About my goals. About his research. About life. He said: "You won't be lost here. We're small. We'll know you." That's what I needed. I'm an introvert. In large classes, I disappear. I don't raise my hand. I don't go to office hours. I just sit there. And I don't learn.
At Oglethorpe, I can't disappear. The classes are too small. The professors call on me. They expect me to talk. It's uncomfortable. But it's also making me better. My parents were confused. "Oglethorpe? We've never heard of it." I sent them a ranking from The Princeton Review that listed Oglethorpe as a "best value" college. That helped a little.
They still don't fully understand. But they trust me. And I trust myself.
