On a more personal note.

Senior year (in high school or college) is probably one of the happiest, exciting, stressful, terrifying years of your life. You are caught in a strange place between looking forward to your future and trying desperately to hold on to the present--to live in the moment, to enjoy the last precious months-weeks-days in college you have left. 

I am planning on staying in school. I want to earn my PhD, which means I have a long, painful, fun, exciting, who-knows-what-to-expect road ahead of me. The tough part now is deciding where I want to go. I am fortunate enough to have been offered admission to very good schools, and I have narrowed my choices down to two. But choosing where I will spend the next 5-7 years of my life has been very overwhelming. One school is top-tier. Everyone has heard of it. It seems like the obvious choice. After being accepted I almost cancelled my last interview. 

But then I visited the second school. And I just had a good feeling. The school is good. The students do good science and the program is well-funded. Still, most people outside of science haven't heard of it, and those in science agree that it is not ranked as highly as my first option. But while I was there I was able to picture the life I could have outside of school, and I was happy with it. The problem with the first school is that I don't know what to expect. It is in a new city, slightly farther from home. Housing will be more difficult to find, and I am nervous about meeting new people. I tend to be very shy. Still, is fear a reason to turn down such a good opportunity?

This isn't an easy decision. It has been hard to focus on everything else with it hanging over my head. Still, I have managed to get my school work done and enjoy senior year with my good friends. It's just in the next couple weeks I have to make my decision (April 15), I have to give several presentations in classes and at outside conferences, and I have to register for senior week and start to really think about graduation. 

I have heard writing is therapeutic. So I thought I would give it a shot. And maybe sharing my experience will be a comfort to others who are going through something similar.