When I entered high school, I was acutely aware of what I was being prepared for: a college education, hopefully followed by a life-long (and well-paying) career. Now, in my senior year of high school, the transition to college is looming, and I face many choices as I'm deciding what my next step will be.

For me, choosing a college is kind of like choosing a car: You find one that suits your needs. It may not be too flashy and expensive, but it could take you far in life.

When considering a college, I found myself restricted financially. As one of four siblings, money can sometimes be tight, so many colleges were just out of reach to me.

In my situation, I could be most financially responsible by going to a college in my home state of Arizona. In Arizona, three colleges immediately came to my mind: Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona.

The other factor in my road to choosing a college is what career path I want to take. At this point in time, I find myself split between architecture and economics.

Architecture serves as an intricate blend between the arts and trigonometry, both of which I enjoy greatly. I feel that with my background and enjoyment of both architecture and aesthetics, being an architect would be a good choice.

However, I also recently discovered that I also greatly enjoy economics; its systemized yet randomized structure is very interesting. This played a large role in my mind.

Should I choose to follow a career in architecture, the University of Arizona seems to be the best choice. Out of the three in-state colleges that are the most realistic financially, they have the best (and to my knowledge, the only) architecture school available in Arizona. Requirements for entry are rigorous, but I believe that I could make it in, should I choose to do so.

With regard to economics, the W.P. Cary School of Business at Arizona State University seems to be the best bet. I could get an education to be an economist in the other schools as well, but this school is the most critically acclaimed of them.

In the end, I applied to and got accepted to all three colleges. My choice has not been finalized as of yet, but I believe that I will go to the University of Arizona.

Because I live in Tucson, I could cut my living expenses by going to the U of A, which is near my house. Architecture seems to be a career that I would vastly enjoy, particularly after shadowing a Tucson-based architect.

All things considered, the University of Arizona seems like the most reasonable and practical college that best suits my needs, sort of like a well-used pickup truck.
 

Christian Nieto
Senior
Empire High School