Whew! It’s been a long day. I’m excited to curl up in bed tonight!
Mid-afternoon, I snacked on two pieces of whole wheat bread spread with peanut flour paste (same as yesterday: 1/4 c peanut flour, maple syrup and cinnamon to taste, and a splash of water). Peanut flour definitely isn’t a substitute for real peanut butter, but at 16g of protein per serving, it definitely holds its own.
Though I was planning on waiting until my classes were over to eat dinner, I was hungry and bored by five and decided to pick up a quick bite at a deli during a 10 minute break. I was intrigued by this whole-wheat vegan lasagna, prepackaged by The V Spot Cafe in Brooklyn:
Even cold, it was fantastic! Layers of whole wheat noodles, tofu, cashew cheese, basil and organic marinara. I was blown away at how good this was. Even the girl sitting next to me in class said it smelled good!
When I got home, I rounded out my dinner with an apple and some dark chocolate.
And now I’m snacking away on containers of cashews, dried apricots and chocolate chips. Like my own lazy version of trail mix 
The top twenty schools are not all they’re cracked up to be. The Ivies and their company are absolutely beautiful, and I’m not dissing them at all. I’m just saying that going to Harvard won’t make you any happier of a person. Nor will it be impossible to have fun unless you go to Penn State, and you can be a successful actress without going to Tisch. I remember feeling so much pressure to go to the best school, but I never really considered what would be the best school for me. That sounds so silly and cliched, but really- consider the programs and opportunities offered, then go with your gut. No one worth your while will think less of you for going to the school you loved the most.
College is expensive. And hard. Consider these factors when making your decision. Private universities can absolutely be worth the investment, but if you’re leaning towards a state school and only want the private for the bumper-sticker prestige, really think about it before you take out those loans. Likewise, being a superstar student in high school doesn’t translate to being a standout in college. Intelligence definitely helps, but it’s not as easy to get by on brown-nosing and a good vocabulary.
Don’t be influenced by others. Do not think about your boyfriend. Do not think about your best friend. Do not think about your parents and their five-generation legacy. Because at the end of the day, you’re the one going, not them. Seek advice from trusted friends and family, use them as a sounding board, but remember that in the end the choice is yours alone. Oh, and word to the wise? I hate to be the pessimist, but more than half of high school relationships do not last through the first year of college. If it’s meant to be, long distance can work, I promise
BREATHE. IT WILL BE OKAY. If I could go back and tell myself only one thing, it’s that. During the last two years of high school, you’re led to believe that standardized tests, APs and college applications are the be-all-end-all, comparable in magnitude to the birth of your first child. In reality, once you graduate no one will ever ask you what you got on the verbal section of the SAT again. Though choosing a college is undoubtedly a huge decision, the likelihood of you choosing a place you absolutely abhor is pretty slim. You can be happy at a myriad of places. And if you do end up hating it?
You can always transfer. ”TRANSFER?!” You say? “Go through this again?!” As someone who’s been through the whole transfer process, I can vouch for the fact that it sucks, but it’s not the end of the world. Plenty of people do it. No, I didn’t like my first college. Yes, it was really frustrating to fill out another round of applications. But I’m happy now, and I grew more as a person in that one year than I have in any other time of my life. I’m a firm believer that mistakes are how you learn about yourself. And if your biggest mistake in life is choosing the wrong college the first time around, you’re pretty darn lucky
What was the college-search like for you? And what period of your life do you think you learned the most from?
