by Frances (’14)

Over spring break, I was visiting colleges. My mom and I flew to Pittsburgh and then drove across the Midwest, stopping at schools along the way. I’d never seen that part of the country before, and in the car, I watched the wide, wintered fields spread away from the road, still icy. On the first few days, it actually snowed. I walked through college campuses with my hood up, looking at the spots gathering on my gloves.

I loved visiting colleges. Each one had its own feeling, and as I followed the tour guides, I could picture myself living in the dorm rooms, eating at the dining hall, attending classes in the elegant buildings, studying at the library.

But I put just as much importance on what I couldn’t picture. I couldn’t quite imagine life as a student in the middle of Ohio, where it snows in the winter, where the nearest city is an hour’s drive through cornfields.

And I kind of liked that. I don’t want to go to college in a place I already know. I want to go somewhere I don’t know. I want to be surprised by things. The Midwest felt like a foreign country. I hope I’ll get to see more of it.

how Midori feels