Grace+C’s+2016+OpEd+Article

Even the screams of the righteous are still just screams Even if the howl is in the name of the oppressed it still breaks eardrums and makes ears bleed The blood created from a punch to the face of a bully is still human blood spilling A building burned in the of justice is still just setting the world on fire War is still war no matter what you are fighting for Falling to the level of your enemy doesn’t cushion your fall, no It makes your inevitable crash to the ground oh so very more painful But maybe, just maybe If everyone stops screaming, stops howling, stops punching, stops burning, stops fighting, stops falling Maybe then… Maybe then In the silence of the peace Maybe then… what we were fighting about will just disappear ~Grace Connolly Hey Fitz, there are two Grace C's, and even though there are two separate links on the home page, they both lead here, so I'm just gonna stick mine down here. -Grace Carey Stop. Don’t do it. Don’t. Please…

Thank you. You have successfully granted my wish of not asking me where I want to go to college… Wait. Did you just wonder what college I want to go to? Get out. Now. You want a reason to leave? Fine.

I’m sick of being asked that question. Just because I’m a teenager, every adult I meet wants to know what my entire life plan is, and seems confused and/or disappointed when I say I don’t know yet. First of all, why should I know? Junior year is intense enough without that kind of decision-making. Also, isn’t keeping your options open a good thing? I don’t even know for sure what kind of school I want to attend and I know very little about most schools, so I’m not prepared to make a decision. You say I should do some research? Okay, here are my results for basically every college/university worth considering:
 * high rankings
 * happy, accepting students who want to change the world
 * research opportunities
 * amazing professors
 * pretty campus [[image:https://i.imgflip.com/zws8z.jpg width="302" height="292" align="right"]]
 * famous alumni
 * lots of clubs and sports
 * interesting classes
 * diversity
 * awesome study abroad options

So which one should I choose? They all claim that these things make them different, but they all claim the SAME DIFFERENCES, and in case you were wondering, that doesn’t really work. Also, when people try to comfort me about not knowing where I want to go, they say things like “You’ll do well wherever you go!” Thanks, that makes everything so much easier. That was sarcasm, in case you didn’t catch it. How am I supposed to pick a handful of schools to apply to out of over 4,000 in the US when I’d do well anywhere? I’ll figure it out eventually, but please don’t rush me. I’ve still got time to do my research, visit campuses, and talk to students. So please don’t ask me where I want to go to college until I’ve already submitted all my applications.