I Have Found Perfection

     Do you ever dream about something, or think about something and come up with this elaborately detailed idea of what it's going to be like in real life, and then it's completely different when you actually see and experience it, and you're super disappointed? Because I do that all the time. Like I'll watch an episode of Sleepy Hollow and then be like "Okay, so this is exactly what's going to happen in the next episode: Katrina and Henry team up and become this powerhouse of evil powers, Ichabod has to fight them off because they kidnap Abbie, and then when he finally manages to ward off Katrina and Henry and rescue Abbie, they fall into each others' arms, realize they were meant for each other, conquer all evil, and live happily ever after the end." and then I actually WATCH the next episode, and it's COMPLETELY different, and I'm stupidly disappointed, even though there's no way in the whole universe the fragments of my brain could be transposed DIRECTLY onto the screen. It's ridiculous, but I always have sky high expectations about stuff. Anyway, all this is preface to say that in the past few months, I've been forming this very uneducated prediction about what Messiah College would be like when I finally visited it (which was yesterday). I had this whole little scene plotted out in my brain about how the whole visit would go, what everything would look like, bla bla bla, yada yada yada. My expectations were hazy, but pretty high. And then we went yesterday to visit, and the college literally exceeded every single one of my expectations by like 1000 percent. 

This is the Student Union

     I can't even describe to you how badly I want to go there. And I know it's the first college I've ever even visited, and that I should keep my options open and keep searching, but honestly, any other place I visit I'll just be comparing it to Messiah because Messiah is the epitome of every single thing I want in a college. That being said, for practicality's sake I'll probably visit a few other colleges just so I can know if I like them enough to apply as second and third choices, but they won't be able to change the fact that Messiah is my number one choice college. I mean everything from the location-- which is sort of in the middle of nowhere but also very close to the state capital, which is very convenient, and also it's only about an hour from home-- to the fact that there's an on-campus health center like three yards away from the dorms is just absolutely everything I could ever imagine in a college.

Here's part of the library. Hummina hummina! SO MANY BOOKS

     So let's talk about how awesome it is.
     My parents and I arrived around 8:30 and were welcomed by college students holding signs directing us where to go and waving hello to us as we drove. Then we checked in and received our information brochure and my name-tag, and were directed to the gigantic auditorium where the student worship team was performing a song. They were really really good, like they were basically a real band, just made up of all Messiah students. The whole time I'm just like trembling with fear and excitement because I can already tell that I love it. Because we were a little early, we just hung out in the auditorium looking through the pamphlets and stuff while we waited for the program to officially start. They kicked it off with a word of prayer led by one of the president dudes, and then we all got to sing along to 10,000 Reasons led by the worship team. Then there was the obligatory slide presentation about all the typical college stuff, and the we were dismissed to go about our day. It was a create your own schedule type of thing, so you could go basically wherever you wanted. First we went to Applying 101, which was really helpful, because I got to see all the things that they require for admissions, and found out that you can get in with only 2 language credits! Which would have been really nice to know before this year so I could have nixed Latin earlier, but hey, live and learn I guess. Then we stuck around for the Communications seminar since I'm interested in majoring in Journalism, and we got to talk to actual students and ask them questions. The girl I talked to was super peppy and nice and said there wasn't anything she didn't like about Messiah, and that she was jealous of us coming in as Freshman, because she wished she could stay there longer! Which is certainly some uplifting feedback. She majors in Public Relations, and she says she's had so many amazing internship opportunities, and got to go to New York for a semester writing taglines for Broadway shows and lining up interviews with celebrities!!!!!

Here's a really nicely decorated dorm. This is sort of unrealistic,
as I'm sure my dorm won't be THIS nicely organized, but still.
One can dream. 

     After that session, we decided to take our lunch break in the dining hall, free of charge thanks to our handy dandy Messiah College dining passes. I got a chicken sandwich and some mixed vegetables, along with flavored water and an O'Henry bar, but I was barely able to eat anything because I was freaking out so much just about everything in general. And when my parents were away from the table getting their food, I just sat there and thought "This is what it's going to be like when I go here!" It was amazing.
     After lunch, we went down to the Commons area and checked out the School Store and underground coffee shop and P.O. boxes while we waited for the next tour to start. Then our tour girl came-- her name was Katie and she was super awesome, she was originally from Germany, but moved all over the place because her father's in the army, and now she's studying politics at Messiah-- and she led me and my parents all around campus along with two other families. Here's a breakdown of all the main buildings.

Dorms: The dorms are pretty small, but I can totally work with that. I'm not a slob, and there were plenty of places all around campus where you could go to have more privacy if you wanted to get away from your roommate. But you also get to match up with someone who has similar interests and have the opportunity to room with them, so it's not like you're just getting thrown in with totally awful people. And the halls were clean and adorably decorated by the RA, and the dorms are coed, but coed by floor (first floor boy, second girl, third girl, fourth boy) and boys are allowed on the girls floor between certain hours, but not allowed during others, which exactly what I would want.

Agape Center: The Agape Center is this place where you can go and they hook you up with volunteer community services all over the place. It's pretty cool.

Health Center: Obviously, this is where you go if you're feeling sick or having a health issue, or even if you just need a pack of bandaids or something. It's right near the dorms, so it's really convenient

Library: The library is huge and amazing. There's like over 9,000 books or something crazy like that, along with a coffee shop that has chairs that you can plug your devices directly into!

Dining Hall: The Dining Hall is all a la cart style, and you don't pay with money because you have your little Messiah card that automatically covers a bunch of your expenses once you pay the initial fee. Which is really nice.

Student Union: This was my favorite place. The downstairs is like a restaurant/hang out place where they hold free concerts every other week, and the upstairs is where they hook you up with Study Abroad programs, the school newspaper and radio station, and a bunch of other really cool stuff.

Chapel: There are a bunch of different chapel opportunities available directly on campus, because you need 12 chapel credits. There's regular chapel twice a week, as well as Powerhouse once a month I think, which is a school-wide worship service held completely in the dark. There are also small group chapels all over campus too that meet in the dorms, or the Student Union, or the Commons, and buses that can transport you to churches all over the city on Sundays, free of charge.

Theater: Here's one of those awesome little tid-bits that totally sells the place for me: Every weekend, they play "Lost" films (which are films that are out of theaters, but not yet on DVD, which is soooo totally awesome!!!) in the theater of Boyer Hall for just two dollars!!!!!! That little fact gave me heart palpitations. And the theater is super nice.

Here's the Campus Store

Educational Buildings: All the education buildings are absolutely gorgeous and pristine and clean and just generally amazing. I can totally see myself learning in a place like Messiah. Most class rooms are no bigger than the class rooms at my high school, which is another huge selling point for me, because I'm not into the huge class thing.

Sports Centers: There's a personal gym where you can go on your own, the athletic gym for people who play school sports, and a pool for the swim team and anyone who just wants to swim for fun. Which is pretty cool.

     Anyway, a big part of the tour was the focus on multicultural stuff, because Messiah is hugely diversity oriented. There's a whole wall in the Student Union covered in flags from all the countries where students come from, which is really impressive. Katie happily pointed out the German flag for us to see, since it represents her. But besides just all the students from all over the world, Messiah has one of the biggest Study Abroad programs in the United States. Almost everyone who goes there spends either a whole semester, or a month in a foreign country during their time there. And even though I don't really want to study abroad necessarily, it is nice to know I have that opportunity if I change my mind, which who knows, I just might. This one guy, Jonathan Fuller, who also happens to be the Junior Class Student Chaplain spent an entire semester in Uganda, and he said it changed his life, which I can believe. And this other girl who was going for Journalism (that's my area) spent a semester in London working for some huge publishing company. Which once again, gives me heart palpitations. Although if I were to study abroad, I'd probably want to do something more missionary based. When you do study abroad, you get all kinds of credits that you then don't have to take back at Messiah, your home school, which is nice. 
   

After the tour, I filled out the feedback sheet and exchanged it for a free t-shirt, and then left. We left a little early, before the Kick Back event, but that's okay, because I'd seen what I needed to see to be thoroughly convinced that I absolutely will be applying as soon as possible. Their early applications start on July 1st, so I assure you I will have my application sent through cyberspace no later than July 2nd. And then I'll find out September of my senior year if I got in, which is so mindblowingly exciting I can't even handle it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I'm totally psyched out about this whole college thing, and I know I've bored you to tears with my endless rambling, so I'll let you go now. :)

                        -VaughnDL