This weekend we had quite the experience starting our journey of college visiting! Ella has lots of gifts and interests and she's a smart gal with an impressive resume, whatever school she feels called to will be blessed to have her! Finding that right school is both exciting and overwhelming. This weekend we went down to LA and visited the school at the top of her list as well as another that we had heard good things about. Because I try to protect private info on the blog, I'm not naming the schools or posting pictures with their names in them.
We'll call Ella's #1 school B. This trip was all about B, it felt like it was mostly just to affirm the thoughts and feelings she was already having about it. Several of her good friends from high school are at B and she made fun plans to stay in the dorms with a few of them all weekend. We brought good friend Anika down with us. The drive to LA is a long one, so for the sake of comparison and just to make that drive feel more worth it, we also booked a tour at another nearby school, which we'll call C. Now here is where it gets interesting! C was SO impressive, that it jumped right into contention! We were kinda blown away at our amazing tour and all the things at this school that would be perfect for Ella. Right off the bat, when we were assigned an official tour guide, we got Faith-- an alum from our high school, former member of our youth group, and my GEMS Jr. Counselor! This definitively felt providential and she gave us the best, most personalized tour!
At C, we saw their newest building-- the super cool engineering building, complete with a whole lab of 3D printers and gigantic work spaces with exciting projects happening! We also saw their Robotics team at work and were able to stop in a meet a dozen of them, who Ella quickly connected with via conversations about carbon fiber and coding languages. C offers the exact major Ella wants in Biomedical Engineering with a whole list of classes that sound right up her ally. They would honor her AP and college credits, give her scholarships based on a weighted GPA (BIG deal!), and even bless us with generous "Pastor Family" scholarship money.
As we toured, it kept hitting us how aesthetic and polished everything was! All the buildings matched in a similar Spanish Mission style. The dorms were more like little apartment communities and some even had their own private swimming pools! The fitness center was state of the art. The dining options include your traditional cafeteria, as well as about 7 restaurants (like sushi, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, and Habit Burger) where your meal plan is also valid. And they even had an Outdoor Adventure Center where you can rent surfboards, skis, or camping equipment super cheap! This is college in SoCal, I guess! Ella called it "The College from a Magazine".
Honestly, I left this day and this tour pretty sold. We then drove to B, where Ella and Anika were greeted by their college friends and immediately whisked off to a movie premier and a swing dance!
Our time at B was just as amazing. Though their presentation was not quite as fancy and there are no dorm swimming pools, surfboard rentals, or Chipotle meal plans, what we found at this school was even better-- the MOST amazing Christian community! This is a place of vibrant expression and growth of faith! And it was not just something pointed out on a tour, Ella said all weekend she saw it lived out-- walking by active Bible studies, seeing prayer chapels full and used, witnessing the way their host friends interacted with others. This is place where Ella would be surrounded by constant encouragement. The Biblical Studies/Theology requirements are so intense that everyone walks away with a minor in it due to the amount of classes you are required to take. This is appealing to Ella. And of all the kids we spoke with, from film studies majors to computer science majors, this is truly their favorite thing about their school.
We are so thankful for the girls that let them stay and did the most hospitable things-- like buy an air mattress and rearrange their dorm furniture to make it fit, loan them sweaters to stay cozy in the cool LA mornings, treat our girls to dinner in Korea Town, take them to every single one of the dorms (they are all different!) to meet people and show them all the options, and invite us to church. The church we attended was within walking distance of B, it was a congregation full of students and professors, and was the most passionate worship and meaningful service! It went TWO hours long, but a hundred college kids chose to be there instead of sleeping or studying! We met some wonderful people and even shared lunch with them afterwards, playing Dutch BINGO.
B does not have quite the exact major Ella is looking for, it would be more of a generalized biology program here, her GPA for scholarships would only be looked at UNweighted, and the price tag is more. These are obviously big things to take into consideration. But, either school would be perfect for her for different reasons. She's so sure it's one of these 2 great schools, she even told us she doesn't need to see any others!
Because the girls were staying on campus with their friends, and the tours only went a few hours each day, Dave and I had a little time to hang out too! No restaurant meals though-- colleges love to feed you on these visit days we learned, so lots of cafeteria food for us! :) On Saturday morning we had a lovely little coffee shop date at this fun, local spot. I got some time by the pool of our hotel.
And we got to spend Saturday night with Anna and Derek, in their gorgeous new home, meeting their new dog Winston! This was totally another trip highlight! Hours spent with Anna and Derek fly by with laughter and stories. Special this time was hearing Anna's case for a school in LA, which she said she practiced on Derek beforehand and presented to us with happy tears. Having Ella nearby would mean so much to them. They are fully ready to adopt her and give her the guest room when she needs to get away, coach her through scary LA freeway driving, take her to their favorite restaurants and concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, and be her emergency contact. Our family is small and Anna has never had anyone nearby, it fills my heart with joy that she and Ella would have each other.
That's a long recap, but I know some were interested in the all details. Now, we pray for wisdom and discernment for Ella to make the decision that's right for her. We'll leave it in her hands and the Lord's, feeling so grateful for two great options where we know she'll thrive!
