I first learned of Your College through the mail. My interest grew and grew over spring break of my junior year. I went for a campus tour and interview. I fell in love. It had everything I was looking for in a college: music, dance, a strong science department, and a wide variety of educational as well as extracurricular experiences. I perform better when I am surrounded by people with a common goal: to learn. Your College seems to be full of people who truly desire knowledge. That is what I need: an atmosphere that will help me be the best person I can be.

The feeling I have received during each of my visits is that Your College is fully grounded in the liberal arts, committed to academic excellence without pretention or cutthroat competition, which mirrors my attitude toward academics. The opportunity to form personal relationships with my professors excites me. Besides these concrete reasons, each time I have been on campus, I have felt comfortable and welcome. My gut feeling is that this is the right college.

Your College has all the elements I am looking for in a college. Your College's small campus and student body seem to foster a community feeling that I sensed when I visited. The professors whom I observed seemed to care about the students and were always willing to entertain questions. The students seemed interested in the class, and not just in showing up. I have heard great things about Your College academics from both advisors at home and from other colleges I have visited. But the element that really persuaded me that I should apply early to Your College was the warm feeling I got from observing all aspects of a Your College life.

After spending my two weeks in a summer program at Your College, I found the values of my life reflected on the campus. Community, dedication to English and education, and friendly, open people to discuss life with -- these are the very things I try to live out each day. Living in a small Vermont town, I have learned how important community is. Finally, like most people, my friends are important to me. Our intellectual discussions over chili about the fate of the world have kept my mind sharp on the weekends -- and my tongue quick to intercept opinions I disagree with. All of these things are extraordinarily important to me. And all of these things I found at Your College. Why would I look further when Your College and I seem to be the perfect match?

The caring, friendly, Midwestern attitude at Your College, combined with its New England landscape, are initially what I fell in love with at the college. When I visited this past summer, I took a jog around campus and through the village. It all felt so familiar. The architecture is reminiscent of Yale University, around which I have grown up, and Your College's academically challenging and closely-knit community is similar to the environment I have enjoyed at my high school. The strong English and history departments mirror my own strengths and interest in literature, politics, and writing, and its active, involved campus is a reflection of my own involvement in my community and school. Your College, quite simply, feels like home.

I first learned of Your College from the dreadful "College Bibles" which tell prospective students which schools are the "best." Your College interested me because of its numerous opportunities in writing, its political science department, and the variety of active choral groups. I was also impressed by the togetherness of Your College community. I traveled from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Vermont to Minnesota and finally realized that I cannot find anywhere else what I have in my own backyard.

The only way I could think of getting out of gym class was to go to a college information meeting. So, I went to the guidance office to see which ones were coming. Unfortunately, the only one was someplace called Your College that I had never heard of, but I figured listening to some admissions officer would be better than running two miles in 40-degree weather. When I walked into the office I saw, to my surprise, four of the smartest seniors waiting to hear about Your College. Wow, this must be a good school, I thought. At that moment, Your College admissions officer came in and began talking. Everything she said supported the idea that at Your College, everything is on a personal level. The admissions staff actually wants to know more about you than your GPA. Everything she said sounded interesting to me, so I decided to visit over the summer. The second I stepped out of the car at Your College, I realized where I want to spend the next four years.

I first read about Your College in The Insiders' Guide to College. Its praise of the English department, small classes, student-teacher interaction, and warm environment piqued my interest enough to continue my investigation. My junior English teacher was the first person I asked about Your College; her enthusiasm and excitement prompted my campus visit. As I stepped out of the car, the quiet beauty of the place hit me, and I was immediately reminded of my home on Vashon Island. A few students wandered down the middle of campus, deep in conversation. As they passed by, they took time to glance up and say hellp. There was not a moment I spend on campus that I did not feel as though I belonged.