Hebrews 10:35-36

Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (New Living Translation)

What is right for me, Lord?

After selecting the right college or university, the next thing was selecting the right major. Some students might not have any problem in deciding what major or degree to pursue, others however took some time to pick a major. This happened to our elder daughter Hannah two years ago. Initially she decided to be a CPA but changed her mind later after few dental visits. She said she finally found out what she wants to do. After committing herself to do dentistry, she miraculously felt at peace, she said.

This time Ariel was in the same situation. Choosing a right major in college was too overwhelming for her. She had many sleepless nights. Each time when she confronted with the question of which major to declare, she would not know what to decide on.

Ariel enjoys drawing and is the most artistic member in the family. She likes designing and at the same time she excels in physics and calculus. Her dream is to become an architect but after much prayer and talks with a number of persons about her future career in architecture, she never received any positive affirmation. Many people suggested engineering instead.

I went over some research with Ariel and encouraged her to talk to few more people in the field of architecture and engineering and prayed fervently together with her seeking God’s divine guidance on this matter. Although, till now, we still don’t have a very clear answer from God as what exactly will be best for her, one thing we know for sure was architecture is not for her. We are thankful anyway for the American university system which permits freshman to enroll undeclared – without declaring a major.

Our second campus visit: University of California, Irvine

UC Irvine has a very large campus but one could hardly get lost during the tour. The university's buildings (undergraduate schools) were built in a circle around a park situated in the center of the campus. If you were lost, just go round the campus and you'd find your way out.

This is the Aldrich Park - the nucleus of the main campus surrounded by all the undergraduate buildings

Part of the view of one of the campus housings

We're very happy with the tour. Our tour guides were really cool, especially the one who led us to see the student housing. We spent nearly an entire afternoon there. I actually hoped that Ariel would satisfy with this university after all UC Irvine provides her with what she needs financially.

But Ariel being Ariel, she'd not simply settle for something which she wasn't really sure. She insisted that I should take her to visit another two universities in Northern California in her spring break before she made a decision. Honestly, I don't mind spending two or three days going up north with her, but the sad thing was I didn't have spring break. I guess spring break is only for schools run on semesters system. My seminary runs on quarters system. Weeks before the public schools had their spring break, we had already enjoyed ours. On the contrary, it was time for me to prepare for my mid-terms. So, how? Lord? She better prayed hard for herself and me.

"Spying" the promised land - our daughters' college

Unlike my daughters, I did not have the opportunity or privilege to tour a few universities before deciding which university would provide me with the best experience for the next four years of education and enlightenment.

In America, most people believe that choosing the right college is the first and most important step toward a good university education. So whenever possible, most concerned parents will no doubt jump at the opportunity of a campus visit. Some might even go out of their way to reschedule their busy appointments and business just so they can make it to the university’s open house tours.

Although reputation and prestige is one of the key factors of a student’s choice in selecting a college, it is not necessarily the decisive factor. Majors, degrees, locations, and campus size matter as well. Some say selecting a college is just like buying a car. If you are a true car lover and know about cars, you don’t just buy for the sake of brand name, you get what you really like.

While all these factors make sense to many of us, our daughters have another main concern before making their decision—whether they could receive financial help from the universities they applied to.

We truly thank God for His love and faithfulness in keeping His promises. Not only have both of our daughters been accepted into their choice of university, they were also awarded with scholarships and financial aids to cover their education needs.

Below are some pictures of the campuses that I visited with my daughters. Our first campus tour was to CSU Northridge: this is the first university which offered Ariel in-state tuition in early March.

 

 

To be honest, I actually like the campus and the people here. The campus and dorms are better than what I expected. People are friendly. Prospective students are warmly welcomed by both student-staff and advisors.