Decisions, Decisions

There’s something you should know about me.

I am a terrible decision maker.

If you need something overthought, fussed over, worried, second-guessed, or what-if’d to death…I’m your man.  There’s actually a catchphrase for it – “Analysis Paralysis”. Wikipedia describes it as:

“over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation, so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome. A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises. A person might be seeking the optimal or “perfect” solution upfront, and fear making any decision which could lead to erroneous results, when on the way to a better solution.”

It’s true.  Want proof?  I haven’t made a menu and bought a week’s worth of groceries in years.  I mean, what happens if I plan for and buy groceries for meatloaf one night and then that night rolls around and we don’t feel like meatloaf?!  It’s too much pressure!  Four days of groceries is about all I can handle.

So it shouldn’t surprise you that it’s been a bit challenging to decide where our daughter should go to college.  It’s a life altering decision that will affect the course of the rest of her life.  A little more pressure than a Thursday night meatloaf, you know?

We were so proud that Kelsey was accepted to three out the four colleges she applied to.  And after some comparing, we narrowed it down to two choices.  Both of these colleges offered a quality education in her planned field of study.  But the two choices could not have been more different in terms of curriculum, campus life, and overall experience.    Here were some of our considerations:

• The “ying” college is a large, in-state, public university boasting a top 10 rating in The Princeton Review.  This university also offers an international study abroad program as well as state of art campus improvements.  In terms of campus life, Kelsey would enjoy an active Greek life and championship athletics. 
• The “yang” college is a private, Jesuit, Catholic university in big city a long way from home.  This university consistently ranks in the “top national universities” by U.S. News and World Report. They also offer a large study abroad program and Greek life.  A big part of the appeal of this university is the city and all it’s cultural experiences.

And as much as I hate putting a price tag on things you can’t put a price on, there were other factors that went into the decision making process like cost and value.

So, armed with all of this information our family has been deliberating about this for a few weeks.  Tripp and I have pretty much been on the same page all along.  As parents, we tried as objectively as humanly possible to consider all the factors when choosing what we believed to be the best college for our daughter.  And Kelsey has weighed all these considerations as well.

And I am thrilled to tell you that Kelsey has made a decision – and I believe the right decision.  She came home from school on Friday feeling like she was on top of the world.  The weight of decision had been lifted of her shoulders and now she can get on with being excited about going to the college of her choice. 

I am one proud Momma!

Peace, Kelly