Good morning everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start! Today is the last day of classes before our break for Veterans Day. It will be nice to have the day off and thank all of the Veterans who served our country. Since today is the Tuesday that feels like a Friday I am excited to finally have some friend time! A couple of friends and I are going to have a night out on the town. The plan is to go see a movie and have a great time. Although the plan for the night is to have fun, I still have to get some homework done before the fun begins.

Now I know the thought of college is crossing every senior’s mind. With the senior year practically halfway over seniors will start wrapping up their ACT and SAT scores and deciding on what college to attend. Not everyone finds the perfect college the first way around. I know I didn’t. Before the whole astronaut thing, I was in love with musical theater. I wanted to be a performer. When I was in my junior year at Coral Springs Charter School, I went on College Tour. We visited multiple colleges throughout a few days. My cousins all went to the big schools UF, FSU, and USF. I ended up having lunch with my cousin and he told me all about FSU. I fell in love with the school. I loved the history and how it was all brick. It shows character. I walked into the bookstore, got a sweatshirt and sweatpants and got back on the bus. I remember calling my parents and telling them that I was going to go to FSU and study Musical Theater. They were happy. They never thought I was going to go to college.

Now I know some of you may be thinking how I ended up at Riddle. Well, surprise surprise. My life changed when I found Kennedy Space Center. Like I wrote in my first blog, it really changed my life. I made the decision to go to ERAU after I decided I wanted to be an astronaut. I did my research and read all about the school. I ended up touring it and fell in love.

For every senior, making that decision to go to college is tough. You don’t know if you’re making the right decision or not. How do you know? Well here is a few tips.

• First – find what you are interested in. Ask yourself “What degree is right for me?”
• Second – Search colleges in-state and out of state that offer that degree program.
• Narrow it down to your top 3
• Tour the school and/or call
• Make your decision from there

There are very basic steps to follow. Almost like a guide. You can add the in-between steps like application and what is needed but that depends on where you would like to put those steps.

Choosing what college to go to and let a long deciding that program to pursue is hard enough. My best advice to you is to take your time and make sure you are picking something you love. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and put yourself out there. That is what I did and now I am on top of the world loving what I am doing.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out to your parents. They want to see you succeed and would love to help.

I wish all the seniors the best of luck! You can do it!

Have a great day!

Skye Schwartz AKA “Astro Skye”