Caroline Chabata is all smiles showing off her new ETBU shirt!

Choosing a college can be pretty tough.  There are so many choices to make and so many things to consider.  Degree offerings, location, quality, faculty/student class ratios.  The list could go on forever.

Oh yeah…and money as well.

And while mom and dad tend to look at facts and figures, students these days rely on what their peers are saying and thinking about college.  They wanna hear the story of someone who is going through what they are about to jump into.  In order to make the right decision on a college, they wanna hear someone their age tell them what it is really all about.

Someone like ETBU transfer student Caroline Chabata, who was recently featured in the “It Happened To Me” section on Seventeen Magazines website where she talked about her choice to transfer to ETBU.

Caroline had this to say: “It really did help to wait and do my research. I found out that this school gave out scholarships not only for academics, but also for Christian leadership. This means if you’re involved with things like helping out with Sunday school, or the praise and worship team at your church, you get scholarships! If you’re looking for an easy, generous scholarship, I would recommend looking at schools that correspond with your religion and offer scholarships for your involvement.”

Future college students really should check out those facts and figures before deciding.  But learning about scholarships like the one she mentioned from one of your peers seems to make such a bigger impact than simply a line buried in an admissions brochure somewhere.

Caroline talked about how she was a little nervous about starting this next chapter in her life.  Who came to the rescue?  Her friends, giving her advice on what to and what not to do.  “…’Do not fall asleep in the Quad’, or ‘lock your bike otherwise, it’ll end up in some tree.’  I’m looking forward to coming back over the summer with my own helpful tips and fun college stories!”

It is amazing to see how much social media like Facebook, Twitter, and even a blog-style section in the Seventeen Magazine website, have opened the channels of communication between these students, and even more so, that they understand the power of their stories and the great impact it has on lives.

We are so proud to have students like Caroline on our campus!  It is a great big world, but people like Caroline are showing others on a world-wide scale that there’s always a place for you.

And how was her post at seventeen.com received?  One commenter simply said this:  “WOW I’m excited to see what happens too! I’m happy that you were able to transfer with no hassle and find a university that fits you and your needs.”

Way to go Caroline!  GO BLUE!

Read Caroline’s entire post here at Seventeen Magazine’s site.