Many high schools host a college fair, providing students with direct access to a variety of local, out-of-state and international learning institutions. When I was assessing colleges, I took the college fair opportunity visit with any school that interested me. By the end of the fair, I signed up to receive information from ten different universities. From that point forward, they bombarded my email and mailbox with recruitment material. But of the ten, only one college marketed to me with all the right components that make me not just apply, but also accept.

The Approach

Texas Christian University – it’s not too big, it’s not too small, it’s just right. Coming from a private school with 120 graduating seniors, I was accustomed to a small-sized learning environment. I was used to this dynamic, but I still was not sure if going to a small college was the right choice for me. At the college fair, I spoke about this with the TCU representative.

When I started receiving mail from TCU, my informational packet contained a handwritten note from the TCU representative I met. The note talked about how a smaller population meant a more personal connection with other students, professors, and alumni. This personal gesture showed me that TCU remembered me and cared about my concern.

The Visit

I took a campus tour of TCU, since none of the other schools I was interested in took the time to send me a personalized message. On the tour, our guide escorted my group around campus highlighting the beautiful Horn Frog environment. After the tour, I took a private tour of the freshman dorm rooms. I appreciated that they offered this. It helped me view their living quarters as my potential new home.

It also did not hurt that all the dorms were newly renovated, had close parking for residents, and laundry service available. That’s when I knew that smaller schools could offer more than I expected.TCU made the college experience luxurious.

The Decision

After my visit, I applied to TCU. The university emailed me a few days after I completed the application, conveying their excitement about my decision to apply. Again, TCU won me over by making each interaction personal. No other school had truly made me feel like I would be more than just another student. TCU consistently worked to build a customized experience for me.

When I received the huge envelope saying, “Congratulations Mariah”, I had no doubt that TCU was the school for me.

This week, my last year of high school will begin, which brings up a lot of talk about college. Aside from being asked where I want to go, the second most popular question is, “What do you want to study?” Now, let’s be realistic. How many teenagers actually know what they want to do for the rest of their lives? Before my internship at Front Porch, this question really made me think.

I started by investigating general areas of study: business, law, medicine, psychology, etc. While  thinking about business, I considered what I would want to do in the business world, and marketing stood out to me.

Why Marketing?

Marketing interests me because you are in control of your messaging and you can be creative. To sell your product or business to others, you get to highlight your product or business’ best qualities, defining it and what it stands for. Marketing allows you to showcase your business as an artist: you “paint” your vision of your business on a canvas, display it in the best light, and then watch the painting come to life as you strive to meet your customers’ demands.

Additionally, there are numerous channels you can pursue in marketing. For instance, you could work for a marketing agency, where the focus is solely on helping others market their “paintings.” Front Porch has given me the opportunity to learn how these “paintings” are created and built to produce success.

All in all, I feel that marketing is a great career for me to strive for in college. It will allow me to put my creative juices to work to promote or help others promote their businesses, leaving me with the satisfaction of having created many rewarding tales of triumph.