Visiting my future life.

This past weekend, I had the privilege of giving my possible future life a test run.
I have a friend who is currently a freshman at UC Santa Cruz, and I've dreamt of attending this university since my sophomore year at RHS. I've been accepted, but am still nervous about committing to attend. So my friend, Shira, decided to let me stay with her for a weekend in her dorm, to give me a sample of the college life I would potentially be living.
It was the most liberating experience... I didn't want to leave.
She was so excited for my coming that she planned out several tours of the separate themed colleges, so I would have an easier time choosing. There are 10 very different colleges that a student can be associated with when they go to UC Santa Cruz. The colleges not only determine location and architecture of dormitories, but also what "core" class the freshman student must take their first quarter at UCSC.
So these tours she most carefully planned for me were indispensible when it came to being clear about what I wanted my first year. And they gave me an advantage when it came to the selection process: I got to speak to various students from the different colleges about their experiences... what they liked, hated, or would do differently.
And it succeeded in its purpose.
For a weekend, I forgot about RHS and pretended to be a student at UCSC, like I actually will be in the fall. And I fit in just perfectly.
I'm ecstatic about my choice, and can't wait for this seismic shift in my life to take place.
So now to tackle these last weeks as a Senior...