How Society Shapes Your Decision for College

Peter Berger refers to the sociological perspective as seeing the general in the particular, meaning sociology helps one see the general patterns in particular people. Well we all know that society can affect our choices in life, whether it be the jeans you buy, the food you eat or the path you choose for your future, society always has a say in it even if it isn't welcomed. My choice to go to college wasn't much of a choice, as far back as I can remember my parents and teachers alike were constantly grooming me for exams and tests and everything I would need to get accepted into and succeed at whatever higher institution I chose. Not that this was a bad thing at all, I'm more than grateful for all of it considering without it I would not be where I am today. The point is, society embeds in your mind that the only way to be successful in todays business world is to go to college, get a degree, and then search for a desk to sit behind for the greater part of the remainder of your life. If that wasn't encouragement enough to keep my grades high and my sights set even higher, looking around at the other students at my school certainly did it for me. I told myself that I would not allow myself to slip and fall into the pattern that all the others around me had or soon would. I was bound and determined to get out of that school, out of my hometown, and away from any negative people or negative energy those people might be harboring. So the easy part was done, my choice had been made, but now the big question: What university do I choose? Being from a middle income family in Texas I knew I wasn't going to attend any Ivy League Institution, but I still wanted to go to an amazing University without bankrupting my parents of course. When I looked at my parents, along with other parents who were equally successful in their careers I noticed they had all gone to Big 12 schools. Again, keeping my parents bank accounts in mind I decided it would be the wisest decision to choose a Big 12 University that was still in Texas to avoid the $30,000 + fee for out of state tuition. Based on my major and who had accepted me so far I had it narrowed down to my top three universities; Texas A&M, University of Texas, and good ol' Texas Tech University. The deciding factor was that Texas Tech and the University of Texas were the only two schools with their own college of communication, but Texas Tech came out on top as the only University in Texas that offered advertising as its own major in its own college. It also didn't hurt that all the people I had grown to dislike from my hometown, if they were even graduating, were going on to UT or A&M, so the fact that Texas Tech was ten hours away from home was just the cherry on top.