This question always seems to surface in school: “When will I be using this in real life?” For many seniors, the time is coming to use what we learn in real life, and to finally announce the decision of a lifetime: which college you will be attending?

For senior Joshua Sidare, he announced he will be attending Northern Illinois University for the fall of 2017.

“It has one of the best business programs in the state,” Sidare said. “I love the new dorm hall because it is basically a large apartment setting which is pretty awesome.”

There are many factors that come into play when deciding which college to attend: the distance to home, the expense of college itself, financial aid, course of study, student life, safety and more.

For senior Casey Bala, she is still deciding on her choice, but she is leaning towards Loyola University.

“The physical therapy program they have there, I talked to one of the Loyola representatives and they told me about how students are able to work with patients on campus on their own medical hospitals, in which interests me to major in exercise science, and further pursue my dreams of becoming a physical therapist, since learning about the body amazes me,” Bala said.

College matters to any senior regardless of which college they are attending: big or small, far or near. College prepares students for the real world, by being independent. Becoming an independent college student means having a greater amount of both responsibility and freedom.