There are nearly 6,000 colleges in the United States. College is a gateway to vast opportunities and experiences, yet selecting the right institution is a seemingly insurmountable task. Amidst the building pressures of school, athletics, and college applications, I have narrowed down three factors to determine this eluding future: location, academic engagement, and diversity.

I was born and raised in Long Beach, California, the second largest city in Los Angeles County. Aside from teaching me about the beats of Snoop Dogg and the legendary NFL lineage from my high school, Long Beach imparted upon me a love for the city experience. Leaving the city I call home to the uncharted world of college, I hope to stay in a large city. I am willing to adapt to new climate conditions, however I cannot compromise the hustle and bustle of an urban setting. For this reason, I am applying to schools merely 30 minutes away in Los Angeles and in distant locations such as New York and Boston.

Beyond the physical environment, the intellectual atmosphere greatly influences my college criteria. Majoring in mechanical engineering, I seek an institution which provides high level classes in the computational topics including math and physics while integrating hands-on learning in programming and the engineering design. While many colleges offer programs involving these aspects, my desired college needs the available resources for advanced engagement, specifically workshops for students to practice the engineering construction process outside of class. Another factor in this academic criteria is research. Research opportunities will allow me to develop real-world experience in my field while pushing the boundaries of technology, all within the college campus. Thus, my college of choice should be a research institution with a strong school of engineering.

The final , and most important, criteria in my college decision is diversity. Diversity is a broad term, and I hope my future college covers a wide range of facets blanketed under its breadth. First is the diversity of the student body. Once again stemming from my roots in Long Beach, diversity has been an integral part of my upbringing as an Ecuadorian-Cambodian student. Being surrounded by enriching neighborhoods and stores representing my own heritage allowed me to embrace the unique values and traditions of my cultures. In addition to this cultural immersion, my interactions with neighbors and peers from various backgrounds enabled me to form a more complete understanding of not only my world, but the world and the experiences of those around me. As I pursue a higher education, I believe I can continue contributing to my ever growing arsenal of viewpoints by meeting and forming strong bonds with a diverse student body. Furthermore, diversity in college should also involve intellectual diversity.

Although I do want a specialized and rigorous education in engineering, I hope to expand my knowledge across all STEM fields and in the humanities. For me, a strong education is constituted by a solid intellectual foundation across academic subjects. I can find this encapsulating sense of diversity by searching for colleges that champion these progressive ideals. As the city tends to bring together unique people and values, diversity seems to pertain to both previous criteria of location and academics. Taking these into account, I believe I am confident that I will find not only the right college, but a new home and a place to further my goals in STEM.