When choosing a college, my parents would constantly nag me to find the “right fit” college. You know, your dream school. The one that’s absolutely perfect.

In my opinion, a right fit doesn’t exist. No school will have everything that I want. Out of all the schools I applied to, Elizabethtown College was the best fit, but I still feel it has flaws, just like anything else.

Others think differently. They think that a right fit college is certainly out there, and they think Etown is theirs. Junior Gabi Yankelevich thinks the right school is possible. “The right school has the major you want with plenty of options for other classes that an individual is interested in,” she said. “It either intertwines discussions within the class or has large lectures, depending on what kind of environment a student prefers.”

With this we can acknowledge that maybe it’s just based on the definition of the perfect college, and only some people can find their right fit.

This idea doesn’t switch between gender, age or major. First-year Ben Roman said something similar to Yankelevich. “I do believe there is such a thing as a right fit school. It all just matters on what each individual wants in a school,” Roman said. “If they have the desired field of study they want, and it extends into what the community, both in the school and the town the school resides in, is like.” For Roman, it seems that it’s not if a school has minute things that one cares about, but the bare necessities, one’s major and a good environment. “Each person has different interests, and it is possible for a school to fit those interests exactly.”

It also applies to those who are still searching for a college. Prospective student Godwin Igbinedion has recently decided to attend Etown. He felt the same as the others. “I do believe there is such a thing as a right fit school, but you can only find your best fit school if you visit it and research about it all you can,” he said.

“I believe what makes a best fit school is that it feels just like you are at home, you don’t feel in a new environment and all the people there feel like they are a part of your new family.” As Roman mentioned, Igbinedion believes it is mainly about how the environment of the campus feels.

So, with this in mind, it would appear that many people feel as if a right fit school is indeed a possibility. Sometimes though, one may not be able to see that a college is the right fit at first.

“Initially, I did not want to come to Etown because I wanted to go to Franklin and Marshall College or Boston University,” Yankelevich said. “I really enjoyed my visit and thought that I could see myself going here, but I also was a bit conceited and wanted to go to F&M or Boston University because they were more well-known.”

But that attitude can always change with the effect of physically walking onto campus. Once you visit the college, a whole opinion may change. “When I came for my summer orientation, I realized that Etown was the school for me. The peer mentors were beyond excited, and their energy pumped me up.” So while it may have taken her time, Yankelevich was able to find her right fit.

But that begs the question, what makes Etown the right fit? “What made me like Etown so much was how welcoming the people were when I visited,” Igbinedion said. “They seemed very nice and they seemed like people I could get along with. The most appealing thing for me was that someone I knew was going there and could guide me on my journey in Etown.”

It’s the people here at Etown that make the school feel like the right place. The peer mentors, the professors, the coaches and the friends. When people walk on campus and see all of those people, they want to become a part of it. It happened for Igbinedion, Roman, Yankelevich and even me. The smiles and the open arms are enough to make this college a “right fit.”

“I really like Etown, and I hope I do become a Blue Jay in the near future” Igbinedion said.