Decisions, Decisions

Well, I paid Wheaton $300 to secure a spot in their hallowed halls this fall. I'm still trying to talk myself into it, but I haven't talked to a single person yet who didn't enthusiastically support the decision.

Wheaton's campus looks exactly like a college campus ought to look: great old architecture, beautiful landscaping, and a meticulously groomed football field. I didn't get to have any meaningful conversations with staff or faculty while I was there, but I think most professors' resumes speak for themselves. Also, as both the cheesy, squeaky-clean tour guide and the hip, dredlocked admissions counselor pointed out, Wheaton has some of the best college food in the nation.

Here's a picture of the Wheaton Mastodon (for Blogbarger). Chris, let's be sure to go to Metro Diner before I leave town to share a couple of Masterburgers.

Thinking of Thunder

But not the aural variety that has proved so plentiful lately here in Dallas. I'm contemplating a Thunder of a different kind.

In spring I visited Beloit College; a Richland prof had promoted me there and everyone was friendly, but the school didn't fit. Wheaton College sent me two "you're good enough for us but so many others are better than you" letters relegating me to their admissions waiting list (odds: not so good). I began to commit my mind and heart to the University of Texas, and two Fridays ago I spent the day as a Longhorn: driving to Austin in the morn, meeting with advisers and breaking the UT experience into palatable pieces, and rockin' back to Dallas with Jack and Meg White and Josh Homme in the eventime. I had left before the mailman (or "person person" as the Kuceras used to say) could deliver my missives and returned after dark.

I pulled into my driveway, unloaded my mailbox, walked inside. I found a larger than average piece from Wheaton, and as I turned it over, I could read its bold message through the translucent envelope. "Welcome to Wheaton."

All I wanted to do since I started the transfer process was to attend Wheaton. So many benefits: leave Mexas, return to midwestern culture, nearness to friends and family in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Des Moines; academic giants professoring the classes, Christian instruction to nourish my skeptic's heart and foggy mind; a local Giordano's to nourish my grateful digestive system. But too many quasi-rejections later I had given up on every bit of it and focused on the great city of Austin and its 4 1/2-star academic institution. Now I have an unbelievably tough decision to make--be a Longhorn or join the Thunder--and the blessing of having to choose between two top notch schools.

I head to Wheaton on Friday to check it out.