what if?

i was driving to work yesterday and saw a billboard for taylor university, stating that it was the #1 baccalaureate college in the U.S...though i find that hard to believe i did think about how that would be impressive to state on a resume or application for some new exciting job. and then i was thinking, what if i had gone to taylor? who would i be? would i have stuck with music performance or would i have changed it to something different? what kind of friends would i have made?
and that was the big question.
i know that there have been times when i have knocked huntington, saying i'm not a fan or whatnot, or that it's just too small or we're in a bubble. but even in that small bubble, i have learned so many things about the world. i've come into contact with many "problems" that exist, and while i may not understand all the knowledge i've come to find, i can appreciate it and learn from it all.
there are a lot of beliefs and faith systems out there, and instead of dismissing it all like i would have before college, now i take the time to listen and understand more of the world around me.
i can remember before college having only one gay friend. and how i felt about him. and my, how much i have learned and grown. i've had lots of conversations with friends about homosexuality: how they all need to be loved just a bit more than everyone else, or how they need to be listened to, understood, and told that everything will be all right.
i remember my first semester of college, writing a worldview for one of my history classes. and then i remember writing it again my last semester there. and while a few of my thoughts and ideas changed, a few things remained constant: He is faithful and constant. God always loves, always cares, and always protects. every man was created in His image. and we are called to love them as we love ourselves. do not judge; to not underestimate; always be willing to learn about the world around you.
i went to a private Christian school to broaden my worldview. and i did.
i know there are still a lot of things that i don't know about, or things in my head that i have wrong, and i know there are still things about myself that i don't like. but there are a lot of things i am glad to know about myself and lots of things i am proud of that make me who i am and what i know. i wish for everyone to be able to look back a year out of college and see these same things. it's what you make of it, not what you wait for it to bring you. that's all.
so, it's great that taylor has such a great rating...but i'd still pick huntington again. i'm sure there's a lot more to say here.