Five on the First

I stole this little interactive thing from another web-site, where, in an effort to develop community, they asked a question on the first of the month to get to know each other a little bit. Tried to create their own little top-5 lists about various things about them...you know, favorite restaurants, vacation spots, etc. I liked it, so I'm doing it.

For today, please list the top-5 choices you REALISTICALLY wanted in a college or university when you were in high school (if you're in high school, list the top-5 choices you realistically want to attend):

1. Auburn University--I was in love with that place from the time my dad took me to my first football game there when I was 5 years old. Trips to Auburn with him are still in my fondest childhood memory vault. It was my first choice, and I never really seriously considered anyplace else.
2. Mississippi State University--It was the dream school for anyone who wanted to play college baseball in the early 1980's. Rafael Palmiero, Will Clark, Jeff Brantley and several other major league stars played on one team. I had no shot at playing ball there but I sent my ACT scores there just in case. Hey, you got three schools to send them to free, so I thought I'd take a shot. I got accepted into the school, but never really considered it.
3. The University of Southern Mississippi--A terrible baseball school at the time, but I was interested because they had just sunk a bunch of money into something called a "computer lab." Seemed like a good time to get into this trend toward personal home computing. It all sounded so space-age and cool...never mind the fact that I suck at math & science, which no one bothered to tell me were important in that field.
4. Troy State University. In fact, I had a series of one-year scholarships that totalled a four year education at that school. When I told mom they'd invited me to walk-on to their baseball team (which was highly competitive in NCAA Division II, in fact, they won the world series three years later) she said, "That'd be nice if you could play baseball for them, but you'd still have a degree from Troy State of all places." Any enthusiasm I had for that school was immediately squashed.
5. Samford University. It was a small, private school located close to my house and I had a friend that went there. It was a little to khaki and Southen Baptist for my tastes, but it is a nice school with a beautiful campus. I really didn't want to live at home and go to college, though. I don't think I got in based on my scores.

Notice the trend? In Alabama, you tend to think in "close to home" terms. I'm glad my children mention schools all over the country when they're asked about colleges...I never thought that way.