Universities I Knew About When I Was 17

Following up on a claim I made in class this morning, in which I said, "When I was 17, I only knew about like two colleges," here is a list of universities I was aware of when I was 17:

Notre Dame: I grew up in the adjacent town.

Indiana University (Bloomington and South Bend campuses): This is where I ended up going to college, in Btown, which is where my aunt went as well.

Purdue University: In Lafayette, where I visited as a high school student when I won a poetry prize. I met Seamus Heaney. Otherwise, I knew of IU and Purdue because of the Oaken Bucket--the annual televised football game in which the two schools compete for, you guessed it, a bucket.

Ball State: I attended some kind of journalism conference here when I was in junior high. Most notable for its catchy jingle in TV commercials. "Everything you need!"

Southwestern Michigan College: A friend went here for graphic design for a semester and a half.

Ivy Tech Community College: Indiana's community college. My dad took a math class here when I was in high school.

Bethel College: is a Christian school in Mishawaka (IN). One of the smartest kids in my class went here, which was widely regarded as a tragedy.

Taylor University: is a Christian school outside Muncie (IN). A friend of mine went here, which was widely regarded as a tragedy.

Antioch College (Yellow Springs, OH): My good friend Mike took me along when he went to visit this school. I applied, was accepted, and went to IU instead.

Princeton: I knew about Princeton from watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and vaguely wanted to go there as a result. (Did not apply.)

Brown: We read a book by Scott Russell Sanders in my senior AP English class, and I learned that he went to Brown. So I wanted to go based on his example, but I backed out of applying because the fee was too high.

St. John's College: The book school! I wanted to go here but was intimidated and didn't turn in the application.

Borderline knowledge (information absorbed during the application process)...

Mt. Holyoke: A friend went here. I'd never heard of it and had no idea where it was.

University of Chicago: Two friends from high school applied here. I didn't know anything about it.

Northwestern University: The girl who got our high school's nomination for the in-state full scholarship ended up going here; this was a point of frustration on my part.

Sarah Lawrence: I knew about this school because of Ten Things I Hate About You.

Brigham Young: The Mormon kid's parents made him go here for a year.

Late-breaking knowledge (information acquired after the age of 18)...

Columbia University: I learned where Columbia is from watching The Sopranos on DVD in college.

Rutgers: Same.

DePaul University: That same old friend, Mike, transferred here from IUB, which is when I learned that it existed.