That feeling that resonates

It is my professional and personal opinion that a campus tour is paramount in the college search process. Especially for young searchers. When I recommend a campus tour I am asked how to best approach it.

There are some standard questions to ask and people I think they should talk to. But the focus of the conversation always comes back to a feeling. The vibe, as I describe it, can only be felt when you get onto campus.

It’s not only college campuses that give off a vibe. We feel it with lots of things: houses, cities, parks, museums, art, restaurants, food, books, everyday objects, animals, philosophies, movies, beliefs, and people.

I have no rational explanation for what and why things resonate with me. But when it happens it’s like something I’ve always known. A part of me I am getting reacquainted with. Sometimes it provides the words I’ve struggled to articulate.

I felt it a lot when I went to college and was introduced to new ideas and ways of thinkings, especially in theatre and art. It’s one of the things I most enjoy about the internet. Access to all the different ways of doing anything.

As I get older I find it harder to recognize what resonates. It is particularly difficult to set aside popular opinion, old beliefs, and ways of being, and allow myself to tune into the resonance. But when I can it is most rewarding.