With the new year just around the corner, seniors are facing college decisions head-on. After careful deliberation, senior Jacob Ward made the decision to leave Kansas to pursue higher education. Of his options, he chose Columbia College Chicago on Dec. 2 and plans to attend in the fall 2019 semester.

Ward first discovered Columbia through an email. Although Ward, like most upperclassmen students, receives hundred of emails from various colleges, Columbia stood out to him due to the location and nature of the school.

“I like the prime location of the school as it is downtown [in Chicago],” Ward said.

Columbia, which can be found in the Chicago Loop, is surrounded by art murals which give the Loop an artistic vibe. Columbia reflects that, as it focuses primarily on art majors.

“It’s only catered to art majors or art-related majors in creative fields, so it’s really focused on that,” Ward said. “Because it’s in Chicago, that lends itself to a lot more opportunities.”

After looking into Columbia, Ward made the decision to fly out to Chicago and visit the school in person over the weekend of Oct. 26 as they were hosting an open house for prospective students.

“Whenever I visited, it was very untraditional,” Ward said. “They opened up [the open house presentation] with a performance, which is something I have not seen at the other college visits I’ve attended.”

In addition to the uniqueness of the school and its atmosphere, Ward met professors and students that heavily impacted his decision to commit to Columbia.

“I felt like I made very personal connections with multiple professors and students and alumni there, which I didn’t make at other colleges,” Ward said. “That stood out to me.”

While some students might be wary of the approximately 412-mile traverse between Kansas City and Chicago, Ward is ready to embrace the change.

“I’m not nervous,” Ward said. “I’m excited to go to Chicago because it will be very different for me because it’s a big city. I’m excited to start a network there with new people and find cool new places to explore.”

Ward plans to major in social media and digital strategy and minor in public relations.

“I would like to be a social media manager or a PR for a startup company or even a major company or social media company like Twitter,” Ward said.

Ultimately, Ward says he is excited to attend Columbia and looks forward to the opportunities it will bring him.