Football - The Only Answer
From Evan Silverman for First College Visit, a series of first college visit stories by business professionals sponsored by SmartCollegeVisit. Silverman was recently a featured guest on SmartCollegeVisit's #CampusChat:
Growing up on the East Coast, more specifically in New York City, my family was in shock when I told them I wanted to go to the Ohio State University. Not because Ohio State was such a huge school, so far away from home, but because I was 9.
Back then, in the seventies, I was glued to the television every Saturday afternoon to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes play whomever. I sat mesmerized as the “best damn band in the land” famously dotted the “I” and Woody Hayes led the Buckeyes onto the field. But, nothing topped the Ohio State/Michigan game - “The Granddaddy of Them All.” I was sold.
I made my first visit to the campus in the fall of 1987. It was exactly what I expected – Buckeye football. The campus was beautiful, but Ohio Stadium was spectacular. My father hounded me for a legitimate reason to go there. My only answer: "Football.” The more politically correct answer was probably, “Because according to US News & World Report, Ohio State is ranked 18th among all public universities. Also, the Fisher College of Business is ranked 16th in the nation and 7th among public universities. And, they have a great football program.”
So, I applied, was accepted and enrolled in the fall of 1988. My years at the Ohio State University were definitely some of the best years of my life. Most importantly, I received an excellent education and friendships to last a lifetime - not to mention, we always have a damn good football team.
Nothing wrong with knowing what you want early in life, my 4 1/2 year old daughter seems to be on the right path.
Evan Silverman is founder of Chicago-based WilliamPaid, LLC.
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First College Visit on Handshake 2.0, a series of first college visit stories by business professionals, is sponsored by SmartCollegeVisit, a college visit portal with tools and resources for campus visit travel planning, college visit advice from parents to parents, not-to-miss Smart See, Smart Do college campus sites, and more. You're invited to follow SmartCollegeVisit on Twitter and to like SmartCollegeVisit on Facebook.









