College Beyond the Continent
Your college options are far broader than you might think
North Allegheny is infamous for a calamitously competitive college culture, as many of these comments reflect; peers turn on peers for top spots, acting smarter, better, and more intelligent than what is the truth and hiding failures when rejection letters arrive.
A refreshing break from ever-present NA nonsense
Our halls are filled with pressure, emanating from classmates, teachers, and parents alike — not to mention what we do to ourselves. We even have old jokes that Cornell is the CCAC of the Ivies and Google Doc lists of the smartest kids’ choice of schools (last year we learned that Case Western doesn’t make the cut).
I’m sorry, but absolutely what?
In an attempt to escape this all-consuming malady and appease other, crazier parts of my personality, I turned my attention elsewhere for college: the British Isles. Last week, I was lucky enough to take a trip to see my four top schools — Trinity College Dublin, University of St. Andrews, University of Glasgow, and University of Edinburgh — and found them a refreshing break from ever-present NA nonsense. When I say Edinburgh, my classmates think I’m talking about Edinboro University in PA; that disconnect has been magical — no one can pester or judge me if they don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.
Not only are these schools highly ranked, but the cities (or towns, in the case of St. Andrews) bear history and charm beyond compare. They also can present quite the bargain. On my trip, I saw 12th century castles a short walk from the university library, an ancient manuscript directly on campus, and an H&M in a building older than our country. These schools are an adventure — and an exciting one at that.
Alex Flagg is a senior this year. She loves reading, writing, and coffee, and she hates math, parking, and getting up early. Outside of class, Alex participates in the school's theatre program, works at Soergel's, and sleeps whenever that's not happening. She plans to study English.
