For months, I couldn't choose between the two. In elementary school, I attended a private school across the street from McNicholas. To start my day, I would attend a math class at McNicholas and then walk to my school. From the beginning, I was exposed to what my high school experience at McNicholas would entail and, in my opinion, it was far from pleasant. The students were all the same, had the same beliefs, the same clothes and the same attitudes. The main thing that drew me to McNicholas was the group of friends I grew up with. By not attending McNicholas, I would be leaving the social life I had enjoyed for the past nine years. Turpin however was something different; it was a new beginning. By going to Turpin, I would force myself to get out of my old inner circle and have new experiences. I knew very few people attending Turpin and I really had no idea what life would be like in Turpin. About halfway through my eighth grade year, I took a day off to observe Turpin and what I experienced is something I will never forget. The environment was unprecedented, the students were lively and the teachers were accepting of having an unfamiliar face in the classroom – it was just normal. Ultimately it was the environment, the freedom and the change of scenery that attracted me to Turpin and it is a choice that I will never second.