I'll make this short, so that I don't end up boring everybody with a wall of text.
I'm a senior this year, and the decisions are beginning to trickle in. I've been accepted into five schools so far, and I genuinely enjoy all of them to some degree. While I'm weighing my options, however, my mother has already chosen her favorite (and oh, is she passionate about it). I feel as if I'll disappoint her if I don't attend - in fact, she becomes almost hostile when I even bring up the other schools.
PROS: The school does have a fairly good academic reputation.
It's known for being more libertarian-leaning, which I appreciate.
I already know that I have a good scholarship offer, which could possibly be bumped up to a full ride.
CONS: The school is tiny. Really, really tiny. Similarly, the surrounding town is small, and the nearest mall is an hour away. I'm a social person, so this scares me.
It has a reputation for being very hardworking, but also very uptight. I enjoy a good party, and it doesn't seem like this college is very accepting of that notion (in fact, it seems almost hostile towards it).
On that note, I have nothing against religion, but from what I've heard from other students, the religious atmosphere on campus is a bit much, in the "opposite sexes should be on opposite planets" vein.
My mother argues that education is all-important, and though I don't necessarily disagree, I want to enjoy the social environment of my college. I do have a full tuition scholarship at another school (where I fell in love with the mix of academics and social life), but it's a state school, which makes my mother beyond disappointed.
What should I do? How can I (a) make myself like the school more or (b) explain the situation without upsetting her?
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