Hi everyone. My name is Erin, and I’m a senior editor for KEY magazine. Welcome to my blog. I was chosen to kick off KEY’s first-ever interactive feature (this blog) because I’ve spend nearly three years writing and reporting about postsecondary education.

Whether you’re a sophomore just starting to think about college, or a senior deciding between your top two schools, this blog is for you. Planning for life after high school is exciting, but it can be confusing too. Information and ideas are coming from every direction. Everyone, from your best friend to your parents to the guy next door, has an opinion of what you should do.

But the thing is, this is YOUR life. You’re reaching a place where it’s time for you to figure out what you want. To decide who you want to be.

Sound scary? It is a little. But it’s also sure to be one of the best experiences of your life.

So what makes me the right person to talk to about your college questions? First, I’ve been there. I remember my junior and senior years of high school. I remember wondering what was waiting for me after graduation. I remember thinking “What do I want to do?” and “What if I pick the wrong college?” To be honest, I had no clue what I was doing. Everything turned out fine in the end … but I could have saved myself (and my parents) some time and money if I had a resource like KEY.

I’m in the unique position of being able to talk to you about both community colleges and four-year universities. I spent two years at the community college in my home-town before moving away to get my bachelor’s degree. If you’re not sure which direction you want to take, I can help you out.

We hope you like KEY’s fun new design and features. Check back a couple times a week to see what topics I’m covering. From time to time, some of our other editors will pipe in too. Please feel free to post comments about the blog or suggest ideas for articles you’d like to see us cover, both here and in the magazine.

At a time when your life is changing, we’re here for you as an experienced, unbiased voice, helping answer your questions and preparing your for next phase of your life.