Deciding where you’re going to attend college can be one of the hardest, but most exciting decisions you make. There are so many things to consider, and for an athlete who is planning to compete at the next level it can be even more challenging. After months of going through the college searching, applying, and decision-making process, I recently decided I am going to attend and run track and cross country at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Although it may seem like a daunting task at times, deciding where you are going to spend the next 4 years really is an exciting journey. I think it’s a good idea to start with a framework of what you personally want out of your college experience: academically, athletically, and socially. Affordability and location are also important considerations. Since your college degree will last you your entire life, I think it’s a good idea to make the academics a top priority.
Running can be a great avenue to help you get admitted to schools and can also help pay for your education. It is important to figure out if you fit best in Division I, II, III or a different level. Are you a scholarship athlete or a potential walk-on? Club teams and intramurals are another possibility to keep competing after high school, especially at large universities.
I started with a list of highly ranked academic schools. From there I started doing my research: seeing what my chances were of getting accepted, what kind of majors/programs interested me, how I would stack up on the running teams, and what campus life was like. From my research I was able to narrow the list some more and then send in recruiting questionnaires.
After hearing back from several of the schools, and narrowing my list further, I went to visit a lot of schools the summer going into my senior year. Some kids apply several places and wait to see where they get in before they visit schools. I can understand this approach, but I took the other route. I found it extremely helpful to see the school and try to determine if it was a good fit for me.
I visited a lot of amazing schools, but some of them just weren’t right for me. On the other hand, I didn’t even expect to like MIT, but I was visiting several other schools out East so I decided to give it a shot since it met my criteria. Upon visiting, I immediately fell in love with the school and the town of Cambridge. Now that doesn’t mean I was ready to make my decision right away, but sometimes you really don’t what you’re going to like until you put forth the effort to go visit.
Going on all those visits in the summer seemed like a lot of work at the time, but it was definitely worth it because it showed me what I wanted and I was able to narrow my list to only a few schools. If you can get a good idea of where you’ll fit in, only applying/continuing to stay in contact with a couple coaches can save you so much effort and help you really focus on the places you care most about. I also found it really helpful to try to get most of my applications done in the summer. You may think you have all the time in the world after school starts, but I have seen too many fellow seniors start freaking out because all of a sudden they have all this schoolwork, their sports season is in full swing, and on top of it all they have to complete their college applications.
After that it’s kind of a waiting game until you hear back. Keep in mind that everyone receives a rejection at some point in their life. Whether it’s the thin envelope or facing the reality you might just not be good enough to run on a certain team… it happens. Just remember, it’s about finding the right fit for you, so if you don’t make it somewhere, there’s your answer--it wasn’t the right place for you.
An article on Milesplit I found really helpful on being recruited is: http://ma.milesplit.com/
Once you have gone through all the hard work and finally have some options, choosing can be difficult. Again I encourage everyone to try to work out what they see is the best place for them personally. Official visits can help clarify this. I just got back from my official visit to MIT last weekend and it confirmed to me it was my best fit. To add to the fun, while at MIT I got to see Mary Cain, Abbey D’agostino, and Jordan Hasay run the mile at nearby Boston University. I was on the infield while they ran! They were a truly amazing group to watch and Mary Cain was only 1/100 of a second off breaking the junior world record. An outstanding performance for all three and I was incredibly star-struck to be there.
SHOUT-OUTS-
Of course, Cain, D’agostino and Hasay for working so hard and competing so tough. Other shout-outs include: The entire MIT Track and Field team for being so good to me on my visit, and also my host-freshman Maryann Gong-for taking the track right after Cain, D’agostino, and Hasay to run a PR 4:52 mile. Lastly, all the track and field teams in Illinois who started practice the last couple weeks. Wahoooo track is here! Let’s put in work and do big things this spring!