When I started thinking about college, I was nine years old and I was dead set on being a gymnast at Western Michigan University. This was a bit of a stretch, as I was awkward and could hardly walk without falling over. My actual college search didn’t begin until the summer before my senior year, after three years of constantly hearing “have you thought about your future, yet?” Of course I had! I knew exactly how my future would play out. Everything except where I would be getting my degree.

I was entirely dead set on going to the University of Michigan, beginning in about eighth grade. I was a somewhat above-average student with a 3.7 GPA and a handful of AP credits under my belt. I was an acceptable choice for any college or university, not including Ivy League.

When I began my final volleyball season, the idea that I could play volleyball in college became more and more realistic. I had random colleges from all over the country contacting me. I became genuinely interested in my first school other than U of M when the coach of a small, liberal arts college contacted me and I received an invitation to compete for full tuition at the same school.

It was then that I scheduled my very first college visit. The idea that my school could be completely paid for and I could continue my volleyball career sold me. My parents and I drove four hours to visit an incredibly small college in Illinois. I truly loved it and wanted to go there, but my parents told me I had to visit other schools. After my visit, I expressed to the coach how incredibly interested I was in attending.

After my first experience with liberal arts, I was very interested in what these schools had to offer me. My fate was set when the assistant coach of the Albion College volleyball program approached me after one of my games. I looked further into the school and decided to take a tour. As soon as I arrived on campus, I felt at home.

I went on my tour and I was overwhelmed with all the things I could do on campus. The college felt more like a community than just a campus. After a very tough choice between Albion and another small school, I decided Albion would be my home for the next four years.

Being pre-med, I was doomed to four years of hard science classes. My first semester, I managed to take four units (we don’t go off credit hours because we’re just way too cool for that) that were all science related. I was prepared for an exhausting semester of the same ideas being drilled into my head.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the vast span of knowledge I would learn. The classes that I thought would all teach me the same thing made me question my existence, think about what kind of person I was and seriously consider what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

After my first semester at Albion, I was 100% sure I had made the right choice. I learned just as much about who I am as I learned about introductory chemistry. I was figuring out the world as I figured out philosophy. Instead of just learning what to study, I learned how to study.

The opportunities I am offered here are greater than any scholarship is worth. Liberal arts was the best route for me because I get to discover the world every day I’m on campus. I know that when I am handed my diploma in 2019, I will not only be a well-educated individual, but I will be prepared to be a contributing member of society and a well-rounded being.