EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a new series by The Devil’s Advocate. Blue Devil Confessions will bring to you the unique and nontraditional perspectives of students, by the students.

Only 7% of high school athletes go on to play a sport at the collegiate level. When I first heard that number, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intimidated. Especially because I had a later start to my process than most high school athletes.

I had always questioned whether or not I wanted to pursue playing college soccer, mostly because I had very difficult sophomore and junior seasons that made me wonder if I even wanted to finish my high school career. However, I gave it one last shot, which ended up being the best decision I ever made. I decided just two weeks after my senior season ended, to dive into the recruitment process.

I kept the process extremely private. Only my family and coaches knew about my aspirations. Personally, I didn’t want to be influenced or pressured by anyone else about where to go. 

One weekend, I spent about four hours reviewing all my game films and condensing them into two videos about three minutes in length each. It is important to not only put in your best moments that highlight your athleticism and technical ability, but to arrange each clip in a certain order that will grab the attention of college coaches.

Once I finished the videos, I uploaded them to my YouTube channel. I also put them on a website called NCSA, where college coaches from around the country can find and watch your videos, and then get into contact with you.

I started hearing from coaches and getting feedback within days of my video being uploaded. I had also emailed some coaches the link to my highlights, and introduced myself.

More and more emails started rolling through rapidly. Though I was super grateful for the feedback, it was also extremely overwhelming and gave me lots of anxiety.

My parents kept reminding me that the school I choose must be a good fit for me both athletically and academically, which makes the process and decision making even more tedious, compared to non-athletes. I didn’t know who to respond to, where to start, or which recruitment tours were worth going on from the coaches who asked me to meet. I was able to narrow it down to six schools, three of which were my top choices and I would go meet the coaches and tour each campus.

Deciding to schedule my three tours during the span of one week was the best option, in my opinion. It allowed me to keep a fresh perspective in my head of what I thought of each school, and didn’t allow me to begin over thinking. In my case, I had my mind made up pretty quickly after meeting with all the coaches and seeing the schools. The night after my last tour, my gut was telling me that one of the schools I had just seen was the one I would commit too. Within a week of the recruitment tours, I decided to commit to play soccer at Worcester State University.

As you would expect, meeting college coaches can be a scary experience. When I met with the WSU coaches, it was actually much easier than I thought. The coaches do most of the talking, and make you feel very welcomed and comfortable. No questions are off-limits. I was asked questions about my high school soccer experience overall, what I am looking for in a school, and what I believe my biggest strengths on the field are. We even got the chance to talk about my game film. They told me the specific things they were impressed with, and even things they look forward to helping me improve on.

Later that night, I received an email from them. They had talked with some of the current players about their thoughts on me throughout the tour. They felt that I would be a good fit team-chemistry wise, as well as a long-term contributor to their program. After considering all factors, they offered me an official roster spot for the 2022 season that same night. WSU was the fastest school to offer me a spot in their program throughout my search.

Since I had been keeping it private, none of my friends or teammates knew about my tours nor my decision at the time.

Days after committing to the WSU coaches, I was a nervous wreck and could barely sleep. When I finally announced it to everyone, it was like a weight off my shoulders. Though I must say, it was also very emotional. My announcement made my decision an even bigger reality now that everyone knows about it.

It is sad to think I will never play with my best friends who I have grown up with, ever again, whether they are graduating with me in June, or finishing their own high school careers. It hurts me to leave them behind and start moving on. The thought of playing with a bunch of strangers is scary, even though I know I will connect with them right away and make new memories. I keep reminding myself that these emotions are the beginning of the next chapter in my life. Everyone’s journey is a little different. It is all a part of the process.