January is the time of year when high school students start thinking about what they will spend the rest of their lives doing. For most, that means spending a few years in college.

One of the main factors for students’ colleges of choice is what scholarships they receive. These can come from sports, test scores, essays, grade point average and more. Already, several students have been offered incentives and scholarships to attend colleges.

“I committed to Lawrence Tech University,” senior Marko Matovski said. “I was considering many other schools to potentially play soccer or football–and for academic purposes. I just felt really welcomed at Lawrence Tech; they have a great program established and the academics are very good there. I was offered a huge amount of scholarship money and the coaching staff treated me very respectfully. Those sorts of things really drew me into the university as well as specializing in my major.”

Matovski’s advice is that students should take as much time in the recruitment process as necessary because there’s always a school fit for everyone.

While Matovski will be playing soccer during his college years, senior Lindsey Michol will play softball.

“I committed to Oakland Community College,” Michol said. “I verbally committed in the Spring of 2018 and officially signed and committed in December. They offered me a full ride and I knew that was a big opportunity for me. I was excited and thought that I was able to play softball and have a great learning experience at OCC. I am looking forward to meeting all my new teammates and experiencing new things while I am at college.”

Michol believes that anyone who enjoys a sport should stick with it and make the most out of it. She says that people should do whatever makes them happy.

Senior Caitlyn Mauser also committed to the University of Michigan Dearborn.

“I was debating between Dearborn and Lawrence Tech but Michigan had a better business program,” Mauser said. “I was thrilled when I was offered a softball scholarship to play there.”

Mauser’s advice is to commit to colleges not for their sports programs, but for the education with that student’s degree.