Picking The College That’s Best For You

by Kari Savoie

Right now many high school seniors don’t know where they will be in six months. I was fully entrenched in this period of uncertainty two years ago, and my decision on where to go to college, like many synchronized skaters, was complicated by factoring synchro into my choice.

While researching and touring schools, I considered how skating could be possible at each, but I focused on the academics and campus life to figure out where I would be the happiest and have the most opportunities for personal and professional advancement. A coach once told me to decide if skating wasn’t possible, would I still be happy at each school I was looking at? This advice was put to good use when I toured Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

While I had significant exposure to Miami through skating, viewing it through the lens of an admitted student without any discussion of synchro made me realize that I would thrive on campus whether I made the team or not. I made the varsity collegiate synchronized skating team after a summer of intense training. But, after the first few weeks of class, I realized that I did not want skating to be my top extracurricular priority as it had been in high school. Making the decision to leave the team was one of the hardest choices that I have ever made, as the synchro program helps so many women find their place at Miami, and it had been my dream to skate on their team. However, putting skating on the back burner created new opportunities for me, such as taking on leadership positions in my service fraternity and working in a psychology research lab.

Skating is still a part of my life through coaching at home during school breaks and working with Get It Called. But as a high school senior, I thought that skating could only be in my life as either my top priority outside of school, or as something that I was completely disconnected from. I have learned that it is possible to keep synchro in your life in smaller ways that will allow you to shift your focus to other campus organizations, research opportunities, and more.

While a part of me misses practices and traveling to competitions, I know that I am on the path that is best for me, which is something that every senior thinking about their future needs to consider. This is not to say, though, that skating in college does not work well for everyone―it simply was not the right choice for me as a college freshman.

My biggest advice for high school seniors is to pick the college that is best for you and that you would be happiest at even if skating did not figure into the equation. It is hard to say goodbye, at least temporarily, to heavily participating in the sport that helped define your childhood if you choose to not skate in college. But, taking a leap of faith into the school that is right for you, independently of skating, will serve you best in the long run.

To read about how other skaters made their decisions visit Endless Possibilities.