College Decisions

It's about that time. The time where I decide what school I'll be attending next year. It's been a fun last three months going through the decision making process. It's been nice to take visits, meet the teams and coaches, and get an overall feel for each school. I've been narrowed down to about three schools for the past two months, and those school are Western Illinois University, Elmhurst College, and Adams State College. Each school has something unique about it, and that's what has made the decision so tough.

Western Illinois University (WIU) - Division 1 school, located in Macomb,IL, that I would say is on the uprise in both Cross Country and Track. They have a new coach, David Beachum, who definitely knows what he is doing. The results became apparent this fall, when most of the upperclassmen started running huge PRs and made major jumps in their training loads.

Elmhurst College - Division III school, located in Elmhurst, IL. This school is located right outside of Chicago and has great, close-knit group of guys. Also, their coach is FAST. James Akita, who is pretty young, and coaches just the men's team, holds many of the school records and can still kick most of the guys butts in workouts and races if he wants to. I know a lot of guys on the team, as I raced many of them in high school, and they are all really cool. They are only going to get better as well. Knowing a couple of their other recruits (Will Cross), and how fast they are, I know that would be another big plus to going there.

Adams State College - Division II school, located in Alamosa,CO. Saying they are successful would be a huge understatement. They have won the last three Division II National Championships in XC, and are better than most all Division I programs. It's the norm for their athletes to become Division II powerhouse athletes, and All-Americans. Their head Coach, Damon Martin, is a well-known and respected coach across all divisions, and provides his athletes with opportunities that most big D1 schools can't even provide. This description doesn't even cover the incredible scenery that is out there.

Obviously, this isn't an easy decision. I haven't let myself stress out over it though, and I've just tried to enjoy it more than anything. Everyone has been incredibly helpful at each school, and really, I could see myself being happy at any of those three schools. There are major differences between Division I, II, and III schools though. A downside to division III is the lack of an ability to provide athletic scholarships that other DI or DII schools can provide. I don't know how much information my parents or these schools coaches want me to reveal about what I am/can get scholarship wise from any of these schools, so I'm not going to talk specifically about that.

A lot of the decision not only comes down to how good the team is, it also involves the school's educational programs, the location of the school, and financial information, among many other factors. Here are some pros and cons about each school:

WIU -
Pros: D1 (if I get really good, that's the best stage to perform on and we're in the same XC regional as OK State and those other good D1 schools), it's a big university and there are good educational opportunities, and I know a lot of guys on the team
Cons: So close to home (15 miles), big partying school

Elmhurst -
Pros: Close to chicago, good running community, bigger chance to be really good on the DIII level than D1 or 2 (both individually and team), perfect distance from home (3.5hrs), great group of guys, good education
Cons: No chance for athletic money, they compete mostly close to school

Adams -
Pros: Incredible team and tradition, fast group of guys to thrive off of, complete change of scenery from Illinois, altitude (pro and con), good funding, opportunity to get into very good meets
Cons: 1100 miles from home (pro and con), the possibility that I wouldn't be on varsity the first few years (where as at Elmhurst and WIU I would be a big contributor right away freshman year)

I kind of wanted to give you guys a good idea of what is going through my head right now as I decide. I will most likely be decided within the week. Regardless, I'm excited about what next year will bring!

Thanks for reading.

-John