AI Answer
When considering your college selection, it's important to take into account both your sport and academics. For me, academics played a significant role in my decision-making process. At the University of Michigan, we have excellent academic resources that can help you strike a balance, including access to tutors and support to keep you on track. I personally manage my academic commitments alongside my softball schedule by maintaining a detailed calendar and starting tasks early. In addition to evaluating the athletic program, I recommend checking out the academic programs during your visit to get a sense of what you're getting into. It's also helpful to have an idea of your post-college career goals and take that into account when making your decision. I regularly attend office hours and meet with my teachers to ensure I'm performing well and receiving any necessary help. Finding a school that aligns with your interests and needs is crucial for achieving balance, particularly in a college environment where athletics is a significant part of life. Some of the challenges I've faced included finding a balance between softball and my personal life. Since coming to college for softball, I've learned to shift my focus from outcomes to processes, which has been valuable for both my athletic and academic pursuits.

Lauren Derkowski | Michigan Softball

It's such an honor and it really is a dream come true . I would say , while you're making your college selection , make sure you take into account , not only your sport , but also the academics for me , academics was a really big part of my decision . And I actually not only came on my visit for softball here , but I took a regular normal visit as a student just to see what the academic programs were like and knowing what I was getting myself into .

Lauren Derkowski | Michigan Softball

I go to office hours all the time and meet with my teachers to make sure that I'm doing well in the class and getting any help that I need . I know at the University of Michigan , we also have really good academic resources that can help you find a balance that can help with tutors and just keep you on the right track . And I think that's something that's really , really helped me out is staying ahead , staying on schedule and making sure I know what's going on and what my weekly plan is if I can give my yourself a little bit of advice .

Lauren Derkowski | Michigan Softball

So the more that you're able to learn from it and grow from it , the better that you can be when training and when trying to reach those goals that you have for yourself . I balance my academics with my softball schedule by keeping a really good calendar and making sure that I'm on top of things and getting things started really early for me . I go to office hours all the time and meet with my teachers to make sure that I'm doing well in the class and getting any help that I need .

Lauren Derkowski | Michigan Softball

I would say , while you're making your college selection , make sure you take into account , not only your sport , but also the academics for me , academics was a really big part of my decision . And I actually not only came on my visit for softball here , but I took a regular normal visit as a student just to see what the academic programs were like and knowing what I was getting myself into . Um , I also think it's really important to kind of have an idea of what you want to do post college or what you want to do as a career and take that into account as well .

Lauren Derkowski | Michigan Softball

And I actually not only came on my visit for softball here , but I took a regular normal visit as a student just to see what the academic programs were like and knowing what I was getting myself into . Um , I also think it's really important to kind of have an idea of what you want to do post college or what you want to do as a career and take that into account as well . Find a school that really suits you and your wants and your interests .