Standing Up For My Belief
“It Was A Full Ride, CJ!”- I Turned Down A Full Athletic Scholarship.
Football was fun to play as a kid, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be tied down to a scholarship.
Scholarships are the pinnacle of most students’ academic careers because they are the result of all their hard work. Whether they be an athletic scholarship or an academic scholarship, they are a manifestation of a pupil’s accomplishments.
Well, I’m here to tell you that I turned my football scholarship down to focus on my academics. It was a hard decision because I was essentially turning down debt free tutelage.
However, I challenge the use of the word “free” when it comes to athletic scholarships. They are free as long as you can participate in your sponsored sport.
The key word here is “participate,” meaning if you get injured or if you don’t love the sport anymore, you are trapped between a rock and a hard place.
On one hand, you have this golden opportunity to go to college and get a degree for free, while doing a sport you supposedly love. On the other hand, even if you love the sport, if you get injured, then you can’t play.
Furthermore, once I accepted the scholarship, I would’ve had to compose my schedule around the football schedule. I may not have been able to pursue a certain degree if it conflicted with any sporting events.
I’m a man who likes to have his options when it comes to making big decisions. If you paint me into a corner then I will try my best to find alternatives.
That may mean turning down a full ride to a great college because I want to keep my options open. It may have seemed stupid at the time but I much rather have regrets about being too free instead of being boxed in.
Luckily, I found my home at Oberlin College and got myself a nice Materials Physics degree. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing because my life has flourished into wonderful memories and strong relationships.
Lessons
Sometimes you’re going to have to make decisions that are going to affect the rest of your life. In the moment, tough decisions may seem hard but don’t let the fear of hind-set regret convince you to go against your gut.
Try not to let past choices that may or may not have turned out well determine future decisions. It’s best to take each decision on a case-by-case basis given the facts and the implications.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to make unpopular decisions. I was called all types of demeaning names by my father and my football coach about my decision to not take the scholarship, but I stood by it.
I wish we had a reset button, but we don’t, so just call it as you see it.
Please subscribe to my newsletter so that you can be updated every time I post. If you do not have an account, click here to join Medium and support me for only $5 a month. Please go to my page so that you can pick out another story of mines that you may like.