Hello all! My name is Arica Nassar and I am a professional volleyball player currently playing volleyball in Sweden. The journey I have had to take to get to this point has not been an easy one but it has definitely been worth it. Something that I would love to share with the up-and-coming volleyball players is probably one of the most stressful parts about being a student-athlete, the recruitment process. The recruitment process can either be short-lived or long-lived depending on what you're looking for. My recruitment process was more on the short-lived list. I had decided that I wanted to attend San Diego State University but I changed my mind. I then decided that I wanted to move up north to Oregon and what better place to attend than Oregon State University.

Many girls nowadays grow up watching their favorite teams and only dream about playing for a national championship.

Their dreams of playing for their favorite team actually does come true but for those who don't what do they do? I can only imagine how great it was to play for a team that I have always imagined myself playing for but to beat that team makes things that much better. I'm not going to lie, we don't all end up where we dream of ending up and that's the greatest part of the recruitment process. You have a chance to reach out to hundreds and thousands of schools to pursue your dream of becoming a college athlete. Your dream of becoming a college athlete doesn't stop just because your dream school didn't work out, there are many schools out there that need players such as you. Search for schools that you know you would love and programs that you see yourself fitting into. Choosing a school based on how many national championships you may win will not define you after your volleyball career is over. Choose a school that specializes in something you love to do whether it be math, science, law, etc. Those 4 to 5 years of being a college athlete are most definitely ones to remember but you also have to keep in mind about life after college and where you see yourself five years later.

For those of you who don't know exactly where they want to spend their college career keep your options open. When choosing a school you should always look for an area that interests you. Don't limit yourself to one town or one state you have to be ready to branch out. If you visit the schools and find that being home is what you want, then by all means do so. But if you find a school that you love, in an area that you always dreamt of living in give it at least a year, many universities can surprise you.

Something huge that attracted me to Oregon State University was the team atmosphere. I don't think I wanted anything more than to be a part of the family that the Oregon State Volleyball Team showed me on my visit. Not only was the team a family, the Oregon State athletic program as a whole was a family. They made it very clear that they wanted all of their student athletes to feel welcome and never feel alone. This is a feeling that I would advise all athletes to look for when choosing a university home. There is no better feeling than having a family away from home that you weren't expecting. When you decide to commit to a university you aren't just committing to that school. You are making a commitment to your coaches, your team, your fans and your fellow students. All of these people are your family and you want to feel that.

So my advice to all of you recruits out there is to never stop looking till you find what you need.

So many schools offer and need many different things that you could potentially have for that program. Keep your minds open and don't settle or hold your self to one specific area. You never know, you could be the one to make a difference to any program. Good luck!

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