HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: Committing to a college not an easy task

Editor's note: Here is your chance to tell your story about your team, your school or your favorite player. If you'd like to join The Gazette's growing list of high school contributors, contact J.R. Ogden at jr.ogden@thegazette.com

By Alyssa Tisinger, West Branch juniorWEST BRANCH - Hundreds of emails, countless letters in the mail and phone calls from people who want you to go to their college.But what happens after you find the right one?Trying to decide where to continue your education can be hard. There are so many options, so many different factors to consider and so many other variables that can skew where you choose to go. Thankfully, once you finally know, officially committing or signing to a college can be a huge relief.For West Branch senior Mike Gould, it wasn't an easy process. He was hung up between two colleges where he had the opportunity to play football, and his final decision took a lot of deliberation.He was debating between Iowa Western and Iowa Central.“I wanted to go to a place with the best football program and a program that will help me in my education, and they have a good program (at Iowa Western) school wise,” Gould said.While it is obvious that academics are important when choosing a school, Gould also considered the distance between him and his loved ones. Long distances can sometimes be hard to stay in touch with friends and family.“Making sure it was the right decision (was the toughest part)," he said. "One was four hours away, the other was two and a half. I just wanted to make sure I was making the right decision."Besides making the final decision, narrowing the list down to only two schools also was a challenge. Most of the colleges Gould was interested in were upwards of two hours away. In order to aid in the decision making process, Gould contacted coaches from each school to talk about the benefits of each program. He also checked out the schools' websites, using the different resources offered to help make the right decision.For Gould, that choice was straight forward - Iowa Western.“It had the best program, and I am going to be closer to my mom,” Gould said.Gould officially signed with Iowa Western, committing to attend during the 2014-2015 school year. Signing to play a college sport is a big deal and all of his friends and family were there to support him as he made one of the biggest decisions he has faced in his life so far.While attending Iowa Western, Gould plans to major in psychology and play football.