On Feb. 21, 2013, Senior Austin Woody committed to play tennis at Northwood University. He decided to commit for multiple reasons.

“I got a pretty good offer, scholarship wise,” Woody said. “And I would be able to get a good business degree there while still being able to train at a tennis center better than what I would be able to get at other schools.”

Going away from home for school wasn’t a major priority for Woody, however being prepared for the future was.

“With having a job, playing tennis daily and focusing on schoolwork, there wouldn’t be enough time to have the ‘college experience’ anyways, so why not stay at home?” Woody said.

Being close to home, Woody sees other benefits as well. Since Woody has a stable job at the tennis center, he can begin saving money for the future.

Woody’s biggest factor for going to Northwood is the opportunity to be able to play tennis.

 “I’m most looking forward to being able to play on a competitive team with a melting pot of athletes because they all come from different places,” Woody said.

Another advantage with attending Northwood is the ability to start his core classes right away instead of taking two years to complete general education requirements.

By staying home, Woody gets to stay close to family and friends as well.

“I think Austin being able to come out to lunch with us every day just like high school is going to be awesome,” junior Sean Zanyk McLean said.

With all these contributing factors, Woody is very excited to begin his college education at Northwood.