For those who elect to continue school after graduating, deciding what adventure they should take is difficult. With many things to take into consideration, like majors, scholarships, distance from home and even the campus itself, it can be very hard to settle on a single school that one would want to pursue an academic career. But, after Senior Andrew Schmidt went through a rigorous process to earn a full-ride scholarship from Michigan State, he has found the school that he feels he will be most comfortable at in the next four years. He will be away from home and his family, but that does not mean Andrew is not excited for the future.

“I have a whole lot of opportunities to explore new things and meet new people,” Andrew said.

One of the main factors pushing Andrew to the prestigious school was the opportunity of a full-ride scholarship. After applying for the scholarship,  Andrew spent the weekend at Michigan State to take a test to see if he was eligible to make it to the next level. While spending time in Michigan, he was able to immerse himself in the campus and Andrew enjoyed the experience of being at the school.

“I was just really excited to go to a school with an exciting atmosphere,” Andrew said.

Out of the several kids who took the test to be recognized for the scholarships, only a few were able to move on to the next level. Andrew found out he was one of them and he waited patiently for a Skype interview with the Dean of Admissions.

“Honestly I had no idea I did well on the test,” Andrew said. “There were about 2,000 kids and only 60 finalists who got the interview. I talked to some of the other kids and they felt they did bad. I was about to enroll at Missouri S&T.”

Full-ride scholarships were granted to 13 of the interviewees along with a few full-tuition scholarships. Andrew and his family were optimistic, but hesitant to get their hopes up, since there were 59 other potential students being interviewed as well. About a week after the interview, Andrew was called on his cell phone after school with good news from the school.

“I was extremely shocked,” Andrew said. “I got the phone call on my way home. I had to leave for baseball right away so I didn’t have much time to celebrate, but I was extremely excited and surprised. They basically called me and said congratulations and that they were very excited to have me.”

Andrew’s mother, Chris Schmidt, was called by her son later that day to tell her the news.

“I was in the middle of a store and I yelled,” Chris said. “I was really excited and proud of him.”

Both of Andrew’s parents went to Missouri S&T, and Andrew jokingly stated how his parents would be upset if he did not follow in their footsteps. But it was actually the exact opposite.

“I want him to go wherever he wants to go, so I am happy he gets to go where he wanted,” Chris said.

Chris has always believed that Andrew is an independent and strong-willed person, in everything ranging from academics and sports to his personal life. With the scholarship process, this truly showed according to Schmidt.

“I’m really proud of him for the scholarship,” Chris said. “I had no hand in it and he did it so effortlessly. I’ve always been proud of how independent and self-motivated he is. It’s not like I’m standing with a whip. He just does it.”

Andrew going out of state will definitely be a transition that the Schmidts say they will struggle to get used to since it is very far away, and while Andrew is excited to be even more independent, he will still be missing family in Michigan. While Andrew’s little brother, Brendan Schmidt is mostly excited for his own room, Andrew’s youngest brother, Evan Schmidt, is struggling with the fact of his oldest brother leaving.

“It’s hard to think of him being so far away,” Chris said. “It’s hard to think of him leaving anyways but him being that far away will be a difficult adjustment.”

While the thought of being far away from family may sadden Andrew as well, he is not discouraged from making his next four years at Michigan State memorable ones.

“I’d like to continue to do extracurricular activities, like baseball, after I graduate,” Andrew said. “I’d also like to know about jobs in the workforce after college, but I also want to make the next four years really fun.”