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Meredith Burroughs, a 6'0 former softball player at East Carolina University was a hometown girl with big talent. In high school, Burroughs was heavily recruited to schools around the nation. Despite her ambitions, her heart was in North Carolina.
“I had no idea what to expect when I was entering college,” she said, recalling her recruiting experience. “Home was all I knew, which was a small town in Eastern North Carolina.”
Meredith Burroughs
After attending a visit at NC State University, Burroughs decided to commit to the Wolfpack because it marked two things off of her list: it was close to home and a top ACC school.
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The first week of classes at NC State, Burroughs went in with no expectations and a lot of excitement. However, what she would find is a state of what she called “absolute culture shock.”
“There was nothing to prepare me for being completely on my own on a huge campus with so many strange faces,” said Burroughs. Another shock that came quickly to Burroughs was her career path availability. After meeting with numerous academic advisors, her childhood dream of going to school for education seemed to diminish. Due to the intensive softball schedule, majoring in education was an unlikely fit.
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A Change of Plans
Burroughs spent two years at NC State building relationships with teammates and coaches, taking entry-level collegiate classes and experienced much success on the field. However, she knew that for her personal career path post-college she needed to make a change.
“For women, there is a life after sports,” Burroughs explained. “I couldn't forget the reason why I wanted to play ball in college, which was to use my sport that I enjoyed as my aid to get a degree and start my career path.”
After some searching, Burroughs realized that her perfect school was even closer to her backyard than she thought. At East Carolina University she was able to join a competitive American Athletic Conference, lessen the distance between college and home and also pursue a career in teaching. Three for three, ECU was batting 1.000, and Burroughs quickly felt like she was at home.
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Not one-size-fits-all
The college recruitment process is a lot like online shopping: something you really want can look perfect and glamorous online, but it's not until transactions, shipping, delivery and a try-on that the consumer really sees if it's really what they want. Burroughs took a leap of faith and made a life choice that not only benefited her lifestyle but also her future.
NC State is the perfect fit for many, many students. Just as East Carolina can be the perfect size, shape and price for many students too. But, it's up to the needs of a single individual to determine which path is correct for them. Sometimes it takes a little trial and error period, but the results are worth the experience.
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* Originally published on February 9, 2023, by Karlie Smith
