Recruiting trips are arguably the most fun part of the recruiting process as far as visiting DI schools are concerned. Everything is paid for, and the coaches and teams are trying to impress you by showing you how great it would be to go to their school. They take you out to eat, to sporting events, and often show you the party scene. As a high schooler, I couldn't have been more excited to go to a college party. I had no parents telling me when to be home or asking me where I was going. I was so excited about this that I decided to take all five of my official visits.

On one particular official visit to a top-four school in southern California, I experienced a night I will never forget. Going into the visit, I couldn't have been more excited. This was the school I dreamt about going to, that one college I longed to go to. I was so pumped to get to know the team and hang out with them. However, this was not the case. The player who was hosting me didn't even know my name, and she did not make an effort to get to know me at all. At one point, she mentioned, “I think you would fit in a lot better at another school.” I was astonished. I thought the whole point of being asked on an official visit was for them to convince me to go to their school, but this girl was telling me to go somewhere else. From this moment on, I felt incredibly unwelcomed – a feeling I had not felt on any other official visits.

I was completely thrown off of my recruiting mojo. This was always my dream school, and now I just wanted to be anywhere else but here. The girls were not friendly, and they barely engaged with me. I just wanted to go home. However, I knew I had to stay and give it a chance. Everyone was getting ready to go out for the night, but I was completely ignored. No one told me what to wear or told me what we were doing. We ended up at a party, and once we got there, my host completely ditched me. I was alone, and I knew no one.

I was at a house stranded, and I no idea what to do. I wandered around the party looking for someone to talk to, but had no luck. After what seemed like an hour, my host appeared, and she was visibly very drunk. She told me that she is leaving with a guy and for me to go back to her dorm. However, to my surprise, before she left, she turned to me, and out of her mouth came vomit. She threw up on me! Yep, all over my clothes and arms. At that moment, I do what anyone would do; I pulled up google maps on my iPhone and followed the route back to the dorm to which I fell asleep on the floor.

The next day, I woke up early for my flight back home. My host was still not back from her night out, so I left with no one saying goodbye to me. I have to say, all my other recruiting trips I was made to feel special. Unfortunately, this recruiting trip, I felt like an inconvenience for the players. I walked out those doors knowing no matter what happened, that would not be the school I would be attending. I am currently at my real “dream school” and am so happy. I could not ask for a better school or team. While a school may seem perfect on the outside, it is essential to remember that you are going to be spending 20+ hours with your team, and if you don't fit in with them, you will not enjoy your four years in college.

All was well, I ended up playing water polo for Stanford and loved every minute of it.

Updated: 8/3/19

* Originally published on October 31, 2017, by Katie Dudley