Curiosity and excitement surge through the BSM senior class as students decide where to venture off for their next four years. Recently, one of our own BSM students was accepted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for academics, as well as the opportunity to be a part of the MIT Women’s Softball team. This prestigious East coast university is awaiting a driven and optimistic soon to be high school graduate, Nicole Doering.

Doering’s new home away from home awaits her in the fall of 2022. Only having visited Massachusetts twice, one for a softball camp and one for a visit to MIT, Doering will learn the lay of the land and have lots of new ground to cover. “I was sure I wanted to go there after my visit in October. Being able to spend time with the players, attend classes, and stay in the dorms really made it clear that it would be my top choice,” Doering said.

Playing softball at the collegiate level has been an ongoing goal of Doering’s, but she never let athletics overshadow her academic potential when deciding what university to attend. A top engineering program was an important factor that led Doering to choose MIT. She plans to major in Chemical engineering, however, she won’t officially be able to declare her major until her sophomore year. Trying to strike a balance between attending a school that academically suited Doering and a school that offered her the opportunity to play softball was a prominent part of her college search. “The coach really emphasizes the importance of hard work, and this fits really well with how I like to play the game. I also like how academics is important to the team because I was always looking for a place with good academics and softball, and having teammates with similar ideals will make everything easier,” Doering said.

MIT has been in the works for Doering since the summer of 2019. The recruitment process presented challenges and unusual circumstances due to the pandemic, but Doering came out on top despite the hindrances. With the pandemic came the challenge of showcasing her skills to college coaches, which is why Doering relied heavily on accumulating video footage that displayed her game. Keeping in contact with coaches via email was also a prominent tactic she utilized. As rules and regulations loosened last summer, MIT and other schools had the opportunity to watch Doering in person and express interest in her. “Once things opened up a bit more last summer, coaches were able to watch games in person, which made the process a lot easier,” Doering said.

Coming from a tight knit community at BSM, Doering is looking forward to carrying out the community aspect at MIT, a school consisting of about 4,500 undergraduates. When gathering information on the student life at MIT, she was told how the students are very collaborative and supportive of each other’s goals, exemplifying what it means to value and respect the community around you. Athletes at such a prestigious university are required to meet a rigorous expectation in order to be admitted. Being admitted to the school was a very exciting experience for Doering and solidified her ability to be a student there, as well as an athlete. “MIT actually has a big athletic department, so I’m excited to be in an environment where there are so many other people who like to focus on both academics and sports. There are going to be a lot of very smart people there, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking, but I think the collaborative environment will help to combat the nervousness caused by that,” Doering said.