Sam Thrower (Sycamore, IN) had a difficult decision to make. In the end, she chose Indiana University— and her family is thrilled.

“The other colleges I was looking at were Pepperdine, University of Kentucky, Loyola, and University of Hawaii.” Sam had 10 offers when she made her decision, and IU and Pepperdine. If you have ever been to the campus of Pepperdine University you can imagine how much of a difficult decision it would be to not head west to Malibu. But in the end, she chose Indiana. “I picked IU because I loved the campus, the coaches and the team; and it was close to home.”

“Sam’s father played basketball in college and it means a lot to her for him to come see her play.” Sam’s mother, Lorri said. “We own our own business and she knew it would be too hard for him to get away and fly to California - not to mention too expensive!”

Wisdom and courage are evident in her decision and success is sure to follow her to the Big 10 conference. When asked what advice she would give other homeschoolers she said.. “Homeschooling helped me to plan my own schedule and be more independent. If you don’t have a good idea of what college you want to go to, get out and start looking and journal what you like and do not like about each school.” Her mother, Lorri also added. “This was the best advice - when we started looking she did not have a clue about what she could like in a college. Keeping a journal was very beneficial and should would write on the way home from the visit while it was all fresh!” HSI