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My name is Peter Schurman and I am an aspiring data analytics student at The Ohio State University.  I fell in love with analytics when the book, and later the movie, Moneyball, came out.  I soon realized that this discipline of analytics can be applied to much more than just sports, and I am now all-in on excelling in this field.  I came here to push my boundaries, get outside of my comfort zone, and ultimately grow as a human being before I enter the real world.

Throughout my life I have been  surrounded and motivated by high-achieving people, pushing me to become the best I can be.  For example, I ran cross-country for a national championship winning program.  Between the coach creating a cut-throat culture, and having teammates that bought into fully immersing themselves to become elite runners, I was forced to work to become the best runner I could possibly be.  Unfortunately, my career was cut short due to injuries, but I learned that in order to achieve excellence, one must fully immerse themselves, or go all-in.  That is what I am about – using the motivated people around me to push myself to maximize my potential and pursue excellence.

The result of being surrounded by high-achieving people is that it causes me to get outside of my comfort zone, and getting outside of my comfort zone has yielded great results.  After my cross-country career ended, I decided to try out for the varsity soccer team my senior year.  The only issue was that I had never played soccer before in my life. Walking into tryouts was one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever experienced.  I had no relationship with the coach, I had never met over half of the kids there, and worst of all  whenever we were instructed to do drills involving foot skills, I was the worst one there by far.  I asked myself several times, “Why am I here?” Most people would have let those things bother them, but I told myself that I was doing the best I could, and that good things happen when I get outside my comfort zone.  Ultimately, I was able to impress the coaches when I played goalie, and was offered the spot on the team.  Playing soccer my senior year was one of the most triumphant and memorable things I have ever done, and it would have never happened had I decided to fear failure and stay within my comfort zone.

I came to Ohio State to continue on this track.  This university is full of students that will test my limits and allow me to become the best that I can be.  This will in turn cause me to get outside of my comfort zone and ultimately become successful.  I am at the right place, with the right program, and I am ready to start this journey. Go bucks!