Landing athletic scholarships for a full ride is rare

One night when Michelle Batts was a senior in high school, she wanted to finally put an end to the stressful three years she spent focused on getting recruited for college softball. The star first baseman made up her mind, ready to choose Loyola University Chicago.

Fifteen minutes later, she got a phone call from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., offering full-tuition plus the cost of room and board for an athletic scholarship.

"It was pretty crazy," said Batts, 20, in a telephone interview with WalletPop. "I thought I had to take it. ...It's pretty much like a business. If you don't take it now, it will go to someone else."