Scholar Stories: Choi's Future in Problem Solving
10/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Every Wednesday during the 2016-17 academic year, MGoBlue.com will highlight a different student-athlete and their academic path. These are our Scholar Stories:
As a sport, golf is a rare breed.
It's astonishingly simple. Get the ball from the tee box to the hole in as few strokes as possible.
You play against the course. No two golf courses look alike, but no matter where you go, the defense (trees, sand traps, water hazards) is always tough.
Best of all, it's a game that anyone regardless of age, gender, race or skill can play.
Grace Choi got her first set of clubs when she was six years old. She figures to keep playing it for as long as she physically can, but it won't be as a professional. Let her explain:
"I like amateur golf," Choi told the Texas Golf Association after winning the 95th WTGA State Amateur Championships in July. "All the competitors who came out here this week, people who maybe competed in college 20 years ago and are a lot older than I am and are still playing golf, that's the kind of person I want to be. I want to enjoy the game for the rest of my life, and I don't know if going pro would really accomplish that. It might be unnecessary stress. I want to play golf for fun."
Last Friday inside the Ross Academic Center, Choi expanded on that.
"I've realized the reason I'm so passionate about golf is because I'm part of a team," she said. "If I were to pursue it as a career, I'd be playing for myself. It's a lot lonelier playing professional golf. Golf lets me live out my competitive side. That's why I like playing amateur events, because even after you graduate and get a job, you still see college golfers from 20 years ago still loving it, still competing."
Choi will graduate in the spring with a degree in economics. She came to Michigan intending to major in engineering, but after a year, it was too much science and not enough math. And Choi loves math.
So for her sophomore year, her academic advisor suggested she take a wide range of classes. Worry less about the grades and difficulty of the work, she said, and focus more on finding something that's intellectually interesting.
That question was solved after taking ECON 101. Plenty of math to do there.
"Sometimes when you do math, you wonder why you're doing it," she said. "Economics takes human behavior or situations -- the way the world works -- and tries to make sense of it using math. I like that I can continue to do math and solve problems, but now it's actually for a purpose. It's applicable to the real world."
Admittedly, Choi is having a difficult time figuring out what specific path to take. Could be business, policy or law. Down the road, she wants to seek an MBA, but in the immediate future, she's focused on finding a job that fits.
"I like having a problem and figuring it out," she said. "I'm a very resilient person. If I face a problem that seems extra difficult, I'm not the kind of person that goes, 'Oh well, I can't do it" and move on. I like to solve problems."
Spoken like a true golfer.
"You have to be," she continued. "It doesn't matter how well you're playing. You could make a little error and you're in trouble. You need to know how to get yourself out of it. If you put up a big number on one hole, you have to learn to pick yourself up on the next one. Persistence comes from playing golf."
To all the economists, financial forecasters and business analysts potentially reading this that are looking for fresh-out-of-college grads to join their companies, look no further. Choi can crunch numbers in the office and put up low ones during company golf outings.
"That's how I should sell myself," Choi jokes. "I'd be a real good asset."
Players Mentioned
