I turned down MIT to choose a little-known college my mom wanted me to attend. Not everyone understood my choice.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations for our Boot Camp video series with Hannah Mitchell, 18, a student from Denver studying marine engineering at the Merchant Marine Academy — the only federal service academy where graduates can pursue a civilian maritime career rather than immediately entering active-duty military service. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.When I was deciding where to go to college, I had several options I was excited about, including MIT and the Naval Academy. My mom, however, had been nudging me toward another school for a while.I was 17, trying to figure out what I wanted the rest of my life to look like, and I didn't want my mom making that decision for me.In the end, though, I chose the school she wanted, but not because she wanted me to. I chose the Merchant Marine Academy because it gave me more freedom to decide what I wanted to do after graduation.If I'm being honest, money mattered, too Hannah Mitchell is studying marine engineering at the Merchant Marine Academy. Courtesy of Hannah Mitchell MIT was only financially possible for me if I accepted my Naval ROTC scholarship, which would have committed me to the Navy. Attending the Naval Academy would have put me on a similar path.At the time, I didn't want to lock myself into the Navy for years without knowing how I might feel later in college. I wanted the option to enter the civilian sector if I changed my mind.I also wanted a little bit better base pay upon graduation.At the United States Merchant Marine Academy, I can choose to commission into any of the six active duty branches of the military, or commission into the Navy Reserves and sail as a merchant mariner on a commercial ship after graduation.My mom thought that the freedom and financial stability of the civilian option were appealing too, long before I came to the same conclusion. Plus, for a long time, my dream was to join the Navy's surface warfare community, and she believed the Merchant Marine Academy could give me a stronger path there.Other people didn't necessarily understand my decision.Everybody had heard of MIT, while the Merchant Marine Academy was a tiny school that many people around me weren't aware of. Some of my teachers even gave me grief about turning MIT down.However, three months after joining the Merchant Marine Academy, I still feel like I ended up in the right place.The academy was more intense than I imagined Business Insider's senior videographer, AJ Caldwell, visited the Merchan Marine Academy in July. Business Insider I had never moved around as a child. Coming to the Merchant Marine Academy meant moving halfway across the country and leaping straight into what felt like basically boot camp.Pictures and YouTube videos hadn't prepared me for how intense it would feel in person. When I took the oath on my first day, the whole experience felt like a fever dream.Since then, I've had moments of self-doubt. I've thought, "I'm not built for this, I'm not supposed to do this."A swim test a few weeks ago brought some of those doubts back. I had to tread water for 15 minutes and then go straight into a 5-minute prone float, face down in the water. I could come up briefly for air as needed, but I couldn't keep my face above water any longer than it took to breathe before going back under. I'd never made it much longer than 30 seconds doing a prone float before.I was really worried I would fail. People around me cheered me on, though. That and the fact that I really didn't want to have to do the whole thing again is what helped me push through and pass.I'm starting to figure out which option I want Mitchell's plan is to become a merchant mariner. Courtesy of Hannah Mitchell Life here has expanded in other ways, too. I joined the band and the rowing team. I'm now a varsity athlete, which is a very strange thing to say as a lifelong academic.I've made friends and found a place for myself here. My mom tells me I've blossomed.My plans after graduation are becoming clearer, too.I used to really want to join the Navy. Now, after hearing professors talk about their experiences living and working on ships, I'm leaning more strongly toward becoming a merchant mariner.I want to sail for a while and see the world. I'd also like to explore Europe and visit Australia if I get the opportunity.My plans could change after I go out to sea during my sophomore and junior years. The academy requires midshipmen to complete 300 days aboard commercial ships, split up between sophomore and junior year, to earn the Coast Guard license required for graduation.For now, though, becoming a merchant mariner feels like the right path.That's part of what I wanted when I chose this school in the first place. I didn't want to have my entire future figured out at 17. I wanted enough options to figure it out for myself. Read next Jessica Orwig is a senior editor at Business Insider, where she collaborates with reporters, editors, and producers across teams to shape, write, edit, and publish stories that connect with a global audience. While her roots are in science and technology journalism, her work today spans business, careers, culture, and the big ideas shaping the future.She earned her Master’s in Science & Technology Journalism from Texas A&M University and holds a Bachelor’s in Astronomy & Physics from The Ohio State University. Throughout her career, she’s helped lead coverage on everything from space exploration and climate change to innovation, the future of work, and evolving cultural trends.Career HighlightsLed coverage on scientific milestones, including:Blue Origin's inaugural New Glenn launchIntuitive Machine's groundbreaking moon landing for the USSpaceX’s Polaris Dawn historic spaceflight NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Historic FlybyJapan’s SLIM lunar landingThe first image of a black holeIndia’s historic Moon landingSpaceX’s inaugural Starship-Super Heavy launchDiscovery of gravitational wavesNASA’s Pluto flybyReported on breaking news and scientific discoveries, including:Microplastics in the human brainPeregrine Mission One’s failed flightThe Palisades firesSpaceX Starship explosionsDark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument’s 3D map of the universe and what it revealsA local cosmic void that shouldn’t existThe Boeing Starliner missionMexico City’s water crisisEarth’s mysterious inner core behaviorPopular stories she’s edited on science and health:What it will take to modernize the American grid and usher in the clean-energy revolutionI study toxic microplastics. Here's how I protect myself and my kids at home.A mega-earthquake could strike the Pacific Northwest any day — and we're not preparedFlying is about to become even more miserableWhy the US can’t send humans to MarsThe world's most popular banana faces extinction but scientists' new creation could help save itScientists finally think they know where the most dangerous part of this US earthquake zone is and it's bad news for WashingtonOne of Mt. Everest's deadliest passages is growing even more treacherousJupiter's moon Europa generates enough oxygen to keep a million people alive for a day, NASA saysPopular stories she’s written and/or edited on careers, culture, life, and business:He weighed over 400 pounds as an FBI undercover agent — and it became his best disguiseA former FBI Special Agent who infiltrated the Italian Mafia, Mexican cartels, and Russian and Asian organized crime groups says he fears 1 group above the restHe was diagnosed with colon cancer at 31 in prison, and his survival odds weren't great. Now 59, he says spiraling is pointless.I stopped bartending full-time to sell ice. My company now makes nearly $3 million a year, catering to Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City.My dad ran a food cart and called it the 'worst business.' I decided to follow in his footsteps anyway.I moved from the US to Rome for a slower pace of life, but after 7 years I've realized I'll never fully adjust to some Italian waysAfter losing too many bidding wars for a home in LA, I bought a 5-bedroom house in the suburbs. I quickly realized it was a mistake.We bought our dream home in Colorado, but wildfires and home insurance trends had us selling 1.5 years laterA woman who retired early at 58 thought she was ready with over $500,000 in savings. A few years later, it was gone.I've made over $40,000 selling plush dolls I scoop from claw machines. Here's how I learned to beat the game and turn my hobby into a profitable side hustle.A 17-year-old designed a cheaper, more efficient drone. The Department of Defense just awarded him $23,000 for it.Yukon gold miners are unearthing mummified ancient creatures and truckloads of fossils from the Ice Age. Take a look.Archaeologists are finding mysterious ancient objects on Norway's melting glaciers. Take a look.I'm an American mom in Italy. When I couldn't help my daughter with her homework, I realized how isolated I felt. Graham is an Emmy-winning journalist and filmmaker. He created and oversees Business Insider's award-winning "Boot Camp" series (2018-present), which goes inside the training programs of military branches and law enforcement agencies. Episodes include the United States Secret Service, the United States Border Patrol, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Army, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police aka "Mounties."In 2026, he won a Capital Emmy award for his documentary about Army soldiers training to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.In 2024, he produced and directed a feature-length documentary "War Ready: Inside Army War Games" about a large-scale Army training exercise built to prepare for a possible war with China.He produced and directed the acclaimed feature-length documentary "Welcome To The J: Inside Army Jungle School," which was the most-watched new Business Insider video of 2023. He has produced interviews with Jamie Dimon, Lebron James, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Richard Branson, and many more.He led Business Insider's video coverage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland from 2017 to 2019.He has produced videos about what it's like to fly in a fighter jet, float in zero gravity, and ride in the Goodyear Blimp.He returned to his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2017 to produce a documentary about how his alma mater Central High School was forced to resegregate. Also in 2017, Flanagan spent a day on the set of "Jeopardy!" with Alex Trebek.Graham graduated from the University of Alabama in 2005. Before joining Business Insider in 2014, he worked at the New York bureaus of CNN (2006-2010) and Bloomberg Television (2010-2013).Send questions, comments, and story ideas to gflanagan@businessinsider.com AJ Caldwell is a senior videographer and editor at Business Insider. He helps develop and produce The Limit, a series exploring the boundaries of what is possible across industries and technologies. At Business Insider, he has worked across teams, including Cars Insider, Food, and Boot Camp. His work is driven by a curiosity about performance, health, wellness, and the people shaping diverse industries. College Student Loans as told to More