Matthew Bilello '12 Recruiting Profile

My name is Matthew Bilello. I am 6'2" and weigh 185 pounds. I currently go to Clovis West High School in Fresno, California and I am going to be a senior this coming year. I have been on the varsity swim team for 3 years and the varsity water polo team for 1 year. During my junior year after water polo season, I decided to focus more on swimming so I joined Clovis Swim Club. I realized that I wanted to be a swimmer in college, so I would dedicate myself to the sport. 
Ever since this time, I have improved my swimming times. At CIF, I won the 200 freestyle in 1:39.27 which is an all-america time. I also got second in the 100 freestyle with a 46.29. I also was on a 4x50 medley relay and a 4x100 free relay, which both won as well. My high school coach and club coach were pleased with these times not just because of how fast I went, but because I am so new to the sport. Prior to starting swim club last November, I only did high school swimming. This last summer was my first summer of truly dedicating myself to long course meters. They believe that I still have much potential.
When it comes to looking at colleges, I want to choose a school that offers be the best combination of academic and athletic oppurtunities. Colleges I have been looking at are schools such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, USC, University of Texas, Ohio State, Yale, Harvard, University of Virginia and Univeristy of Arizona. The reason that I think I would be a good fit for these schools is because I love to challenge myself in all aspects of life. In school, I enjoy taking honors and AP courses just because the feeling of succeeding is amazing. I also simply enjoy learning. When it comes to swimming, I am willing to work hard to finish a set. There are many people that work hard like me out there, but I also feel like everyday I am working hard for a purpose. I have a self-motivation to keep working hard until I better my times. I can tell myself that no matter how much I want to give up, don't, because the feeling after is a terrible one filled with regret. 
When it comes to my top schools, I would have to say Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and USC simply because of the California location which is close to my friends and family. Even so, I know isolating myself to these schools would greatly decrease my chances of getting into college so I am interested in the schools I mentioned above as well. These other schools offer great academics and they have top-tier swim programs. I am still undecided in my major, even though I am leaning to a scientific field such as biology, biomedical, medicine, and even engineering.
Basically, I want to swim in college because I simply have a passion for the sport. This is why I am not detered by the grueling work ethic that is required for it. I enjoy putting hard work into swimming in order to see my times improve. It is all worth it to me, and as for the far away future, I hope to be competing in a top-tier national level and even international level. This dream is also what keeps me going. Regardless of your decision, I thank you for taking the time to read this.