Recent St Columba’s graduate, Imogen Davies, has committed to a field hockey scholarship at the prestigious Yale University. We recently caught up with Imogen to hear the five things she is looking forward to most upon heading out to the US.
Playing hockey at the highest level is something which Imogen tells us she is looking forward to. "It's a much faster and more physical game as the players are younger and fitter than the Ladies I play at home. I am really looking forward to becoming stronger, faster and more skillful and I think the training regime at Yale will definitely help me to do this." However, Imogen also notes that being Ivy League, Yale has limited training hours, so she will be able to balance the significant work load with her training - something that will be very important in allowing her to cope with the pressures of student life.
Imogen states she is also looking forward to studying a wide range of subjects, as the courses are not limited to one particular study subject like the UK. Yale is a very good university for international relations; an area in which Imogen is interested, but she states she is looking forward to not being restricted to only this. The opportunity to go in undecided and try out different courses to see what suits best is something Imogen is looking forward to. "It will give me the chance to possibly learn new languages and prevents students being stuck in a course they don't actually enjoy."
"I think being part of such a close knit group of players will be really good." Having met the team in October, Imogen knows how close they all are and can't wait to be part of it. Having girls who are all experiencing the same things as you, be it academic pressures, physical stresses or missing home. Having people there to help you through it, and older players to tell you the best way to cope with it, is something that she is looking forward to a lot. Also, being part of a team, in which everyone is striving for the same goal and also having a class who you will be with for four years is something you can only really experience in college sport.
Imogen tells us she is also looking forward to experiencing a new culture and living in a new city. Although New Haven itself is not the most exciting, it does have history and Imogen looks forward to learning more about this. It is also just over an hour from NYC and so it will be great to be able to travel easily to see this amazing city and experience the buzz there. The way Americans live is very different to the UK and the university experience is also different. For example, student athletes in are given significantly more respect and sport is regarded much more highly. It will also be great to get away from the Scottish weather and arrive in August to sunshine in Connecticut.
Finally, Imogen states, "one of the things I am most looking forward to is meeting a range of new people. Yale has a very international student body and so I am really looking forward to meeting people from all over the world." Imogen tells us she thinks this university is the perfect opportunity to broaden her horizons and she can't wait to understand more cultures and to meet such a diverse group of people. Also, being on the east coast, it won't be too difficult to get home and so although Imogen will be in a different continent, it still won't feel too far from home.
We'd like to wish Imogen the best of luck for throughout her studies and playing at Yale University, we're sure she'll have a fantastic time!
