While attending American International College, student athletes can have a range of experiences. These experiences all depend on a number of different factors that they might encounter while attending college. Faith Hall and Julia Krijgsman shared their experiences of being student athletes; one is a sophomore athlete and one is a senior. A Division I hockey player, Jake Sacratini, also shared his perspective on being at AIC.
College student athletes choose which institution is the best fit for them academically and athletically. However, the reason why they come to the school is different for each of them. This decision to commit to a college is a huge decision, and it can be a good experience or a bad one. Is AIC a good experience for student athletes?
Faith Hall is a senior on the women’s lacrosse team, majoring in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. Her hometown is Adams, Massachusetts, which is not too far from AIC. Its close proximity to her hometown was a major reason why she came to AIC. She was recruited to play lacrosse and the school was fixed for her needs is another reason why she decided to come here.
The average day for Hall is busy with classes and practice. She wakes up and goes to classes in the morning. Once her classes are done for the day, she will have lunch sometimes with friends. Then she will go to practice for two hours, sometimes more if her team has lift or film. When practice is done, she will have dinner. Lastly, after a long day, she will go to her room and do homework before bed.
Hall expresses her good and bad experiences at AIC. “I like the people here,” she said. “[I] have good experiences in my classes. The professors are always trying to help.”
Hall also shared some things she thinks could be improved about her experience. “The food here is not the best,” she said, “and not having a lot of options for the food doesn’t help.”
A sophomore on the softball team, Julia Kirjgsman, shared her experiences at AIC. She is a criminal justice major with a minor in psychology. She is from Shelton, Connecticut, and the reason why she chose AIC is because the school fits her needs. The head softball coach recruited her, which allowed her to play at the next level. AIC also had academics that fit her learning style.
Krijgsman’s average day at AIC is very similar to Hall’s. Her day consists of classes and practice. She wakes and goes to her two classes; after that, she gets lunch with her friends at the dining commons. Once she is done with lunch, she gets a break where she either relaxes or does homework. In the afternoon she heads over to athletics to practice, which lasts two hours. On certain days she has a lift, which is usually after her practice. When practice is done, she has dinner. Once she is back in her room, she does homework or relaxes before going to bed.
Krijgsman explained that she has had a very positive social experience at AIC. “I like the friends that I have made. Being on a team here has also allowed me to play the sport I love, while also making good friends.” She added, “Some aspects of the campus could be improved to make the campus better.”
Jake Sacratini is a sophomore Division I hockey player majoring in finance. Sacratini is from Pincourt, Québec, Canada. His main reason for committing to AIC was because it was a good opportunity for high-end athletics with good academics. His normal day starts early, around six in the morning, going to the team lift. An hour later, he goes to get breakfast at the dining commons with his teammates. He returns to his room after breakfast where he showers and takes a nap before classes. At 10:30 a.m. he has his first class of the day. Once classes are over, he has a quick lunch before he heads to the rink at 12:45 p.m. for practice. Three hours later, he is done with practice and eats dinner. At the end of his day, he does homework, rests, or hangs out with friends.
Sacratini shared that he has also had an overwhelmingly positive experience from AIC. “It’s been awesome [to] meet some of my closest friends for life. Hockey is a lot of fun and we are close.”
Student athletes at AIC have a lot of similarities, and many of them are constantly on the go with classes and practice. However, their experiences and reasons for choosing AIC are all different. These experiences depend on majors, level of competition, and outside experience. In spite of a few things these student athletes wish were different about their experience on campus, AIC is a great place for academics and athletics.
