FirstPoint USA client, Tom Williams, has committed to a rugby scholarship at the University of Mary Washington. Tom has had a very successful rugby career so far, playing national level rugby in England, and top level university rugby with Northumbria. Here, Tom tells us why he chose to pursue a sports scholarship in the US, and states what he is looking forward to upon arrival.
Tom states that he made the decision to study at a university in the US as it provided him with the opportunity to balance both his education and rugby in a perfect combination. It will be a completely different lifestyle to that of a student in the UK, but Tom tells us that he has always wanted to study in a different country, so a rugby scholarship seemed to provide him with the perfect opportunity to do so.
Regarding the process of obtaining his scholarship, Tom states that the process went very smoothly. He tells us, “the scholarship process was a very easy one, it was mostly done for me by the FirstPoint USA team. They answered all my questions and got me going from the word go!”
Having committed to a scholarship at UMW, we asked Tom how he knew this was the right school for him to attend…
“A major factor for me, was how proactive they were with wanting me to attend UMW; they were constantly in contact with me and really helpful and supportive in my decisions. So when the time came to choose a university, it was almost an easy decision. From a sporting perspective, they are looking like a really strong squad for the upcoming season.” Tom tells us that Tim, who works for UMW and helped him through the process, really excited him by talking about what the team is doing, who they have brought in, and what they are looking to achieve. Tom also adds that the UMW rugby team have created links with the professional teams in America, which will provide a good way to get into the professional setup.
[caption id="attachment_11670" align="aligncenter" width="655"] Tom will soon be joining the UMW Mother's Rugby team.[/caption]Upon arriving in the US, Tom tells us that he is looking forward to enjoying a different way of life and experiencing something that not many people will get to do. He adds that he is also very excited for the opportunity to play rugby for UMW and it may provide him with a chance to go pro.
Finally, we asked Tom where he sees himself being in 10 years time. He tells us that he hopes to be in a professional rugby set; whether that be in America or another country. However, Tom added that if that doesn’t go to plan, he hopes to be coaching rugby somewhere in the world.
We’d like to wish Tom the best of luck for his studies and playing career at UMW; we’ll keep you updated on his progress through our various social media platforms.
