NSR has connections and affiliations with thousands of colleges across America, meaning there is a perfect match between the student-athlete and a college for every individual young talent. If you don’t get it perfectly right the first time, there’s always the option to transfer to a more suitable school for you. This is something soccer athlete, Mitch Barrington discovered.
Mitch journeyed to the US in 2015 having originally accepted his offer to Midland University in Nebraska. Being an athlete from Perth, the chilly climate and inland setting of Nebraska didn’t quite suit Mitch’s character.
Enjoying his first year at college but not quite feeling that the university suited him, Mitch decided to transfer and apply for colleges that he felt more of a connection with.
“I wanted to transfer because the school didn’t quite fit me that well. It was in the middle of the US in Nebraska. I’m going to San Diego now, which is a bit more like Perth,” Mitch noted.
During a rather stressful transferring process, Mitch was offered positions at three high-profile schools but the position was confirmed until just weeks before he was due to fly back to the States for his second year.
“At one point it looked like I wouldn’t be able to set anything up because of a lack of funds at a lot of schools, but it worked out for me and I ended up going to my number one preference.
“It was definitely pretty stressful; I’d already signed my release form with Midland so there wasn’t any way to go back,” Mitch admitted.
Mitch’s great offer to Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego on a generous scholarship can be attributed to his persistence to find his perfect fit. He had decided to find a new opportunity at another school and after researching where he would like to go, contacted coaches consistently until he was given an opportunity.
“I had put all my hopes into transferring so it was just about persistence, I had to keep calling coaches every day. The coach that I will have now I had to call three times before he would even watch my video,” Mitch admitted.
Despite the inconvenience of transferring and the stress it caused, Mitch made the decision to stick with his US pathway as he felt this opportunity was important for him.
“I went over there to play soccer and I wasn’t even playing that much in my first year, and I still had a great time. Wherever I go I’m still going to be enjoying living on campus and that’s something that you can’t really do in Australia. Making friends and living somewhere that’s different to where I lived my whole life, it’s too good of an experience to just throw away!” the passionate athlete said.
Mitch headed over to begin his adventure at his new college in July 2016, beginning preseason in Medellin, Colombia, where he was looking forward to getting to know his new teammates and classmates.
“I’m really excited about it! We will all have the chance to prove ourselves.”
Mitch has enjoyed making new friends and absorbing the international student-athlete lifestyle, something he feels that he wouldn’t have the opportunity to achieve back in Australia.
“Coming back to Perth and seeing all my mates, who have sort of given up on their soccer and they’re just going through University and living for the weekend…it kind of makes me feel like I’m glad I went and did something that I can be proud of,” Mitch said.
We are excited to check-in with Mitch in the near-future and see how his new University is treating him.
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