I decided to attend Springfield College for a number of reasons, but primarily because of the way application and research are combined. A lot of schools emphasize either application or research, but I found that at Springfield College you can excel in both.

My internship with the Psychiatric Treatment Unit at Baystate Medical Center allowed me to be hands on working as a member of the psychiatric team.

I worked closely with all of the patients, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and occupational therapists. It helped me to learn not only in my specific area of expertise, but also to see the bigger picture of what else was being done for patients with regards to services. Springfield College gave me a lot of opportunities

I may not have had at other schools. I was offered a position as a statistics and research graduate assistant, which allowed me to switch gears and gain experience in an area that was different from what I had been doing. Springfield College is well-known for its research. Anywhere you go, people know Springfield College, and I know I’ve had a great advantage because of the research I’ve been able to do, as well as the practical experience I’ve gained.

I decided to apply to Springfield College because I heard that their Sport Management Department has some of the most well-connected staff the College has to offer. In the business world, making connections and gaining hands-on experience are immensely important.

I quickly fell into the tight-knit community at Springfield College. The professors make it a priority to develop close relationships with the graduate students in order to better understand our goals and aspirations in life. Coming from a large undergraduate university, this was definitely something I was not used to, and I learned how beneficial attending a small school can be for a graduate student. The connections I have made here will carry a long way throughout my career, and will prove to be forever advantageous.

I recently participated in a graduate internship at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., as a tournament management intern. I worked with the event management staff at the Hall of Fame to organize and implement all aspects of tournament operations for the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

Working in tournament operations was an amazing experience and is something I hope to continue to pursue for the rest of my career.

I chose Springfield College because of it’s sound academic reputation, beautiful facilities, and overall sense of community. I felt that the values of the College reflected my values as a young adult wanting to pursue further education. The emphasis on health and wellness really appealed to me and I wanted to be in an atmosphere that promoted that kind of lifestyle.

The Springfield College faculty have had everything to do with shaping my mind not only for this profession, but life in general. One of the things I’ve admired most about them is their active role in each student’s academic progress and career. This is a rare finding among schools and I am still in awe of their commitment to their students and program betterment. The faculty views the student as a person with a multifaceted life, not just an academic figure.

They get to know you and work to encourage and inspire you toward your goals. They truly encompass excellence in all facets.

I chose Springfield College for my graduate studies for a number of reasons. I graduated from the Springfield College Athletic Training Program in 2006, and have always wanted to return here to pursue my Ph.D. The faculty foster a healthy learning environment and are some of the best in our field.

I could not wait to come back to learn with them again. I value the quality and structure of this athletic training program, and was thrilled to have the chance to be part of it once more. I have had many opportunities at Springfield working with student-athletes as the graduate teaching fellow in the athletic training program.

I am able to develop my clinical skills and work with undergraduate students daily to further my own professional development. It is my dream to gain a faculty position in an athletic training education program at the college level. I want to do for future students in the field what my professors here did for me.

I came to Springfield College for one reason, tradition. You do your homework and you start to realize what the strength and conditioning program represents and the honor it would be to be part of a family of some of the best strength coaches in the field.

Having the Springfield College name on your resumé represents a lot. We’re a brand name, based on the alumni that have become successful in this field; those people have raised the bar for the young aspiring coaches in this program. Employers expect a certain work ethic from a Springfield College intern. You have to know how to work—you have to know how to be humble—but most importantly you have to know how to work! Our field is not pretty, it’s a grind, it requires toughness, dedication, and a work ethic.

Hopefully if you come from this program you will understand what that means.

s You have a direct responsibility as a Springfield College strength and conditioning student to represent the Springfield name to the best of your ability. My goal is to become a collegiate strength and conditioning coach for football. Springfield College has put me on a platform to achieve success.

This is where you will ENGAGE Being able to work in the diagnostic and clinical skills lab to practice physical exams with a small classroom dynamic really engages every student and allows us to differentiate between normal and abnormal findings.

The Sim Lab gives students confidence after they have mastered taking a patient’s history and performing a physical exam. It allows students to integrate everything we know from classes. It makes us think quickly, and allows us to become more comfortable with stressful situations. The Springfield College faculty are always there, guiding us and pushing us to work harder.

At first, they are good at holding our hand to help us get used to clinical medicine; however, I feel that the more experience and knowledge we got, the more they pushed us and let us come up with appropriate treatments for the patient. The program prepared me for my clinical rotation at Mercy Medical Center.

I felt confident walking into the emergency room and knowing how to react to patients.

Springfield College is a community of people who want each other to succeed. It’s been helpful working with an alum and knowing that Mr. Mercer came from SC was great.

He knows the rigor of the program and can give that little extra push to make you a better educator. He really was more like a mentor than a supervising teacher.

I appreciate everything he has taught me. I know if I were in his shoes I’d want to help my student-teacher as much as possible.

The possibilities that I have discovered in the graduate program at Springfield College were unimaginable to me before. Prior to enrolling in the program, I received my associate’s degree and my bachelor’s degree, and assumed that graduate school would be similar to other schooling I had done. But the graduate program here is different. It is like a community of thoughtful individuals ready to make a difference in this field.

It’s like we’re part of a profession, and we as students are treated like professional rehabilitation counselors. Here, I began to see myself as a leader more than I ever had before. The respect I was given motivated me and made me more open in the classroom.

I guess this paid off, because my advisor asked me to be his graduate assistant for the next semester. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to teach an undergraduate course (due to a professor needing to take leave), and a week later, I had a classroom full of eager undergraduate students. A couple of weeks into the semester, I was offered the opportunity to teach my own undergraduate course for the upcoming semester.

I chose Springfield College because of the reputation it has in its undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Springfield College is known locally and nationally for developing strong leaders.

My experience in the MBA program allowed me to do some trial-and-error work in the classroom, and I was able to put the learning practices and principles in place at United Way immediately. The College provided me an opportunity to continue to look at ways to improve myself as an individual, as a leader—and to bring those improvements to the work environment.

If I am an improved individual, then the environment I work in will be enriched as well. From a leadership perspective, the College’s Humanics philosophy is similar to that of the United Way. The institution encourages students to engage and be leaders in their own right—whether in the classroom or in the community.

I truly believe that the municipal, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors in the Pioneer Valley and beyond know that when they are dealing with a student from Springfield College, that student has had a quality education and will bring something special to the organization.