Louis Theodor

„Hello Louis, thank you very much for taking the time for this interview.
Could you please introduce yourself in a few words?
At which college were you enrolled as a student athlete?“

„Yes, absolutely – thanks for having me.

My name is Louis Theodor and I’m originally from Jakarta, Indonesia.

I was born and raised there and moved to the US in 2011 to pursue my education.

I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to play college tennis at Kennesaw State University, where I spent my first three years of college tennis career before transferring to University of Illinois at Chicago.

I now live in Chicago, working full-time while pursuing an MBA at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.“

„Before going to college – what did your academic and athletic career look like?“

„I was pretty good in Juniors. I played in Junior Davis Cup U16 and World Junior U14 for my country. I also competed in ITF Junior tournaments and was ranked #407 in the world U18.

I think my ITF ranking was very helpful in convincing some coaches here in the US that I was good enough to compete at the college level.

Academically, I was an average student in High School. I didn’t show much interest in academics until I started college.“

„Did you receive any professional help in the process of getting your scholarship?
Would you recommend this route?“

„I didn‘t have any professional help. I didn’t know much about the different colleges, their academic reputation, and all that so I essentially played a numbers game, sending emails to as many schools as possible. However, my brother, who went through the same process a few years prior, was very instrumental in guiding me througout the entire process. The help of my brother was essential as there are quite a few things that need to be done in order to be able to join a college as a student-athlete. So in the end I would strongly recommend to have the guidance of someone that knows the process – to prevent getting stuck somewhere along the road. Investing in the help of an agency with high reputation is definitely be helpful.“

„Did you receive any professional help in the process of getting your scholarship?
Would you recommend this route?“

„I didn‘t have any professional help. I didn’t know much about the different colleges, their academic reputation, and all that so I essentially played a numbers game, sending emails to as many schools as possible. However, my brother, who went through the same process a few years prior, was very instrumental in guiding me througout the entire process. The help of my brother was essential as there are quite a few things that need to be done in order to be able to join a college as a student-athlete. So in the end I would strongly recommend to have the guidance of someone that knows the process – to prevent getting stuck somewhere along the road. Investing in the help of an agency with high reputation is definitely be helpful.“

„Tell us about your college experience!“

„For me it was very simple – the fact that I got to meet so many people from all walks of lives and made long lasting friendships with some of my teammates. I had so many memorable experiences just from travelling together for matches, taking classes together, going through the same struggles on and off the court, etc. It was a fun four years.

I don’t think it was difficult to balance sports and school. I was a Finance student and I didn’t go to a prestigious school from academic standpoint; so for me, the work load wasn’t very demanding. This is different for everyone. You just have to be smart with your time as you have full control of it.“

„That is very true – What are you doing today? What do you think how being a student athlete helped you to start your working career?“

„I currently work full time for a Financial Technology company based in Chicago. I’ve been working at this company for almost four years now, doing finance and corporate development. I honestly think playing a college sport helped me build some of the necessary skills to be successful in the workplace. You learned how to work in a team environment, lead a team, and have a strong work ethic from being a student athlete. I would recommend playing college sports to anyone as it gives you a unique college experience and certainly helps you during the recruiting process for full time jobs. I think employers value student athletes because most of student athletes have proven that they can perform at the highest level and they tend to carry the same work ethic to the workplace.

If you’re thinking about pursuing a higher education, whether it’s an MBA, PhD, or specialized master’s program, having a college sports experience in your resume can also help you distinguish yourself from your peers. I’m sure that’s part of the reason why I was able to get in to a prestigious MBA program like Chicago Booth.“

„I strongly agree! Besides work – are you still playing Tennis?“

„I try to in the summer. Chicago gets really cold in the winter.“

„Last question I would like to ask: You have had the privilege of having a sport scholarship. Looking back – what is the most valuable thing you have learned in those 4 years? And what advice would you give someone who is thinking about applying as a student athlete?“

„Do your research! Make sure you know why you’re doing it. If you’re doing it because you want to experience college like the guys from the movie ‘American Pie‘, then make sure you go to a “fun“ school. If you’re doing it because you want to live in the US afterwards, get a good job, and build a career, then make sure you go to the best academic school you can get into as it will give you the highest chance to secure a good job after you graduate. If you’re doing it because you want to get better at your craft/sport, make sure you go to the best athletic school you can get into. In the end, you need to know why you’re doing it.“

„That is a very good advice. Thank you very much for the interesting conversation Louis – I appreciate it!“