Meet Baylee Muller - UDA Field Hockey

Why Chester? Why England?

Most people ask me those two questions once I tell them where I go to school. I chose the
University of Chester as it provided great academic opportunities, an opportunity to gain
practical experience, continue to play hockey at a high level for both the University and at a club level, and the opportunity to live overseas. I first visited the University in March of 2018 after I came to the realization that I needed to expand my comfort zone outside of the bubble that was my hometown. I am currently studying event management and business management. A major part of what drew me to the University of Chester was the emphasis on work-based learning. I have found the coursework at university is extremely different compared to my high school experience and previous year at university in Virginia. For my major at least, the classes are divided up into lectures where the week’s lesson is introduced to us and the seminar goes into further detail in small groups. I am only in class three days a week, so on my off days I have the ability to explore the city and or dive deeper into the topics discussed in class by reading articles and academic journals. The rich history of Chester also drew me to chose the University. I walk around exploring the city finding new shops to add to my list of places to visit for a morning cup of tea or dinner with my friends.

​My experience at Uni has not only been influenced by academics, but also the people
around me. Additionally, my nationality has also given me friends and many of them are a part of the UDA team. Not only do I have friends from the United States, but from Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Holland. Everyone at Chester has been so welcoming to me, but I wouldn’t have been able to make these friends if I hadn’t walked down the hall and met the few people hanging out in the hallway. The cliche saying of “leave your door open” is one of the main things that has given me the opportunity to make new friends from all around the world.

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Sports has always been a part of my life since I was able to walk, so the ability to join the
hockey society was the cherry on top when choosing Chester. Both the men and women teams welcomed me with open arms. My experience with University hockey has become much more than winning or losing. It has given me a group of friends with common interests. We have enjoyed cooking team meals together on Sundays and themed team socials every Wednesday after our games. The hockey team won their league last year, so there is an expectation to keep winning, but at the same time we have fun while playing. University hockey is only four days a week and many of the girls play club hockey on the university’s off days. This provides me the opportunity to play as much or as little hockey as I would like. Every sport society at Chester is their own unique family. All athletes are welcome no matter their ability level.

My overall time at the University of Chester has been some of the best few months of my
life and for anyone looking to study in the UK or overseas in general, I strongly encourage you to look at the University of Chester.