Nathan Chen and University: A Yalie?

[chopinskate]

Apparently.

Well that's a tad non-creative.

 

[el henry]

Are Yale students really called Yalies?

Yes. although not always with fondness.

( spousal unit, Yale '70. )

 

[ancientpeas]

Ryan Donato was a current student at Harvard and was one of the stars for the US hockey team this year in PyeongChang. I say "was" because I think he may have since left in the past few weeks to turn pro? I don't follow hockey as much as I should.

It's not easy, but it can be done. I applaud Nathan's commitment to higher education at the school of his choice, if this is true.

Does he want to be a doctor? I read that somewhere...
He and Joannie can open up a practice together.

 

[sun110]

I think Polina Edmunds is full time, but at least for her Instagram account look more concentrated on university life than FS now.

Meryl / Charlie took online courses in Michigan U. still not graduated.

Rachel Flat gave up skating.

Shizuka graduated in bachelor's degree in social sciences from Waseda, but I think she studied online. (Waseda it seen very prestigeus)

I think Bates also graduated from Michigan U.

Yuzuru is also studying in Waseda, online courses of course. He's physically in Canada most of the time.

I'm wondering which major Nathan chose.

 

[ancientpeas]

Yes. although not always with fondness.

( spousal unit, Yale '70. )

Marrying smart people +5 GOE.

 

[yude]

Congratulations, Nathan!! This is great achievement

 

[ancientpeas]

Yuzuru is also studying in Waseda, online courses of course. He's physically in Canada most of the time.

I'm wondering which major Nathan chose.

I wonder if Yuzuru misses having a normal university experience? I guess it would be impossible for him to attend University in Japan without being swarmed all the time.

 

[el henry]

Marrying smart people +5 GOE.

I always say I'm married to the smartest person I know. I'm not bragging; would you actually want to be *married* to the smartest person you know?

At least I get plus GOE in something..... Now back to Nathan....

 

[Skater Boy]

This is a huge accomplishment. I wish him well. Yale is such a prestigious school and it isn't easy to get in so obviously he had done well. Athletes are very focussed so Iwouldn't count anything out of the realm of possiblity. However, I remember Michelle Kwan who isn't Nathan Chen when she went to school her skating suffered. It isn't easy balancing a full load of courses, trying to assimilate into a university, keep up with studies, personal commitments, professional commitments and train hard and compete. Even for the GP he will miss some school though I do understand a lot of class es or all are taped so you can look them up on line Something has to give usually but maybe Nathan will be the exception - he already is a world champion and olympic medallist. Time will tell.

I am so jealous - amazing skater, with the most amazing tricks and now a top notch uni and a future doctor. He puts us underachievers to shame.

 

[Skater Boy]

I wouldn't bet on that.

I think that song NEVER ENOUGH is so appropriate for so many including Nathan. Everyone wants it all - to be loved, to be smart, to be on the top of the world athletically, to have endorsements and skating shows. Nathan could have it all. This is exciting. Of course, one wonders how great he is competing against young people who have modified or limited their schooling for compmetitive skating. I just think Nathan seems to be driven and smart and his family seems to want him to have it all so it might happen.

 

[schizoanalyst]

If Nathan is planning attend Yale, I guess it means no more medals. Good news for Shoma, Yuzu and Boyang.

I don’t know if Chen will decide to continue, but I think it’s doable. I’m at a similar university to Yale and I and most of the people I know have at least 4-6 hours per day of leisure time. Most people wouldn’t want to use their free time for training, but Olympic-level athletes are another animal. Logistically, the most difficult part would be scheduling training around classes (or be bad like me and go to class once a week lol). I mean, I would read going to Yale as him scaling back competing, but I don’t know if that’s guaranteed.

 

[karne]

Maybe while they were at Worlds he asked Max for some tips, since Max graduated magna cum laude in three years. :yes:

 

[ice coverage]

Congratulations to Nathan. Hope he has a great experience at Yale. :yay:

(Philip Hersh '68 no doubt is feeling proud. )

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I'd be interested in a discussion of how skaters in general have manged with university, be it in tandem with figure skating or doing it before/after their figure skating career l. Do many manage to do it full time like what Nathan (seems) to intend?

Not sure whether I would say "many," but some do manage it in tandem.

For example: ICYMI, this 2017 article discussed some U.S. skaters -- such as Kevin Shum, Alex Johnson, Mirai, Max -- who have juggled full-time college studies simultaneously with skating.

http://web.icenetwork.com/news/2017/03/03/217803142 (2017 Mar)​

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... Meryl / Charlie took online courses in Michigan U. still not graduated. ...

Meryl and Charlie have been "normal" students at the University of Michigan -- meaning that they attended traditional classroom sessions on campus (during their years of competition).

For at least some of their coursework. Most or all of it, I would suspect.

And Meryl lived in a sorority house during her freshman year.

ETA:

When Tessa was living and training in Michigan, she was a part-time student at the University of Windsor in Ontario.
To attend classes there, she would make round-trips at least a couple of times a week across the U.S.-Canada border and back. :yes:​

​

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Ryan Donato was a current student at Harvard and was one of the stars for the US hockey team this year in PyeongChang. I say "was" because I think he may have since left in the past few weeks to turn pro? I don't follow hockey as much as I should.

It's not easy, but it can be done. I applaud Nathan's commitment to higher education at the school of his choice, if this is true.

Off topic, but with all due respect to Donato, playing hockey for Harvard plus representing the U.S. in hockey at the Olympics (following in the footsteps of a number of male and female hockey players from Harvard) would seem to be a very different kettle of fish from the challenges that Nathan will face in continuing a world-class career in an individual sport.

But I have no doubt that Nathan is up for the challenges (assuming that he still wants to return to the Olympics).

Christina Gao did not make it to the Olympics, but she qualified for the GPF during her freshman year at Harvard.

 

[Barb]

Maybe while they were at Worlds he asked Max for some tips, since Max graduated magna cum laude in three years. :yes:

But Max did not even make the olympic team.

 

[NanaPat]

Are Yale students really called Yalies?

I thought they were called Eli's. Though I haven't the foggiest notion why I'd remember something like that. Wikipedia says either an Eli or Yalie. Yale was named after the merchant and slave trader Elihu Yale.

 

[Yoa]

Maybe Nathan will skip some competitions. The most time consuming is GP series. Maybe he will focus on Worlds. Anyway, congratulation It' really impressive but I hope it's Nathan's dream to be a doctor and not his parents...


I did some research about Japanese skaters and their studies

Yuzuru studies Human Informatics and Cognitive Sciences at Waseda University. If anyone is interested, here's Yuzuru talking a little bit about his studies: https://youtu.be/KhKvqS5gOq4?t=5m
Tatsuki Machida - He did literature at Kansai while still competing and after retirement started studying Sport Management at Waseda.
Satoko - Litarature(?) at Kansai University but she couldn't keep up with both skating and studying so she took time off from uni
Nobunari Oda and Daisuke Takahashi also went to Kansai.
Shoma is at Chukyo University. Actually a lot of Japanese skaters went to Chukyo:
Mao Asada - graduated in 2015 and she was still competing then,
Takahiko Kozuka - graduated in 2016 and retired the same year,
Miki Ando - graduated in 2011. She retired in 2014 but she wasn't competing for 2 seasons before that.
Kanako Murakami - graduated and retired in 2017.
Chukyo isn't really a good school but it has ice rinks so skaters can practice there.

So basically skaters from Nagoya go to Chukyo, the ones from Osaka - to Kansai. Both Shizuka and Yuzuru are from Sendai but went to Waseda in Tokyo instead of Tokohu University in Sendai. Shizuka had graduation exams a few days before Worlds in 2004 and she won

 

[el henry]

I thought they were called Eli's. Though I haven't the foggiest notion why I'd remember something like that. Wikipedia says either an Eli or Yalie. Yale was named after the merchant and slave trader Elihu Yale.

Wow, do I feel “in the know” all of a sudden
The official nickname is indeed Elis, becuase Elihu Yale founded the College. Much like Harvard are the Johns because of John Harvard.
“Yalie” is less formal. And sometimes less complimentary. Depending on the speaker

 

[noskates]

My feeling on this is that being accepted and attending are often separate occurrences. But if Nathan does plan on attending Yale than I would bet he has it worked out whether he'll continue skating or not. We can speculate for hours and hours (and probably will) but I doubt this is just a whim.

 

[mau]

I think it means that he will miss some competitions, but I’ll support him no matter what his decision.

 

[cruzceleste]

So, first congrats to him...

So this would mean that he would train separated from his coach, or would he change coach?

Is there any top coach in the area?