When Matyas Hilgert agreed to play tennis at Eastern, he was taking a chance.

Hilgert would have to cross oceans and several countries to get here from his home country the Czech Republic. Not only was he coming to a school he had never seen before, but he was also coming to land that was completely foreign to him.

Hilgert wasn’t able to jump on a flight and head to the United States. He had to first fill out several documents and pass tests. The first test he had to pass was the TOEFL. This tests to see if a student has enough understanding of the English language to be able to study in the states. He also had to pass the SAT.

Next, Hilgert had his high school transcripts translated and sent to Eastern. The last thing he would do is apply for a visa. Once all of these things were completed, Hilgert was on his way to Eastern.

Upon walking onto Eastern’s campus, Hilgert said the first thing he noticed was that there were a number of African Americans.

This was something Hilgert was not used to, but he quickly adjusted to the different skin tones.

A language barrier also stood in Hilgert’s way.

“Once my teachers saw I wanted to put the effort into my grades, they would give me extra help since I couldn’t understand everything,” Hilgert said.

Friends and the social aspect of college were never a problem for him. He said he felt like everyone was extremely friendly to him.

“I was told Americans like to talk to strangers, so I expected that,” Hilgert said.

He said people in the Czech Republic don’t talk to strangers like Americans do.

Another thing many international students have to deal with is the law. The laws in the United States are different than the laws of some of these other countries. The drinking age is a definite change for most international students.

Hilgert said he had to realize that he was no longer of age anymore.

The campus was also a shock to Hilgert.

“In Europe, everything is so condensed, but here everything is so spread out. The campus is like a big park,” Hilgert said.

Hilgert said his overall transition to Eastern was smooth.

Eastern Men’s soccer coach Adam Howarth had the same impression of the U.S. as Hilgert when he first came to Eastern as an international athlete in 1989 from England.

“The dorm rooms are huge here,” he said. “In England they would be much smaller.”

Howarth recruits many international students for the soccer program.

“I can understand where they are coming from, and I know what they have to go through,” Howarth said.

Howarth said he can relate to the international students because he knows what it is like to come to a land that is completely foreign.

Howarth said he finds it beneficial to recruit athletes from outside the country. He said it benefits the other athletes on the team as well. If any of them want to try travelling somewhere new, then they can go visit the international students and have a place to stay.

“International students sometimes have a higher interest in succeeding,” Howarth said. “They are a little more organized and a little more motivated.”

Howarth said their motivation usually comes from appreciation. He said international athletes really appreciate the opportunity to come to the states, so they take full advantage of it.

Cindy Tozer, director of academic services for athletics, directly helps many of the international athletes, even before they get to Eastern’s campus. If they need any documents of information, they come to Tozer.

Tozer said most of the international students she has seen transition well to Eastern.

“They are among the strongest academic

student athletes,” Tozer said.

A new rule was implemented that may increase the number of international students on Eastern’s campus. According to Tozer, if an international student has a cumulative high school grade point average of a 3.5, then the student qualifies for in-state tuition.

“This will definitely benefit the athletic department because then international students can come in on the in-state rate,” Tozer said.

Since this new rule is being implemented, Eastern may see a dramatic increase in the number of international students, especially athletes.

Abby Allgire can be reached at 581-7942 or at alallgire@eiu.edu.