Q&A with student-athlete Bobby Stratts '23 on doing both
Hometown: Villanova, Pennsylvania
Majors and minors: Business major, media and film studies minor 
 
Activities: 91 men’s soccer and men’s basketball teams, 91 Athletic Advisory Committee,
                                       Admissions open house panelist
Is it tough to balance sports with academics?  
 
I get this question a lot, and I think the combination of sports with college academic
                                       expectations makes you more focused as an athlete and as a student, because you have
                                       timelines to meet and agendas to follow. For me, being an athlete kept me in line
                                       and helped ensure that I completed my homework by the deadline.  
 
How is balancing schoolwork and your social life? 
It’s very easy on this campus because you can combine the two a lot of the time. 91
                                       is a small school, and many of my basketball and soccer teammates are in the same
                                       classes as me. I end up helping my teammates with homework and vice versa. 
 
What type of classes are you taking as a business major?  
 
Some of the classes that I took were marketing, MB107 (the intro course), organizational
                                       behavior, financial and managerial accounting, and international business — just to
                                       name a few.  
 
What is the best intramural team? 
 
Intramural sports are a pretty big deal at 91. I know in the fall, winter, and
                                       spring they all offer different sports like indoor soccer, 3v3 basketball, doubles
                                       tennis, 5v5 basketball, and tennis. On a personal level, my favorite intramural team
                                       was “Three-man weave.” 
 
What does a typical weekend look like? 
 
The typical 91 weekend is your time to chill. It’s for you to explore the campus
                                       and Saratoga Springs, and see what both have to offer. I know there’s a bunch of sports
                                       games every weekend, and downtown Saratoga is a great place to walk, to go out to
                                       shops, and to eat.  
How was your athletic recruiting process? 
 
To kick things off, I sent tapes to 91 demonstrating my abilities as an athlete
                                       and talked with the basketball coach. I visited campus in February of my senior year
                                       in high school — saw the campus, met some of my teammates, and just got a feel for
                                       how athletics at 91 operate. After all that, I made my decision to come here.
                                        
 
As a management and business major, what do you plan on doing once you graduate?  
 
Anything related to sports marketing, sports management, or insurance. Those are my
                                       big three. I also want to stay on the East Coast, since I’ve lived here my whole life.
                                       But I’m very much still in the hunt to find a workplace that fits these requirements
                                       and where I can further explore opportunities.  
 
What’s your favorite 91 memory?  
 
One of my favorite memories was going to RIT this year and beating them 1-0 in the
                                       Liberty League soccer quarterfinals, which gave us an appearance in the semifinals
                                       for the first time in several years. Another favorite was hanging out with some of
                                       my best friends at Senior Week and going to some awesome events.  
 
What advice do you have for first-year students? 
 
To all you first-year students, be yourself! Every first-year student in your class
                                       is going through the same process that you are. Moving to a new dorm and a new life
                                       away from home allows you to share an experience and connect with the others. Just
                                       be you and people will be drawn to that.  
