TENNIS Tennis star Connor Heap to head to the US
It has been a spectacularly successful year for Connor Heap, who went to the US last holidays to check out five top universities, each of which had offered him tennis scholarships.
He went to Harvard, Notre Dame, University of Minnesota, Louisiana State University and the University of California, Berkeley, which he finally accepted. Connor, who is ranked in the top 35 in the world for his age group, has received a scholarship paying 75% of his tuition, books and accommodation, and he
“But I was in a really good position, as the universities had contacted me first. I wanted to look at a range of schools, so I visited those in a number of different locations to work out which would be best for me.” On the official visit, Connor spent two days at each university, meeting the team and the coaches, and slipping in a few baseball games along the way. “It was good, as I got to see a lot of tennis and they are keen to show you a good cross-section of what their school is like. In the end, they were all quite similar in what they were trying to do and wanted to achieve, so I chose Berkeley, because I felt it had the most to offer me.’’ He has strong advice to others who may want to follow in his footsteps.
“The best thing is to get in early and not leave it until the last minute,’’ he says. “I have been offered the scholarship, which doesn’t begin until August next year, but I now have it sorted. I sat the SATS early and if you leave it too late, you don’t have time to visit and to weigh up the options. You don’t always have to be a really top athlete to get into some universities, although you do have to be to get into the most prestigious, but the key thing is to get onto it early.’’ Life for Connor is incredibly busy. He is off playing tennis on a six-week tour of Europe late this month, then when the season begins, he will spend his weekends playing tennis for his Auckland and Wellington clubs. He travels to Auckland on Friday night, to Wellington on Saturday, then back to Auckland for a Sunday game. “Yes, I am really busy and don’t have much time for anything else,’’ he says, “but it’s the way I like it. I am trying hard to keep up with my study, but have to admit it is hard to stay completely motivated when I have already committed to a university.’’ Connor is not sure yet what he will study. Berkeley has the third-best economics school in the country, which he may choose. The other possibility for him is pre-med.
expects that will increase over the four-year course.
“I will play in their tennis team while I am studying and will then be in a position to go professional,’’ he says. “This is the best thing for me, as I can’t go straight to being a professional out of high school. It’s win/win, as I will also get a really good education.’’ He sat his SATs earlier in the year, and had an agent to help him contact universities.
Connor Heap at Louisiana State University.
College Issue 29 2015
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