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With Christmas quickly approaching, one question we get asked by parents a lot, is what happens with their kids during the holiday break? Now, every school and situation is a bit different and we will go into more detail a bit later in this post, but in general you will have three options to choose from as a student athlete. One thing to explain before we start talking about these options, are the dates for Christmas break over here in the US, since they are a bit different to most other countries. The last week of school for colleges is typically either the first or second week of December and the fall semester ends with the final exams. Schools then go on a one month break that usually lasts till…

The short and simple answer to this question is YES! There are no rules that prohibit anyone to start college at the beginning of the spring semester and it does happen. And to be honest, in most cases this can also be the only option because of eligibility issues or maybe because of a family emergency that kept someone from starting in August. So, even though starting in the fall is the more common and “normal” way to start your college career, it can definitely be done. Now, there are some rather significant disadvantages that we need to mention here though, that everyone should consider when they make their decision on when to start college in the US. The biggest issue is arguably the fact that there are just less…

While it is really difficult to give an exact number for the yearly total cost of studying in America, the average cost among all public universities is roughly $27,000, while a full year at a private college will cost students about $50,000. Now, these are averages and those numbers can really go up and down depending on the school, location and of course on the scholarship that you receive. So don't worry, chances are that as a student athlete you will not be paying that much to come to college in the United States. Your cheapest colleges and universities are typically your junior colleges, which are universities that you attend for your first two years of college. These typically cost between $12,000 and $25,000 per year, depending on the location.…

The college football season (yes, we are talking about American football, not European football or soccer) is about to start here in the US this coming weekend and it has people all over the country very excited. But why is college football such a huge deal on this side of the Atlantic, when it is virtually unknown in other parts of the world? There are several reasons for that and this blog post will explain the main factors for the popularity and importance of college football. The first reason, as it is very often the case in every part of society, is money! College football is by far the sport that generates the most income. Top college football programs make millions of dollars each year, which not only helps the…

This is a question that a lot of our student-athletes are currently faced with, as they are in the process of registering for their dorm room or apartment for this coming school year. While every school handles housing slightly different and your housing situation might vary depending on your age and school year, there are some similarities that typically apply to all student athletes. First of all, it does most likely make a difference if you come in as a regular 18-year freshman, an older freshman, or if you are a transfer student. Most schools make it mandatory for new students to live in dorms on campus, especially if they are 18. Some universities might have apartments on campus for incoming freshman, but most of the time, it will be…

Social media is one of the most underestimated components in the recruiting process. Most athletes believe that all that matters to college coaches are titles, results and what you have accomplished as an athlete. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth, as coaches do not only try recruit good athletes, but they also want good students and more importantly good people, who will represent the university in the best possible manner. Now, as we have mentioned before, being a scholarship athlete comes with a lot of responsibilities and expectations, with one of the biggest ones being how you portray yourself to your fellow students on campus and to people outside the university. As you can probably imagine, in nowadays age of smart phones and social media, what you…

This is a question we get asked very often, as it is something that most international athletes and their parents have not experienced to this magnitude in their home country. However, here is the good news! Once you are part of a college team in the US, basically every sports-related expense will be paid for by the university or college. This starts with all the expenses related to your actual tournaments and games. So all your travel, food and entry fees while competing for your college team will be taken care of. On top of that, you will receive a bunch of team gear, not only for tournaments and games, but also for practice and even to run around campus. This is also the case for specific equipment that is…