The Sports & Study USA Hot Seat (#4) – 10 questions for University of Tampa golfer Justine Bayle

The Sports & Study USA Hot Seat (#4) – 10 questions for University of Tampa golfer Justine Bayle

Our French golfer, Justine Bayle, was kind enough to get on the Sports & Study USA Hot Seat and answer some of our questions about her experience at the University of Tampa and about the recruiting process in general. Justine is a Freshman at UT this year and has had a tremendous first season with the Spartans. Before that, Justine was a very accomplished junior golfer at the international level and was rewarded with a scholarship to play golf at one of the very best schools here in Florida. It was a huge pleasure to work with Justine and her family and to now watch her progress over here in the United States. Check out the video below for some very insightful information about college golf and about Justine's experience!…
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How to earn the biggest possible scholarship?

How to earn the biggest possible scholarship?

Almost every athlete's goal is to earn the biggest possible scholarship. While this is not necessarily the best approach, most families simply do not have the funds to spend extra money on a college education. So very often, limiting the cost to the bare minimum is what families are looking for and it is something that we as a college placement agency always try to accomplish for you. Now, in order to attain that goal, there are a ton of things you can do as a student-athlete to help your cause. Since we did not want to bore you guys with a massive list of dos and don'ts, here are five tips, some of them maybe unexpected for some of you, that will maximize your scholarship opportunities: Stay Eligible: Sounds…
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The Sports & Study USA Hot Seat (#3) – 10 questions for our soccer expert Timo Suerstedt

The Sports & Study USA Hot Seat (#3) – 10 questions for our soccer expert Timo Suerstedt

1. Where did you go to college and what sport did you play? I played college soccer at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina.  2. What made you come to college in the US? My former coach told me that there is an opportunity to go to the USA and attend a university over there. His best friend was a coach, and he connected us. He introduced me to the world of college sports in the US and ever since then I knew I wanted to come to college and play soccer over here. And it is definitely one of the best decisions I ever made. 3. What do you enjoy the most about helping young athletes with the transition of coming to college? The experience I made was so unforgettable…
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Our most important piece of advice ever!!!

Our most important piece of advice ever!!!

While every athlete might prioritize different factors when making his or her college choice, we at Sports & Study USA are always there to give you our advice and to help you make the right decision. Very often, the perfect school for one athlete will not be the best possible decision for another. This can be because of the sport you compete in, your playing level, or what your longterm goals are. However, here is one advice that we typically give to all our athletes: If you are not sure which school to pick among several options, maybe consider the one that has the best academics! Chances are, that you will need your college degree at some point in your life when applying for a certain job or when changing…
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Can you compete in more than one sport?

Can you compete in more than one sport?

While it is pretty uncommon to compete in more than one sport as a college athlete, it has definitely been done before. It mostly depends on which sports you wish to compete in, as the seasons should not overlap. For example, sports such as tennis and golf have very similar seasons that run basically all year long, so that combining those two is almost impossible. Participating in american football and baseball on the other hand is possible, since the american football season takes place in the fall semester and baseball is mostly played in the spring. So finding out when your sports are played is always going to be the first step if you are interested in competing in multiple sports. In addition to that, you also need to discuss…
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The importance of maximizing exposure

The importance of maximizing exposure

The competition for sports scholarships in the United States is extremely high. As a matter of fact, it has grown tremendously over the past decade and will continue to do so. We always talk about the importance of an athlete standing out in the recruiting process and doing all the right things in order to impress coaches and to beat out other athletes of the same level. This is definitely true and an extremely important thing to keep in mind. However, in this blog post we want to talk about the importance of exposure and how you can further improve your chances of getting that dream scholarship that you are seeking. While this does not necessarily apply for team sports as much as it does for individual sports, it still…
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How to make the most out of your college experience?

How to make the most out of your college experience?

We know that the first months of college can be a bit overwhelming for new students. That is totally normal since for most of you it is the first time away from home and the first time that you need to make your own schedule and balance all your daily duties. You will find yourself with a very hectic schedule between classes, homework, practice and trips with your athletic team. However, while the first few weeks might seem like a struggle to fit all these activities into one day, it typically becomes easier once you get used to everything. Once that is the case and you feel more comfortable, we hope that you will get a chance to fully enjoy your college experience and really start embracing the American college…
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The importance of medical insurance

The importance of medical insurance

One of the most important topics that needs to be discussed and taken care of before your departure to the US, is your medical insurance. But don't worry, it is something that is mandatory for international students, so it is not something that can be forgotten.  Now, obviously, all sports related injuries that happen during practice or competition, will be covered by your team or by the athletic department, so you do not have to worry about that. The same applies for the rehabilitation process after an injury. Universities have great trainers and a very knowledgeable staff who will get you back in shape after surgery or after an injury. As mentioned above, for international students, having a medical insurance is mandatory and actually required to be able to receive…
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The cost of college in the United States put into perspective

The cost of college in the United States put into perspective

Studying in the United States is obviously not cheap. We have talked about the total cost of tuition as well as other college related expenses in previous blog post. Just as a reminder, university costs in the US vary quite a bit, with your cheaper schools starting at $13000-$15000 (everything included) for junior colleges, all the way up to $80000-$90000 per year for your top academic schools. Now, it is very important to use some common sense here to better understand these huge differences in prices. Just like everything is more expensive in certain parts of the country or in cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston, this applies to the costs of universities in those cities as well. On the other end of the spectrum, rural…
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Starting early and the importance of June 15

Starting early and the importance of June 15

As most of you probably already know, you should always try to start the recruiting process as early as possible. You really cannot start early enough. It gives you more time to do all the necessary steps properly, it allows coaches to follow your progression over a certain period of time, and there are just more scholarships available if you start 2-3 years in advance rather than a few months prior to your college start date. If you are still unsure about when exactly you should start the process, one important date to keep in mind is June 15 of your junior year of high school, so a bit more than two years before you are supposed to start college. So why is that date so important? The answer is…
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