For many young athletes, studying in the United States is one of the best options for building a promising career. A large number of amateur athletes dream of getting a scholarship or starting their career in the USA, so they decide to increase their level by studying for a year at one of the elite schools in the North American country. But what are the advantages of such an experience?
Access to a sports scholarship
One of the best ways to access an athletic scholarship to study in the United States is to spend a year at an elite school. Scouts from many universities come to these centres looking for talented kids for their universities, so if the athlete is looking for a springboard to get one of these sports scholarships at prestigious universities, he or she should definitely go to an American school. The universities with the best teams are offering more and more sports scholarships to young Spaniards, who, after studying a degree, go on to the professional circuit. In recent years, many Spanish teenagers have crossed the pond to study in the United States, as in the cases of basketball players Jaume Sorolla, Andrew Ramírez and Lucas Antúnez, who began their careers this summer with various university teams in North America.
Achieving bilingual English
There is no better way to overcome the English barrier than by living in the USA for a year. Spending time at an elite academy means speaking, writing and even thinking 24 hours a day in English. In most cases the children come back bilingual, which is very important nowadays and will open many doors for them in the future.
Specialised programmes
These schools have specialised programmes in elite sport that allow young people to combine their studies with top-level sport. They have perfectly coordinated and organised teams of professionals: teachers, coaches, physiotherapists, nutritionists and other professionals who are always attentive to the needs of the student. In addition, unlike other centres, this type of institution understands the special needs of elite sportsmen and women, adapting to each specific case and giving great flexibility to all students.
Magnificent facilities
Another attraction of these schools is the modernity of their facilities and residences, which are constantly being renovated thanks to the millions of dollars in subsidies they receive. In general, these centres have all kinds of sports facilities: top-level football pitches, basketball halls with professional courts, competition swimming pools, etc. In the case of tennis, we can highlight the advantage of being able to compete on courts of different surfaces: clay, hard courts, grass or Indro courts, depending on the school they choose or the tournament they are going to play.
First level education
The American academies are world leaders in educational standards, with a learning system that is close, comprehensive and provides many facilities available to students. The classrooms are equipped with the best technology available, the teachers offer personalised tutoring and the education is first class. The possibility of studying in the United States offers new educational perspectives that may not be available elsewhere in the world.
Career opportunities
Studying in the United States is a guarantee for the future for any student; everything that this experience provides will help the boy or girl to grow personally. These experiences outside the country of origin are highly valued by the best companies in the world and are an open door to professional sport.
Unforgettable experience
Another reason why more and more players are choosing to travel to study in the United States is the magnificent experience of living and being part of the American sporting spirit. There, sport is lived with intensity, which is why the learning and progression of talented boys and girls is made as easy as possible. Even some university sports have a huge following in the USA, such as the NCAA (vinculo ingles), the college basketball league, which gets huge audiences when it holds its finals.
In addition, an experience like this is a very important personal growth, as boys and girls mature, learn to solve their own problems and acquire social skills. These academies bring together in their teams athletes from all over the world and from all cultures, the students live and play sport in a multicultural and plural environment, another plus when deciding to travel to the USA. Living together increases their tolerance, understanding and opens their minds to diversity, skills that will undoubtedly be of great importance in adult life.
For many of these young people, enjoying a year at an elite academy on American soil is an invaluable experience, both sporting and personal, as well as opening the door to professional sport and a promising future. If you are interested in studying one or more years at schools or universities in North America, in another article of our blog we show you some guidelines on how to get a scholarship in the United States. (vinculo ingles)
