The next prospective student athlete is in our family in our family. After the big sister made his way towards the USA with a tennis scholarship two years ago, our son Tom will also to the USA . And as it is: two children, two in terms of tennis scholarship. So much in advance: Tom chose a so -called junior college and will study and train in Alabama at Wallace State Community College from August. But what are the differences between a 2-year-old junior college and a 4-year-old college ? We want to explain that to you in this blog post. And of course you also tell you how the previous process in recent months has been from the application to the decision with us. Because here, too, we parents had to find out: Even if we have already passed the process for the second time, there are many, many differences and always something new!
For our 17-year-old son Tom (upstairs in the picture) it was clear for several years: after graduating from high school, he wants to go to a college with a tennis scholarship. Since Tom's sister Mia, two years older, also went to the States after graduating from high school, the basic steps were not unknown to us. You are welcome to find out about this in our blog series "Mia's way to the tennis scholarship in the USA" . Despite many similarities, there were and have many things at Tom that are new and actually different.
Let's start with one thing: it was clear to us that we also wanted to work together with Keystone Sports . A reliable partner is simply very important for us. A big difference at Tom, however, was the time from which we parents dealt with the topic of "tennis scholarship". Tom took part in Keystone Sports College Tennis Showcase in Leverkusen in July last year. There he sniffed the first college air and was then more convinced that he wanted to become an athlete student. Feel free to read our showcase blog post .
So we then took up his application video in autumn, had all existing certificates translated and all the tasks that Keystone had given us off until November. Then Tom's profile was brought to the "market" and the first offers from coaches quickly came. Tom has an LK 4 and is not in the German men's ranking, so that some offers were quite interesting, but was not financially feasible. A Tom teammate is currently on a so-called junior college and very enthusiastic there, so that in addition to the 4-year-old universities we actually dealt with the two-year universities. And of these Junior Colleges, Tom received numerous offers that were attractive both when it comes to tennis and affordability. At the end of January, Tom decided on the Wallace State Community College, a junior college in Alabama. The registration process is currently in full swing. It is and remains exciting!
The American university system basically offers students 4-year studying at a college or university with the bachelor's degree . As a further training path, there is the so-called Junior Colleges or Community Colleges , on which the students spend two years Associate Degrees and Certificates , with which they can then switch to a four-year university and complete their bachelor there in another two studies. The transition usually works without problems and the study can be continued seamlessly.
In addition to the duration of the studies, there are other differences:
The choice for a university is complex and depends on every future student athletes from a different weighting of individual factors: What do I want to achieve in terms of sport and academic? What financial options are available? Do I want to start at a smaller university in a manageable environment or can it be a large university? In addition, there are many other questions, when answering the consultants at Keystone Sports of course are very helpful and can bring in their expertise.
In any case, the Jucos are a good alternative to the common 4-year universities and should not be excluded in the selection process. Unless your child wants to take the way to the tennis professional through college tennis.
What does it apply in general, but especially for us parents on the way to a tennis scholarship to consider everything? How can we support our child in this versatile process from the first rough idea to the very specific big step over the pond? Questions about questions that are waiting for answers.
Therefore, I would like to invite free college tennis webinar for parents on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 7.30 p.m. You have the chance to ask your questions Sandy Franz von Keystone Sports And there is certainly plenty of it, right? Regardless of whether you have just started dealing with the topic of college tennis or have already been in the middle of the application process: we will surely be able to answer your questions. And open and honest, just as you are used to.
For everyone who also wants to "read" something, there are various blog articles available in our theme special, lots of fun!
In the meantime, if you have any questions about college scholarships or would like to know specifically how we approached things, please feel free to contact me at any time
On the subject of special college tennis
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