Europe and the United States of America have the highest number of top universities in the world, but there is a unique aspect to the universities in the USA that the EU schools can’t even compare to. That aspect is the possibility of combining very high academic studies with very high sport development. Many kids in the EU between the ages of 16-18 that play and compete at a very high level of their sport are put in front of a hard decision: ”Do I prioritize my studies over sport or do I prioritize my sport over studies?”
Frankly, there is only one place where you don’t have to make that compromise and that is in the United States of America. But to help you understand the difference between both sides better, here are some examples:
Academics
In terms of quality of education, America has the largest number of best universities in the world. According to many rankings, the USA has 30+ of the top 100 universities in the world.
The American college system is considered to be more inclusive. There is a higher number of universities across the United States, so the system is providing education for more students and is available pretty much for anyone who desires it. On the contrary, EU universities are accepting only the most elite students and with a smaller number of universities available, there is much higher demand and students with lower grades cannot enroll so easily.
American colleges and universities require students to study and pass many different subject exams to prepare students for professional life after graduation. EU schools have their students focus more on a particular subject and leave no room for changes for the students. For example, you can study multiple majors at one school and change your major to another. In the EU schools you aren’t allowed to change your major for most part and most likely you would have to change the school completely.
Study Hall at Yale University
Sports
At American colleges and universities you are able to find multiple different sports that the students will represent at a high level. The sport facilities are almost no different to professional sport club facilities and with the students supporting their school teams, it certainly creates an incredible atmosphere. In case a student receives a scholarship to represent his/ hers school, it gives the student more motivation to develop and help the team.
As a student-athlete you have certain privileges compared to other students. You can set up your class schedule in a way that is suitable according to your training needs and games schedule. In Europe, education and sport clubs are two separate institutions so trying to schedule your classes with trainings and games is almost impossible without prioritizing one over the other.
Sport Facility at University of Georgia
College Life
College campus at any particular American school is one of the most unique places that you won’t find anywhere else. Everything that the students need, can be found in one place. Food, accommodation, transportation options and much more. Most of the schools require their students to live on campus at least their first year to make it easy to navigate their classes and training schedules.
In Europe, the college campuses are usually made of just buildings with classes and for other school accommodations you have to travel outside of the campus, which creates less of a college experience for students.
There are plenty of options all over the US and there is an option for each and every student-athlete there is. In case you would like our help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@usakubik.com with any questions and we will be happy to assist you.