Obscure American university for sports scholarship?

[deno]

DD is 15 and is one of the top people in her age group nationally at a particular sport. It's pretty unlikely that she'll "go professional" or make any serious money from it, but she has the opportunity to get a full sports scholarship to a US university, where she would compete at the NCAA level. This would include rent/living costs as well as tuition fees, and would mean that she would graduate debt free (which she certainly wouldn't in the UK!) so it seems like an incredible offer.

My only concern is that the particular universities that are good for her sport, are not well-known in the UK. As it is pretty likely that she'll return to the UK afterwards, I'm wondering if having a degree from an institute no-one here has heard of would affect her job prospects.

She's not Oxbridge material, but she's reasonably bright and I'm pretty sure that she would be able to get into universities of the Exeter/Warwick calibre. If she goes to the US, she's looking at colleges such as Baylor (in Texas) and Louisville (in Kentucky).

@Buxbaum

We don't expect her to have a professional career.

She would almost certainly just do NCAA and then call it quits on the sport.

OP, I am from Texas and currently living here. My impression of Baylor based on peers of mine who attended is that it's a solid school for students who were not able to get into top tier universities and/or for students who closely hold Baptist ideals. Waco is not a lovely city IMO (but is improving) however it's near Austin and I think a lot of students travel down for the weekend for entertainment.

Before your daughter makes her final choice, please google "Baylor University sexual assault scandal" and read up on it. The Wikipedia entry seems pretty comprehensive. There have been years of sexual assaults on campus by male athletes that were covered up by athletic department personnel. I would be concerned about campus safety for females and the trustworthiness of the athletic department and administrators. I believe there has been a lot of turnover (firings and resignations) as the investigation has gone on so that may be different now. However, the perception of Baylor athletics is very poor due to this scandal and something to consider as it sounds your daughter will likely have lots of interaction with athletic department personnel.

Best of luck to you and your daughter with this big decision.

She’s 15 so, what, equivalent to a Sophomore? Who’s telling you she’s going to get a full scholarship? I’m asking as there a million and one weird companies that don’t always offer what they say on the tin.

Sadly sexual assault has been an issue with athletics departments across the US. The trouble is that student athletes are generally very privileged by their universities as NCAA sports are very important for both prestige and financial reasons. This can make the students arrogant and their universities look the other way when it comes to bad behaviour of their sports stars. It's a completely different environment to the UK, and the reason why there are rich scholarships available in the first place. Having said that I'd assume that universities that have had scandals might be much more careful in monitoring student athlete behaviour.

I live in the US and my DH has worked in the sports field. He would recommend Ky over Baylor. I would too considering the weather. It’s so hot in Texas and in Ky she would experience all four seasons.

Both my sons went to US universities, and they had to be covered medically in order to enrol. You would never be left with huge medical bills because of an injury.

I think the US system can be good for someone who doesn't have a clear idea about a career path, as it gives a huge amount of flexibility.

Baylor is fantastic and Texas is a great place to live - people are really friendly, standard of living is amazingly high for graduates in places like Houston. My friends who do the same job I do in London live amazingly well. I’m talking mansio. With pool. Obvs not that relevant if she’s coming back to the UK

I came to UK with a BA (liberal arts, no less, oh the shame...) from an 'unknown' university. In 1992 when it was a lot harder to get info from an 'unknown' Uni. Always been very employable, had skills from my degree very in demand in the UK job market.

Has she visited both locations to get a feel for them? Never been to Kentucky but have spent significant time in Waco and it is not a pleasant place at all. Quite dangerous. The office I worked allowed people to bring their gun to work but had to have it locked in their drawer during the day . Baylor is also heavily Baptist - which of course there is nothing wrong with, but if she is looking for the typical university experience, It may not be what she expects.
Having said that, I have some involvement in the grad recruitment scheme for my employer and would definitely consider a grad from Baylor with a high GPA (above 3.8) for a role with us.

@deno, yes, I got that impression from your OP. My contribution was aimed at @tumblrpigeon who commented that her friend’s son hadn’t seen professional benefits from a football scholarship. It sounds like you and your DD have a realistic approach to her prospects.

Baylor is a first tier uni
I really wouldnt worry

Not well known? Baylor and Louisville are both well known and are both top tier sports universities.

One thing to consider is what would happen if she couldn't continue with her sport (due to injury say) halfway through her degree course. Would she lose her scholarship? Could you afford to sub her to complete? Also, who would pay for medicsl insurance for her and what would it cost?

Baylor has a good reputation in the states.

On the flip side, my bachelor degree is from the London School of Economics and I went on to Boalt Hall (Berkeley) for my law degree. I still remember the job interview at a Los Angeles law firm where one of the panel asked me about my degree in home economics... He wasn't joking!

In terms of the NCAA, sports scholarship and the possibility of injury, medical bills etc you should take a look at from a year or so ago.

If a student is injured so that they can no longer to their sport then they can end up not able to do their course any more (no more scholarship) and also having to cover the medical bills themselves. It may well be slightly different for an overseas student but it's well worth looking into and working out what you plan would be if that happened, especially in terms of making sure any ongoing medical treatment could be provided (and would that have to be in the UK?)

I have helped about 20 students successfully apply to the US for sports scholarships (and a few more were unsuccessful).

They had a whale of a time and their careers were widely varied:
1 female footballer was injured at the end of her final year and was offered a place in the coaching team.

A few took other jobs and stayed in the US, jobs included admin, retail and teaching.

Some came back and took a variety of jobs.

A few came back, took a Masters, 1 went on to PhD.

They all went with their eyes open and had few expectations of doing anything other than getting a free education, playing a sport they loved and living in a different country.

You should get a lot of info about insurances and worst case scenario procedures. If it isn't offered ask the questions, you will get a lot of info.

BUT I would counsel caution and maybe waiting until she has A levels, as all of my students did. They went at 18, with a much more realistic idea of what they were getting into.

I hope your DD finds the right place for her.

My Ds came to UK with a 4 year degree from a US Uni that no one knew in the UK he had his degree results translated to a 1st not sure what the heck that is really but told it was good There are so many Uni's in the US that most people in UK have never heard of most. His was an excellent private Uni that competes for students with Ivy league Uni's
Ds has a wonderful career in the UK with his US degree.

Hi my husband did some study in the us. He did his degree here in the UK but was offered a masters fully funded in the US. He was at West Virginia Wesleyan and is now a head teacher in the UK and studying his doctorate in education here. He has had a lot of interesting offers both here and in the US because if contacts he made and he says it was an amazing experience too.

Baylor and Louisville both Division I schools which means tremendous opportunity in sport. Both are very well known and respected universities and you would get a very good education at either. There are a hell of a lot more less known schools in America.

That being said, I wouldn't even think of moving to Waco (Baylor) I used to live in another college town in that region and that part of TX is every stereotype come to life---think guns, boots, megachurches. And given Baylor's Baptist slant...I couldn't imagine a worse place for a kid fresh from the U.K.

@MakeItStopNeville

As she's not in the US, and is therefore unlikely to be scouted from a national competition there, her coaches (who have sent off athletes to the US on sports scholarships before) have been advising us to start proactively contacting colleges' athletics departments early. We're also potentially planning to look round a few colleges this summer, if she decides it's the route she wants to go down.

It's also apparently quite common for athletes to "commit" to a particular college while they're still a few years shy of 18 - these things are often worked out quite far in advance.

I've done a fair bit of graduate recruitment. I'd be impressed with a graduate who had done their degree in the US on a full sports scholarship, even if I wasn't familiar with the university. It shows a good work ethic, independence, and a broad education. It would also give her opportunities to experience a different culture. I'm biased as I did a year abroad in the US as part of my degree though.

I don't know either university but could she visit or contact the overseas student office there to find out more and even speak to someone international students there? They can give a good perspective on what life is like as an international student there. It can be a real change and you do feel different to the other students.

I would be wary of Baylor unless your family is very Christian.

Oh wow what an AMAZING opportunity!!

To be honest I think the uni thing would only be an issue if she went into a niche field where the type of uni you went to was a factor, but a lot of jobs would be open to it. She could always use her cover letters/interviews to emphasise what an opportunity it was and all the great things she learnt, and show how independent/confident she is to upsticks and move somewhere completely new as dedication to her passion – I think a lot of industries would really like that.

They are both average but okay academically and good sports unis - I would say though I’d there’s any chance of your daughter being gay then neither Baylor - Baptist - nor Louisville will be comfortable places to be. Plus she will have to put up with people banging on about god, church, praying, praying before games etc. I’m speaking from experience!

If you a very Christian then Baylor would be ok. Oh and guns. You can’t underestimate the gun culture in both Texas and Kentucky. I never feel particularly safe there...