College Tennis for International Players - Your College Search Starts Here!

 

I have recently been talking to a young tennis player from Australia who is interested in playing college tennis in the USA. His ultimate goal is to play on the tennis tour but realises he needs a few years of intense match play. He needs to be able to train with high level players and as a result going to college is a good first step in allowing him to prepare for life on the tour.

 

At college he will be able to improve his fitness, get physically stronger, play lots of matches, access the gym for free, improve all aspects of his technique and gain the assistance of a tennis coach who is prepared to work with him outside of regular training sessions. If he is unable to make it at college level then he will know that he will definitely not make it on the big stage at the professional level.

 

The key for this young player is to find the right college tennis program to allow him to develop as a player and give himself the best chance of having a shot on the tour once he has finished college. Below I have outlined some of the key points that I spoke to him about when it comes to researching and choosing a college.

 

It is not easy; there are many factors that will influence your decision, but taking the time now to research all programs will make your college stay much more rewarding.

 

Some vital steps in selecting the right college tennis program:

 

What State? – choose a state where the weather is appropriate for tennis. Many states in the USA during winter prevent tennis being played or being forced indoors which ultimately affects training. Some states such as Georgia, Florida and California have excelled at tennis and tennis is highly regarded at many colleges in these states.

 

School size – do you want to go to a school with less than 5000 students, 10000 or one of the big schools of 30000 plus students? Is a private or public school best for you and can you afford the extra costs associated with the private schools.

 

What division? – Are you good enough to play division one, or are you only up for division two or three? If you want to play pro after college then you need to play at the highest level and that means at a top division one school.

 

Study – what majors are offered? Do they offer the specific area of study that is of interest to you? If you don't like what you are studying then it will affect your tennis.

 

Tennis coach – do your homework on the tennis coach. Talk to current and previous players to see their thoughts on the coach. You may want to also look at previous coaches the school employed as well as how long coaches tend to stay at the school. If there is a high turnover of coaches then you need to know why. You don't want to go to a school and then six months later the coach leaves. Some schools don't have the money to spend on a full time tennis coach so they employ and assistant basketball coach or another sports coach to also be the tennis coach.

 

Visas – as an international student you will need to gain the appropriate visa in order to enter and study in the USA. This is always a stressful area as they don't make it easy for you. Seek the assistance of the international student advisor at your school when it comes to this.

 

Resumes – you will need to put together a strong resume to submit to the tennis coach. Even though you may be young you should still be able to put together a resume outlining your achievements to date.

 

Video – if you have a video of yourself playing then send it to the coach. They will most likely request one anyway. Obviously you will want the video to show how good you are so carefully select one that is sure to impress. You need to sell yourself to the coach as he gets hundreds of letter from players wanting to join their tennis program.

 

Decide when you want to start – do you want to start in the spring or fall? This may also depend on when scholarships become available. It may also be affected by when you finish high school in your own country. Not all countries have the same school calendar when it comes to the USA.

 

Applying – prepare early. You must send in your applications early as you could miss out. Let the coach know about you well in advance as they have to plan their scholarship allocation. You may also be eligible for other funding, grants or scholarships.

 

Regular contact – have regular phone calls with your coach. Keep them up to date with your progress and be sure that all contracts and applications have been signed and finalised before you notify other schools that you will not be joining them.

 

Network – start to build relationships with other students at the school. A good place to start is with your future team members.

 

Your budget needs – make sure you are well funded so that you can buy the necessities when you arrive. As an international student you will likely travel light and will therefore need to buy bed sheets, pillows, clothes, microwaves, books, furniture etc. to furnish your dorm room or apartment.

 

As you see, there is more to college than just accepting any offer or attending a school and hoping that it works out. After playing and coaching at the college level I have seen many tennis players go to college with excitement and energy only to become discouraged due to being unprepared.

 

Please download and read the College Help Guide eBooks which are an extremely comprehensive guide to anyone wishing to go to college in the USA.

Good luck to those players are looking to play at a college in the USA!

By David Horne