NHEHS has a strong record of supporting students with international applications, with alumnae currently studying at Caltech, Cornell and the University of Michigan in the USA, at McGill in Canada, and at both Trinity and University Colleges in Dublin. So we were delighted to welcome Rob Thomas from Sporting Elite USA to school on 25th September. The talk was open to any student from Year 9 or above (and their parents) who might be considering this pathway and provided an invaluable opportunity to hear more about the sports routes to further education at American colleges.

Sporting routes can support an application to study all sorts of majors and disciplines in the United States. We have two alumnae currently studying Engineering at Caltech and the University of Michigan who are partially or fully funded through their sports commitments in waterpolo and rowing. In addition, field hockey is a big sport in women’s college sports with a lot of funding attached to it, so competitive players may want to consider finding out more about the potential from this route to exceptional higher education in the USA.

Rob shared his experience of supporting families with applications through a number of different sports, explaining the process (including minimum GCSE and A Level requirements), what a sports scholarship could include, how good you have to be for different sports and universities as well as meeting our families and students to establish next steps.

He outlined the benefits of studying in the US, highlighting some incredible stats relating to sport:

Stanford would have finished 8th in the 2015 Rio Olympics medal table (27 medals)

21 colleges have football stadiums with a capacity greater than Manchester United’s Old Trafford

Spending on athletic scholarships across US universities totals over US$53,000,000,000

Rob also cleared up some myths on what applying through a sports route does and does not mean: there is generous scholarship funding available, there are coach supported applications for selective universities as well as ‘walk on’ applications. However, academics do not take a backseat, you do not have to do a sports related degree or go to a less academic university and your goals do not have to be a professional athlete. He covered the advantages of applying to an Ivy League/DIII University via the sports scholarship route, while advising students about the Ivy League universities which cannot offer sports scholarships. In all cases, Rob advised students to start the process as early as possible.

For students considering applying to international universities, we would also recommend these upcoming events:

USA College Day 2024 – Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September

We would advise all families considering the American pathway to attend the Fulbright Commission’s College Day fair at the ILEC conference centre on Lillie Road, SW6. Run with EducationUSA, there will be over 100 American colleges represented. It is a really helpful way of familiarising yourselves with the options, and making connections with the college representatives in London. Tickets are free and can be booked here: USA College Day 2024 | Fulbright

American and International Universities Information Evening – Wednesday 6th November

Jason Smith from UES Education will join us once again to share his expertise. This event is open to parents and girls from any year group in the Senior School, with particular focus on Years 9-12. This is always an incredibly informative talk. Jason also visits twice a year for 1:1 guidance sessions with our candidates to help build their shortlists.