International students-athletes may have a hard time explaining themselves in a different language within a different culture. From my personal experience, going to a Junior College was the best decision that I made as an international student-athlete. It is a complicated process until you get used to it, but it could ultimately benefit you as an athlete and help you adjust to a new environment. This was the perfect decision for me, but what should you, as an international student, consider when you're picking a school?

Related: Picking a School and Team You Love

So, if you are thinking about becoming an student-athlete in the United States, these were the most important aspects when I was deciding where to commit:

• Affordability
• Other International Student-Athletes
• Relationship support
• Climate
• Academics

Affordability
Many student-athletes worry about college affordability, however, contrary to popular belief, international students often receive great financial and athletic aid from their institutions. 

Related: 3 Main Factors to Consider When Choosing a College

Do They Recruit Other International Student-Athletes?
While I was in Junior College, there were around 10 international student-athletes from different countries: Spain, Japan, Brazil, Sweden, etc. Having a community of other students like myself made my transition much easier, because I was not the only one going through the same struggles of adaptation. It is helpful to integrate yourself with your teammates, and not just in sports, but in school too. 

I remember my first class where I could not understand anything! I would look at my japanese teammate like “do you understand something?” And she would never understand me nor the professor, which was kind of funny. At the end of the day, this is a process. She and I ended up developing a friendship and began doing homework together and supporting one another. So, when considering your next home away from home, you should have an idea of how many international students make up the population in your potential institution.

Related: 5 Culture Shock Tips for International Student-Athletes

Relationship Support
Professors truly care about you as an individual, and will do whatever they can to help you succeed, because they understand you are going through a long, strenuous process! The faculty, staff, and teammates will really make or break your college experience. Something I told my teammates on senior day was that I would probably not remember who scored the last goal in the season, or any score, but I would always remember the memories with each one of them. This is why I think that relationship support is so important. Your team will become your family away from home! They will be the only people you are going to have there, so it's important to have teammates you can rely on. Utilize the small student populations at the Junior Colleges to your networking advantage!

Related: 5 Ways to Maintain a Social Life as a College Athlete

Climate
Some people are very specific with the locations and climates they're willing to live in. So, if you are from a country with a warm climate, you might not want to come to New Hampshire! If you are used to living in a city, you may do well in places like New York or Boston. Other people do well adjusting to any environment, so they have the flexibility to go wherever they get an offer. I had some Brazilians on my team, and they were going crazy with the cold. One of them said something like: “Coach did not tell me anything about how bad the weather is here before committing!” This was an ongoing joke. 

Academics
Since classes, in my experience, tend to be easier at smaller schools because you can interact more with the professors, international student-athletes should consider this. In my experience, it also helped me to get used to the competition and the leagues in the US. The conferences and leagues in the United States are much different than those in countries like Spain or Brazil. So it taught me how to compete, be successful in school, learn the language, and then follow my dream, which was transferring to a DI school.

Some academic requirements to be aware of are listed below: 

• High school transcripts
• GPA
• SAT
• TOEFL 
• Other standardized exams

If you are trying to attend a university, you should have taken these exams in order to be accepted by the school. However, to go to a Junior College, you will likely not need any of the exams. For most Junior Colleges, you will only have to pass an interview to be accepted. 

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an important indicator that you will be able to communicate once you're in the states. If you know English, it could open you up to a wider variety of schools to attend.

If you are reading this article, it is because you are looking for some information before you commit to any school. One piece of advice that I would give you is to not be scared about making any decision. Wherever you go, you are going to learn. The toughest moments are where I learned the most. Something that I have brought with me throughout my whole journey is this quote from my coach: “We do not lose, we learn, so we are always winning and progressing.”

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* Originally published on February 16, 2022, by Gema Fernandez