u/To-become

Hi all,

I’m a parent from the UK trying to help my daughter make a decision about swimming and studying in the US this year, and I’d really appreciate some honest outside opinions from people who understand NCAA swimming and college life.

She is a high-level competitive swimmer in the UK (on a national performance pathway level) and is currently being recruited by several US universities. She also wants to study Economics.

At the moment, we are considering the following full scholarship offers / strong interest:

·         University of Minnesota

·         Florida Southern College

·         University of the Incarnate Word (UIW)

·         University of Indianapolis

Her priorities are:

·         Competing at the highest possible swimming level and improving towards international standard

·         Studying Economics

·         Good team culture and coaching environment

·         A positive lifestyle adjustment from the UK (weather, campus life, etc.)

·         A university where she will develop rather than just “survive” as an athlete

We are trying to understand:

·         Relative strength of these swim programmes (D1 vs D2 but also actual performance levels)

·         Quality of coaching environments

·         Campus life / safety / culture for international students

·         Weather and general lifestyle differences (north vs south US)

·         Long-term development potential vs immediate competition level

We are slightly torn between:

• A more elite D1 environment (Minnesota / UIW) vs
• A potentially better development and lifestyle fit (Florida Southern / others)

We are also trying to balance a few concerns and preferences:

·         Minnesota is extremely strong from a swimming perspective, but we are slightly concerned about the very cold climate and whether that would affect long-term happiness and adjustment from the UK

·         We like the idea of a southern US lifestyle and warmer weather, but we are unsure whether some of the D2 programmes may be strong enough from a performance and development standpoint for her level

·         Ultimately we are trying to find the right balance between elite competition, development, and overall wellbeing

Any honest experiences or insights from swimmers, parents, or students would be massively appreciated — especially anything you wish you had known before committing.

Thanks in advance.