How To Apply
THE SAT TEST
The SAT is an entrance exam used by many US colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. It’s created and administered by the College Board and since 2023 it has been fully digital — you take it on a laptop or tablet at a test centre using the College Board’s “Bluebook” app. The test lasts about 2 hours 14 minutes, covers Reading & Writing and Maths, and is scored out of 1600. It’s adaptive, meaning the difficulty of the second half of each section adjusts based on how you do in the first half.
The purpose of the SAT is to measure a student’s readiness for college and give admissions officers one common data point to compare applicants. How much weight it carries varies a lot between schools these days — many US colleges have gone “test-optional” since the pandemic, and the NCAA no longer requires an SAT or ACT score for initial eligibility. However, some selective universities have brought the requirement back, and a good score will always strengthen your application and can help unlock academic scholarship money. There are two accepted tests — the SAT and the ACT — but the SAT is by far the easier one to sit in the UK.
To learn more, register for free with the College Board using the links below. The College Board website lists UK test dates (usually every 2–3 months). For students testing outside the USA the fee is $111 ($68 registration plus a $43 international fee), and the test is taken at one of several centres around the UK.
CREATE A SHOWREEL / COLLECT VIDEO CLIPS
One of the best ways to showcase your talent to coaches in the US is to put together a showreel. This will take you time, so start immediately.
Gather any existing footage and get friends and family to film you at matches on a digital camcorder or mobile phone. I used to set up a gopro (widescreen) on a tripod behind the goal and let it run all match. If your club records games (e.g. on Veo or similar), ask them for access to the footage. Edit any pieces of video showing you at your best showcasing different aspects to your game. Although phone video is good quality, having a good optical zoom on a camcorder can make all the difference. Put all these together using video editing software and upload them you Youtube (or a similar site) you can then send the links to prospective colleges.
DO SOME RESEARCH.
Narrow down areas you might like to go to. Look at some of the following; Climate – there are major differences in climate across the USA. Flights – you will probably be making 2 return flights per year and these can be costly so in order to help you budget, look up flight costs (Flight out at the start of August and return mid December – Out again end of January and return mid June. Look at the local area around campus, is it a nice place to be? Cost and location of housing etc. If a particular college catches your eye, look at the courses they offer, campus life, areas nearby, their soccer team and coaching staff. It will be your home for 2 to 4 years so you need to be sure.
Contact Colleges.
Once you have a showreel and have decided on what type of college you would like to go to, write an email template about yourself, your football, your education and your college aspirations. Then add a section at the end of each saying why you would like to go to the college you are sending it to. Include a link to your showreel and send it off. Repeat for as many colleges as you are interested in.
Junior Colleges (2 year schools) play in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association), which has 24 regions across the country and three divisions. 4 Year Schools play in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Division 1 schools compete nationally, while Division 2 and Division 3 schools are grouped into regions for rankings and championship selection.
IF THIS LOOKS TOO DAUNTING…TRY THE PROFESSIONALS
There are a lot of companies out there who specialise in US scholarships, there are pros and cons to this.
NOTE: I am not recommending which route you go down and I cannot recommend a particular firm, but there are some links at the bottom of this section. There are many others out there, remember Google is your friend and don’t part with any money until you have checked them out properly.
On the Pro side, these companies have contacts in colleges in the USA, they will edit your showreel for you, they set up a couple of trial days in the UK with US coaches and they manage all the responses from colleges. Some also have a summer camp before you go (This costs extra),
The cons are; they cost between £1500 and £3000.