Making the decision to go to college, away from friends, family and the certainty of local universities can be difficult. But the only thing harder than taking that step is giving up the precious opportunity of travel, study and sport overseas, looking back and regretting not giving it a shot.
Brett Slaughter, former Australian NCAA Div 1 St Leo’s college basketball player chose the collegiate pathway after several years playing at the Australian Institute of Sport and also with state representative teams. With many promising offers in Australia, Brett felt the US offered the development he needed to grow from his junior playing career, into a more sophisticated and accomplished player. Having been on several basketball tours of the US, Brett liked the idea of
“combining school with training, which US colleges do better than anyone in the world.”
Receiving a scholarship to St Leo’s College in Tampa, Florida a NCAA Div 1 school was a huge achievement for Brett. However, you don’t necessarily have to be the same calibre of player to receive offers or opportunities that are of equal footing in colleges across the US. With college opportunities in every one of America’s 52 states, Brett’s advice to any young athlete of any academic or sporting ability going over to America is research, knowledge is power so
“knowing the area you are in is a huge factor when it comes to managing expectations and ensuring you are able to get the most out of your college experience.”
As a student athlete, one of the huge benefits of the US college system which attracts students from across the world is their flexibility. Australian student’s often have a lot of pressure going to university and choosing their major or what they want to study right away. In America, you don’t have to choose your major until the second year of study or later, when you have completed your core subjects which can be chosen from a wide variety of fields.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left high school except play basketball, the way they do it over there I didn’t have the immediate pressure of what am I going to do with my life!”
Completing a Bachelor of Business and now running several successful hospitality venues, Brett certainly gained an exceptional education whilst being able to play basketball in front of thousands of fans. Colleges make a point of not treating student athletes any differently from other students. “there was no, it will be okay, don’t worry about that,” Brett said.
During his time at St Leo’s, it was often common practice for coaches to implement their own rules and regulations which set the standard of academics above the required GPA set by their collegiate system. But apart from education, college provides you with invaluable contacts
“I am a big believer in its not what you know it’s who you know, and I lived like that in America and found myself in some amazing situations, which definitely contributed to my successes today. College also had a massive effect on my personal confidence and now being in hospitality, my experiences have been invaluable. In my line of work talking to people and having confidence on the floor you are always on show and college life gave me a great set of skills to deal with this.”
You will be hard pressed to find any student who has made the trip over to college with an open mind and can do attitude who hasn’t come back raving about their time overseas, the friends they made and opportunities which that came their way. However on the flip side like all good things, they come to an end, and without the proper planning you can be left feeling a deflated when it ends. When I was over there I did a really good job of living in the moment”, said Brett.
However, making the transition back to ‘reality’ after college can be daunting as Brett found out. Having regretted not going over to Europe to pursue opportunities it was hard coming home without the structure of college life. “The highs of playing in front of big crowds, being in a team, sharing common goals and getting that buzz of hitting a big shot or running out on the court in front of a big crowd can’t be replaced.”
Athletes coming home can find it hard to transition, much like professional athletes when they retire the come down can be hard. Brett’s advice is to plan ahead, have direction and structure in place for when you leave, as fun as it is to live in the moment, you need to open yourself up to opportunities that present themselves post college.
“I made the most of my time over there and didn’t realise what was coming for me, it snuck up on me.”
Whilst all student athletes experiences differ at college, depending on the sport you play, the college you go to or the location, you are guaranteed a amazing opportunity if you
“embrace the experience! I look back on my time and know I did that,”
“There were no stones left unturned over there,” said Brett. Sure there will be tough times, you will get home sick, miss family and friends birthdays. But the gains significantly outweigh any of this, you are guaranteed to live with one less regret should you make the decision to go overseas and give it a shot.” Certainly for the rest of us who don’t have the same opportunities you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t think it was pretty special.