What is Junior College?
When talking about attending college in America, Junior College isn’t the first thing that usually comes to mind. Not many people know much about it, but it can actually be a great option for athletes who are looking for a different route into the top NCAA schools.
So, what is Junior College?
Junior College, also known as Community College, is a 2-year programme where you will study an associate degree. At the end of the 2 years, you will transfer to a NCAA or NAIA school where you will complete the final 2 years of your degree. In most cases, you will be recruited directly by the college coach. For those who haven’t been recruited, College Sports America offer a transfer service to help with this process.
What is an associates degree?
An associate degree is the first part required for your bachelor’s degree and is broken down into 2 aspects, your core classes and your electives. Core classes are mandatory and include subjects such as English, Maths and Social Sciences. Electives are classes that you pick once you get to college, usually with an advisor who will ask you what you want to study. For example, if you want to study business, they will put you in the appropriate electives such as finance, further maths or economics.
After completing your associates degree, you will then move onto a university where you will complete the final 2 years of your degree.
Why would I go to a Junior College?
There are 2 main reasons that an athlete would go to a junior college. The first is if they are ineligible to go to university with their academic results. Junior Colleges often have lower grade requirements to qualify, therefore can be a good option for anyone who didn’t get the grades they expected in their exams.
If we see an athlete with potential to go to a big division 1 school but don’t quite have the tournament results needed yet, we would recommend going to a junior college to develop their athletics. The results gained during the athletes time there will really help to be recruited by a University in 2 years time.
Coaches tend to recruit their international players from junior colleges as they will have already proved that they are able to move away from home, put in good results and keep up with their academics.
What are the benefits?
In junior College, the campus and classes are a lot smaller. This creates a closer-knit community, perfect for those who have never lived away from home before.
For those athletes with a smaller budget, it can also be a great option. If you improve your playing throughout your time there, it will open up bigger scholarship opportunities from universities. Want to know more about Juco? Check out the NJCAA website here.
If you’re considering attending Junior College or University in America, or would just like some more information, please contact us here.