What is... a 'Semester'?

As a potential University or College student-athlete in the USA you will want to know how the Academic year is set out, when you will have classes and when your holidays are! In the USA the Academic blocks are usually called Semesters.

So, what is a Semester? It's basically what we would know as a term in the UK. A semester is the period of time when the University is open for classes and educational activities. Most institutions will use the semester system, breaking the year into 3 blocks; Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer Semester. Typically students will be present for Fall and Spring, and the Summer semester is optional, and of course within the semester's there are breaks or holiday periods, such as Thanksgiving and Spring break, which you may have heard of!

There are some school's which use a quarter system, however. This means that they break the Academic year into 4 blocks, rather than 3, but often the Academic year will be roughly around the same period as a school on a semester system.

As an International student-athlete, it's important to know the dates when you will be competing and the dates when you have breaks so that you can plan any trips home or holidays. For Soccer player's, the competitive season is played in the Fall semester and friendly matches are played in the Spring semester.

As part of our US Scholarship Assistance we help our clients make the best decision for them when choosing a University or College. The USA has thousands of different options when it comes to higher education and we ensure that as our client you will be informed and have the support necessary to decide on the best place to take your next step in education and Football.

To find out more about how we can help you with a US Soccer Scholarship reach out to us here to see how we can help make your US College dream a reality!