Combining university and sport is one of the biggest challenges that young athletes in Europe face. And in many cases, school becomes why students are forced to quit their sport – something they love and that makes them happy. However, studying in the U.S. may solve this dilemma and can extend athletes’ careers. Did you find yourself in this position and would like to attend HPU as a student-athlete? If yes, here are 5 things you should know before you make your decision!
1. Travel length and expense
The first thing I need to mention is how much time you spend in the air before you get here. For Europeans, it takes more than 20 hours to get to Daniel K. Inouye Airport, which is on the island of Oahu. And since everyone flies back home for Christmas, the most important holiday for Europeans, you will have to go through this 4 times in 1 school year. I know many people who are not huge fans of flying and this was one of the reasons why they decided to attend school on the east coast instead. But trust me, the travel is worth it!
2. Different lifestyle
You might already know how college in the U.S. works, there is usually a big campus where you live, eat, study, and practice so you do not need to leave the university, which can get boring after a while. Hawaii Pacific University is different! HPU has three campuses located pretty close to each other so your classes can be in any of them. HPU offers housing at multiple places in Honolulu but I prefer renting an apartment with my teammates – it is cheaper and gives you more freedom. Then, you can get to multiple locations each day so you will never get homesick, which is often a challenge for students at college.
3. Lots of traveling and many matches in a row
For the sport, regardless of what sport you do, you will be traveling a lot. Most of the games and matches are played on the mainland, especially in California. Also, the trips are usually longer than a week so you need to stay in touch with your professors and stay on track of school between games. Being able to quickly get used to new conditions is also important for performing and can become a mental challenge for some athletes who are used to certain conditions and refuse to adjust. On the other hand, you get to see so many places during the trips. In my 4 years at HPU, I have visited places like San Diego, Holywood, Sedona, Grand Canyon, and many more. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the island lifestyle and also see other beautiful places on the mainland.
4. Great sports community
Something that I like about being a student-athlete here in Hawaii is the community. Since the island of Oahu is pretty small compared to the other states, people will remember your face pretty quickly. Here are not so many professional or semi-professional athletes so you will be known in the community and if you treat the people with respect, they will be more than happy to come and support you for your games. For the team environment, I love the aloha spirit we keep within the team. Everyone treats each other with respect and some rules need to be followed every time. This usually creates great team spirit which is one of our biggest weapons in the toughest matches. Our Ohana!
5. Hawaii is not a cheap place to live
The last thing I need to mention is the prices. Hawaii is indeed the most expensive place to live in the U.S. That being said, do not expect to live here with a couple of dollars a month. There are opportunities to work for HPU since they offer on-campus jobs every year. So if there is a will, there is a way!
These are the 5 most important facts that every European student-athlete should take into consideration before making their decision to come to HPU or not.
I wish you good luck on your journey!
