Almi Nerurkar, a graduate student athlete at Georgetown University, writes about her experiences of college life in the US and how it contrasts with the approach taken in Britain.
In the United States of America, sports function not only as entertainment, but as a powerful arena for storytelling. From the electrifying arena of the Super Bowl and its million-dollar commercials to the frenzy of media attention surrounding the halftime show, sports embody a distinctly American story. It sells a dream deeply connected to national identity, built on hard work, competition, exclusivity and consumerism. This broader story permeates the college system. Often seen as a bridge to the professional world, college sports demonstrate how education meets enterprise, competition meets community, and performance defines identity.
After completing my undergraduate degree in the UK, I decided that I wanted to play college sports in the US. I had never been there before, but some of my friends from the UK had gone to the US on a full sports scholarship. They told me about the atmosphere of football matches in huge stadiums. large amount of food in student canteens; high efficiency size objects. support staff; luxury hotel stays around competitions. How could I say no?
Making a choice
From about the age of 16, I was contacted by various US college coaches, first with offers for undergraduate graduate programs and later graduate programs. It was interesting, but there are over 1,200 schools in the NCAA spread across all 50 states. Where should I start looking?
Some people make their choice based on the academic program, others based on the coach, facilities or team heritage. For some, the decision is based on family ties and reputation; factors that, to my surprise, seemed more important than I had imagined.
What little I had heard about sports in American colleges painted a worrisome picture; many coaches saw their athletes more as numbers than as individuals and treated them accordingly. I’ve heard stories of girls hitting the ground running, health issues completely ignored for short-term success. This was something I was determined to avoid. Choosing a sports program with a supportive coach was my priority.
As I was coming from the UK I decided to narrow down my options to the east coast which would ease the travel and time differences. I contacted a family friend in Boston who knew about different programs (and coaches) on that side of the country. With his help, I chose Georgetown in Washington, DC, Duke in North Carolina, and Boston College. I sent the coaches details of my running results, asking if they would consider putting me on a full scholarship. Again, this process is different for everyone. Some athletes go through agencies, while others are scouted directly.
Then came the recruiting calls, document submissions, campus visits, academic review and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility checks… the length of the process only speaks to the professional and often high-pressure nature of joining a US college sports team.
Sailing in another world
The professional environment of college sport in the US stands in stark contrast to university sport in the UK, which is seen by many as a pastime, a welcome distraction from studies and a place to meet other students or try something new. In the US, sports are deeply embedded in the university experience. It promotes the reputation of the institution, attracts prospective students, engages alumni and can generate significant funding.
Collegiate athletics are governed by the NCAA, which regulates everything from athlete eligibility and earning potential to practice schedules and academic commitments. While the system is structured and professional, offering support and clear pathways for student-athletes, it also applies relentless pressure both academically and athletically.
I started at Georgetown in August 2024 and, on the track and field team, we are fortunate to be led by a thoughtful and compassionate coach. As the mentor of one of the nation’s top cross-country teams, he still has to navigate the demands of competitive college sports, but there’s also a real sense of community that encourages teamwork and fosters life skills like leadership, confidence and resilience. Through a shared passion for running, we not only train fitness, but also learn discipline and self-worth.
In addition to all this, there is still a perception that sport brings with it prestige. Simply calling yourself a “student-athlete” gives you a sense of superiority. In fact, a common nickname for non-athletes among student-athletes is NARP (non-athletic regular person). “Media Day,” the beginning of the season with hours dedicated to our team’s uniform photo shoot, is a big date on the calendar.
For many young American athletes, college sports are considered the pinnacle of their careers. Sports act as a gateway to attending their dream university, and then academic success becomes just as important as track success. However, for many of my British friends attending American colleges, competing in the NCAA is seen as a stepping stone to a professional athletics career. It is a way to be part of a professional set-up and also serves as a developmental stage in their sporting career.
The age at which you join the team also affects your relationship. As an undergraduate, you likely start out with a vision of student life, spending your mornings on the sports field, your weekends at competitions and parties, and your evenings sharing meals in the dining hall. You start and end each day together, sharing the same feelings of exhaustion and the same sense of purpose. Your teammates are your community.
Master’s students come with a different vision. their time on the team is limited and their sense of self is more developed. When it works, this can bring dynamic energy to the team, with new members bringing broader perspectives and a sense of balance to a community that can easily become all-consuming. With each new incoming class, the Georgetown team naturally evolves, making change inevitable and limiting the creation of rigid hierarchies.
Autonomy v Accountability
Arriving with no prior experience of American college sports, I initially struggled to understand the expectations, social codes, and dynamics of the team. In many ways, I felt like a freshman, getting lost in unfamiliar hallways, juggling classes, training and traveling, meeting new faces every day. Actually, I was the oldest member of the team. Having traveled a lot in my youth, I joined the team with my many experiences.
To add to that, the existing communities I was a part of before were structured differently than the community I was joining. The group I was part of as an undergraduate at Leeds, for example, was one of the few communities I felt a part of; Sports were less consuming at university and so were my relationships. We met three times a week as a large group, and outside of that training and social gatherings were self-directed. I got used to the feeling of autonomy.
Here, the commercial and professional side of sport means there is funding for a more structured approach. We have a better support system, and therefore more people to whom we are accountable. Motivation is less directed and you learn more from your teammates than from your own mistakes.
Unlike in Great Britain, where athletes individually decide which races are best for them, here everyone follows the same schedule: around five cross-country races in the fall, five indoor races in the winter and five to six outdoor races in the spring. However, depending on the size of the team and the amount of funding they have, not everyone on the team is given the opportunity to race.
As the season goes on, the rosters become more selective as the competition only allows seven athletes to compete. On our team of about 25 girls at Georgetown, team priorities go beyond performance and value is also placed on other roles such as organizing social events, race day support and helping the coach communicate training plans. Engagement goes beyond performance, it encompasses lifestyle and identity.
The expectation is always to make connections with others, placing a high value on relationships with other members of your team. This was a new perspective for me and I admire it in many ways. It reflects an attitude of being friendly and engaging, maintaining high standards, and making everything, including human connection, an organized collaboration. For a society that prides itself on the pursuit of individual freedom, there is a strong emphasis on teamwork.
Identity and Community
Universities act as anchors of identity and community. From the uniforms people wear, the lifelong connections alumni make, and the dedication to college sports, the walls beat with pride and passion. However, sport is not immune to the pressures that are felt more widely in the whole society. where ambition and the relentless pursuit of success can be contrasted with consumerism and a “win at all costs” mentality. In such circumstances, we can see the emergence of stories like that of Mary Kane, once one of America’s most promising young runners, who spoke out about the harmful effects of an entirely performance-based system that eventually led to her leaving the sport.
During my time at Georgetown, I have felt fortunate to participate in a sport that is not trapped in a culture driven by financial goals. I appreciated our coach’s personal approach to consider individual needs while still trying to develop a strong sense of team. I also discussed how my past experiences made me more aware of how easily athletes can succumb to the pressures of work and profit.
I am grateful for what the sport has already given me. a sense of structure to my routine and a sense of purpose in my participation. It has also given me intense moments of connection with both the people I train with and those around me. In the US collegiate system, I have come to appreciate a new type of community around sports that is exceptionally powerful when we play our sports together. We compete with and against each other, celebrating our collective and personal victories. I feel excited, not stressed; the weight of pressure is lighter when it is shared.
