Hi from the UK (Wichita, Overland Park: appointed, transfer, school)

[Akbuk]

I hope I find you all well & hopefully I'm in the right place to make this post.

Next July time my Grandson will be heading from the UK to Kansas to go to a college there. He's currently at college here & he's also an academy footballer (soccer). From what I can can see, this "transfer" is being done via the academy here.
I've been on another site that covered New Jersey, mainly because that's where he was heading for at one time.
As the weeks & months passed he was getting other offers in from various colleges across America. The priority always being the education side of it for his parents, his priority has always been the soccer .

So that's why I'm here, looking to see what (if any) advice I can give him by picking your brains.

Oh my tag of Akbuk is a place my wife & I lived in for nine years before moving back to the UK.

[thriftylefty]

Do you know yet where in Kansas he might be attending?

[Akbuk]

I believe its a place called Pratt Community College.
In the next few weeks he'll be going to London to get his visa, he'll stand outside the US Embassy holding up a bit of paper & post it on FB for all the world to see. :-).

The way he & his parents have gone about it is a whole new world for me. I never went to College or Uni, in fact the day I left school fifteen years & nine months old, was the day I left home. Went off to become a chef, plenty of jobs going in those days. Finally binned the cooking game, years later I became a qualified plumber, then advanced to a gas engineer. I come from an era where the expectation was, get a job & pay your way.
By all accounts its a four year stint in the US but there'll be breaks & I myself will be disappointed if he doesnt take those breaks here............ but boy meets girl & everyone else becomes a by the way.
Nonetheless, I'm over the moon for the lad.

[Veritas Vincit]

Well it's probably not a four year stint in the U.S. at that college because that's a 2 year institution.

[thriftylefty]

He'll be having the quintessential Kansas experience in Pratt. Its quiet, large farms, right between Dodge City and Wichita.

[Okey Dokie]

Just to explain to the OP, “Community” or “Junior” colleges in the U.S. are two year institutions. They emphasize vocational programs and lower level academic courses which can then be transferred to a 4 year University in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree.

I agree with Thrifty….it will definitely be the ultimate “Kansas” experience!

[thriftylefty]

Take a peak at Pratt's men's Soccer Roster. I was in Liberal a few months ago and had to ask directions from a group of young men on the Community College Campus. (Seward County Community College) I detected a European accent from the group.
https://www.gobeaversports.com/sport...2023-24/roster

[Akbuk]

I thank you for the replies.
I'll get more info from my daughter on the 2/4 year issue. I'm starting to think, did she say two years there, then two years elsewhere? I do know that the expectation was, four years in the US.

As said, its all a bit of a learning curve for me.
The only advice I can give the lad at the moment is, if you move to another country, don't take your own country with you. I used to hear expats in Turkey say, "ah but in the UK........". My response would always be, "but you are not in the UK". Embrace the country you've moved to BUT never forget your own.

[bethereds82]

This college will be extremely rural, but it depends on what your grandson is used to in the UK. If he's from London or a larger city, Pratt may be a big adjustment for him.

I just checked their schedule and it appears that the largest city they'll travel to is Overland Park, KS. Overland Park is a great suburb of Kansas City, but beyond that he'll be traveling to small towns throughout Kansas and Oklahoma.

It'll definitely be an experience for him. He may like it, or he may hate it depending on what he's used to. There's not much to do around Pratt and it's a very long distance to travel to get to any large city. I believe Wichita would be the closest but to be honest Kansas City would be the much better option to travel to.

I hope this helps!

[Akbuk]

Originally Posted by bethereds82

This college will be extremely rural, but it depends on what your grandson is used to in the UK. If he's from London or a larger city, Pratt may be a big adjustment for him.

I just checked their schedule and it appears that the largest city they'll travel to is Overland Park, KS. Overland Park is a great suburb of Kansas City, but beyond that he'll be traveling to small towns throughout Kansas and Oklahoma.

It'll definitely be an experience for him. He may like it, or he may hate it depending on what he's used to. There's not much to do around Pratt and it's a very long distance to travel to get to any large city. I believe Wichita would be the closest but to be honest Kansas City would be the much better option to travel to.

I hope this helps!

That my friend is a great post & the type of info I can relay to my daughter.
I want to get involved but not interfere (if you know what I mean). I’m still on the same planet as my daughter, we’re close and listen to each other. My Grandson on the other hand, there’s over a 60 years age difference.
Anyway, I’m going to pick through your post now.