Daily training and competition planning are of course strongly dependent on the philosophy of the respective college coach. It is important to discuss the training philosophy and scope in the preliminary talks with the coaches before deciding on a university. The fact is, however, that training takes up a large part of everyday life and reaches almost professional proportions.

Athletic scholarships are usually awarded for one year and not for the full duration of studies. This is favorable for the athlete in that he does not have to commit himself for four years and can change universities or return to his home country if necessary. At the same time, however, this also means that if the performance or commitment is not right, the scholarship is not always extended. However, coaches are not interested in signing new athletes every year, but rather prefer to build them up over several years.