Before deciding for Rhodes College, Alvaro Siu (Tennis player from Perú) had to choose between 10 different scholarship offers, adding up more than 1.5 Million Dollars. Oh! by the way, from Division III universities.

Alvaro Siu burst with joy when he received his first scholarship offer, a dream come true for someone who, despite not having participated in international tournaments and not appearing in any ranking, had the confidence to move towards his goal: To study and play tennis at one of the best universities in the United States.

Alvaro's story brings tremendous satisfaction whenever we remember him, his recruiting "journey" alongside USP served a great purpose, to destroy almost every myth about college sports and scholarships out there.

When we started the process, Alvaro was very motivated and full of illusions but he was a little lost, he only had references from his friends and acquaintances, who had told him things like "without a ranking, you will not be recruited", "international students do not get scholarships" or our favorite: "Division 3 universities give ZERO scholarships".

With good planning, hard work, and a bold selection of universities, Alvaro got not one, not two, but 10 scholarship offers at Division 3 Universities, these offers add up over $ 1,500,000 (considering all four years) On average, Álvaro received offers for $ 37,000 per school year.

Certainly, Division 3 universities do not offer athletic scholarships, but that is the keyword "sports," yet many Division 3 universities offer extraordinary financial aid packages based on academic merits and financial need. Alvaro presented an extraordinary academic profile, he made a very assertive selection of universities, applied early, and overall he had a super valuable curriculum.

After an exhaustive comparison and visiting the campuses of the best options, Alvaro opted for Rhodes College, a top university that is ranked amongst the best 100 academic institutions in the country and where he is part of the tennis team.

Alvaro's story can be your story, the first thing is to identify what your best attributes are and make a selection of universities that maximize your chances of being recruited, getting admitted and receiving scholarship offers (millions of dollars if possible). Consider all the options at the beginning, do not discard anything because "someone told you it was not possible".

Shortly after this agreement, we interviewed Álvaro, here is our conversation:

USP: What was the main reason that motivated you to come to the United States as a student-athlete?

Alvaro Siu: I decided to go to the USA because I knew that there were good universities there. Some better than those of Peru. Also, from training partners and coaches, I learned that they gave scholarships for the best athletes. In the USA I will have an excellent education and the opportunity to grow in sports.

USP: What do you think of the recruitment process of a student-athlete in general, beyond the purely academic?

AS: The recruitment process is extensive. You have to be organized to accomplish many tasks. In reality, it starts much earlier with various factors that end up influencing. It depends on each student at what pace their process takes. It is definitely important to have help to facilitate and guide you during the process.

USP: What kind of help and/or advice did you use?

AS: When I decided to start, I had no starting point. The process is unusual in Peru, so I decided to seek specialized help to better inform myself and not to take false steps. After evaluating different counseling options, I opted to choose USP. The company helped me by giving me the steps to follow and solving my doubts at each stage of the process. From the collection of academic, sports, extracurricular information from previous years, passing the required exams, the vital process of selecting universities, to the guidelines for video, interviews, presentation of documents and culminating with financial negotiation once admitted, It was a process that led successfully and smoothly advised by USP.

My expectations were to be admitted to universities much better than those of Peru, paying amounts that are within my family's reach. With the help of USP and a lot of effort, the results were better than expected and far exceeded my expectations. I was admitted to more than 10 universities within the top 150 of the USA ranking. I managed to get a total of $ 1.5 million in scholarships.

USP: What was your reaction when you received the first acceptance and scholarship?

AS: I was really surprised. It came very quickly, it was a great financial help but I had to start earlier than planned. I decided not to accept because it was the first of many responses and because I was not interested in starting so soon. With that first offer, I realized that it was possible to get very good scholarships and that the possibility of attending an institution of my interest was real.

USP: Were you nervous about starting the conversation with the coaches? Were you interested in your tennis by not having a national or international record?

AS: I was a little nervous because I had never had an interview like that. Before that, I had a practice interview with a USP coach and it went well for me. I knew that the real interview would go well for me, but I was a little nervous because it was the first time. Everything went well and little by little I got used to having interviews almost every day. I was not surprised by his interest, I will not have the best ranking but I am aware of my abilities on and off the courts.

USP: If you could, what advice would you give to Álvaro Siu from the past? Would you change something?

AS: It would not change anything, I started the process at the right time. Some factors prior to starting the process also helped me. Maybe I would have wanted to improve the English part of my SAT a little but at the end of it, all the objectives were met.

USP: What mistake do you think other student-athletes from Peru and Latin America make and how could it be changed?

AS: The main problem is that the students do not know what opportunities there are. I learned about sports scholarships from older friends who were starting their recruitment processes, but this information does not reach most students. I do not think it is a mistake of the students, they do not have to know about all these options or that there are many funds destined for academic, sports, and, in some cases, financial need. There are many college options to choose from, it's a matter of informing students and parents of this opportunity.

If you want to start your journey in university recruitment with USP, start by opening your account at myUniversity, our online platform that will help you plan, select universities, and contact coaches. Go to universitysports.com/myuniversity