My daughter is a 2nd (soon to be 3rd) Dan black belt in Taekwondo and a sophomore in high school. She competes nationally and internationally and would like to continue to do so in college. Any suggestions about colleges with very active TKD programs? Many have club teams, but often are purely recreational and not competitive. She has looked at Stanford, Michigan, Cornell, U Miami, Penn State programs. Anyone with personal experience with these or other active school teams? - thanks!
If she is that competitive, she’ll probably have to find a martial arts school that isn’t a part of her university - very few will have competitive TKD. Unless her school is in the middle of nowhere she should have plenty of options, though. I recently started TKD and drive about 30 minutes off campus for it, and it’s really not bad. I have two friends that attend as well so we take turns driving. The student rec center has a martial arts studio so we have a place to practice on the days we can’t make the drive, which is super helpful. I’m sure your daughter could find someone to carpool with too if she needs to go off campus.
So, in short, I wouldn’t try too hard to find a school with a competitive TKD program, there probably aren’t many. Instead, look for schools that fit other needs (major, cost, etc). Then look and see if there are non-university-affilitated martial arts schools nearby, and a nice fitness center with martial arts space on campus. This might be slightly less convenient since its not on campus, but will probably provide a better overall experience closer to what she wants.
Thank you bailey for your kind and helpful reply. I think you are right on. Although I do know that there are competitive programs in college and I’m surprised that no others have responded.
I went to Cornell in the 80’s and studied TKD with Mr. Han Cho when he was just starting his school there. It’s still going strong today and they do compete in the ECTC in sport TKD. Back in the 80’s it was a club sport rather than a varsity sport and I believe that is still the case, but they had a great group of people and Mr. Cho is a great teacher. I’m not sure if the level of competition there is as high as what your daughter is looking for though…I’ve been out of the sport for many years.
If you want to see the website for the club look up C.W. Tae Kwon Do on Triphammer Rd. in Ithaca.
Many thanks mdcmom!
My daughter competes on the Penn State TKD team. They compete in the East Coast Taekwondo Conference which includes all the schools you mentioned except Miami. Usually they compete at Cornell, Brown, MIT, and just did the Princeton tournament yesterday. She loves it for the sport as well as the people. A really nice, balanced, respectful, and fun group of men and women. TKD can be a very individual sport, so it’s very fun at the collegiate level to compete and advance as a team! They practice about 10+ hours a week, and have social events and fundraising events as well. It has been a great outlet for her and she enjoys it 100%. Happy to answer any questions your student may have or if you are coming to PSU for a visit, my daughter would be happy to give you a tour or bring your student to a practice anytime.
@naptownnittany thanks for your message. Unfortunately, she did not apply to Penn State, which might have been a good option for her. Waiting to hear from some other schools in the East Coast TKD Conference. We’ll see where it all lands. thanks!
I am so glad I saw this thread! I didn’t realize that competitive tae kwon do existed. My son is a junior and is looking at colleges, although he is looking at schools a couple of notches below those listed. He should get his second dan this summer. He competes nationally at breaking, and enjoys being a part of a demo team. Now I just need to find a school with good computer science programs for a B+ student and at least a club tkd program in a cold climate (he is a skier too)!
@Tyberius - you may want to check out UCONN.
@ProudDad26 I am the head coach for the University of Michigan Taekwondo team. What you have seen above is fairly accurate. The right fit is different for every student. The ECTC is a very strong league, although mainly comprised of club teams, this is really the nature of collegiate taekwondo. I am not aware of any USA University’s that have varsity level programs. I would be happy to discuss further with you what she is looking for in a program, and or answer any other questions that you may have.
I will tell you that it is common for athletes on a high level to take one of a few paths. Some find that the ECTC level competition is a nice balance of time demands of school, and a desire to continue competing. Many colleges, especially within the ECTC, will compete both within the league as well as at national, and should they qualify international level.
Others prefer to join an outside academy to train with, but will still compete, at least in part, with the university team as a way to compromise between a desire to make friends and teammates at the university, and a desire to train at a school focused on high level international competition.
Others still will choose to join an outside school and exclusively train and compete with that school.
The first two options have the added benefit of forming a bond with other gifted students who may later in life turn into useful business connections.
If you (or any others) have any questions regarding collegiate taekwondo please dont hesitate to reach out and I would be happy to help.
@UmichTKDCoach thanks for your message. In fact, my daughter will be attending UMICH this fall. She has been in touch with the UMICH TKD team president and I think she has spoken with you as well : )
She is really looking forward to starting at UMICH this fall and joining the TKD team! It is the perfect fit for her!
@ProudDad26 I’m glad to hear it. I look forward to meeting her. She is welcome to attend practice with us if she likes when she comes for orientation, or we will see her this fall. If either of you have any questions about campus, student life, or the club before she arrives please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or any of the officers. Go Blue!