Gap has just launched an All-American Style collection, celebrating US talent and varsity styles. In line with this, new data reveals the UK university where students are most likely to enjoy an American college experience.
The research explored a variety of factors that are traditionally perceived as encompassing the college experience in the USA. These factors included:
- The popularity of each university’s cheerleading squad, based on Instagram follows
- The popularity of each university’s American football team, based on Instagram follows
- The number of American restaurants in the vicinity of each main campus, according to JustEat
- Google searches for varsity clothing terms per capita, demonstrating the college spirit in each university city
- Google searches for traditional American holidays per capita in each university city.
While all Universities showed some American enthusiasm, students at Chichester University were more likely to celebrate the culture of our friends across the pond. The university in South East England achieved a final score of 58, the highest when compared to the top 59 universities according to the Guardian’s 2022 ranking table. Chichester’s American success can be attributed to the high volume of Google searches per capita for varsity clothing and American holidays.
Chichester University was followed by Durham University and Loughborough University as the second and third most American universities in the UK. They achieved a final score of 50 and 43 respectively.
Meanwhile, Bristol University demonstrated the most support for its American football team with a total of 2,332 followers on its society’s Instagram page. Nottingham supported its cheer squad the most, with 2,077 followers on their society’s Instagram page. The London School of Economics also enjoyed the largest number of American eateries within the vicinity of the main campus.
Each university has some level of the American college experience embedded into its campus, surrounding eateries, or students’ appetite for an authentic US experience, but the likes of Nottingham, Durham, and Loughborough are leading the way – and others are sure to follow.
Varsity sweatshirts and hoodies help students feel like a community in American colleges, showing support for their school, state, and sports team. With the growing popularity of these wardrobe essentials, it’s also interesting to see how the American spirit is influencing universities in the UK. Embracing sports teams and cheer squads, as well as enjoying American holidays and cuisine, demonstrates the bold enthusiasm that would help any American feel at home in the UK.
We’re seeing varsity hoodies skyrocket in popularity on these campuses, reflecting a growing trend across the UK. The American college experience has so many aspects that are being embedded across universities across the country, all of which boil down to positivity and togetherness.
Universities are about community, and the rise of American-style varsity clothing demonstrates a huge appeal to this ethos.