College Admissions Process — College-Bound Student Athletes

Timeline for Athletes Looking to Play College Athletics  

Freshman and Sophomores:

1. Strive for a strong academic record. This will allow you to have many more college options if you choose to pursue athletics in college.
2. Play any and all sports you have an interest in, so that you can keep your options open as to which sport you would like to pursue in college.
3. Inform your coach and your guidance counselor that you may be interested in playing sports in college.
4. Attend one or more sport specific camps to improve your skills. (Talk to your coach about the camps that would be best for you.)
5. Begin to record your athletic information such as awards, achievements, and statistics.

Juniors:

In addition to the above:

1. In the fall, register with the NCAA eligibility clearinghouse (NCAAclearinghouse.net)
2. Send a preliminary introduction letter to college coaches in the summer before your junior year, including school sports schedules.
3. Send an athletic resume to college coaches
4. Send coaches at colleges of interest updated information throughout the year.
5. Continue to participate in school athletics and outside leagues and tournaments. You should email coaches to inform them that you will be participating in a tournament.
6. Discuss with your coach whether or not you should compile videotape, including a clip from a game or highlights of your season (include your jersey number).
7. Call the college coach to make an appointment to meet with him/her if you are going to visit and interview at the college. Coaches cannot return your call before July 1.

Seniors:

1. If you didn’t already, register with the NCAA eligibility clearinghouse (NCAAclearinghouse.net)
2. In the summer before your senior year, you should send an updated athletic resume to the coaches at the colleges you are interested in attending.
3. Set up official and unofficial visits with college coaches. Continue to be in contact with college coaches to inform them of upcoming sporting events.

I. Questions to Consider  

There are a lot of factors that need to be considered when a student is thinking about playing sports in college. Some of the questions athletes need to ask of themselves are:

1. Am I passionate about playing sports?
2. Am I physically and mentally capable of playing at a higher level?
3. How much time am I willing to commit to this sport each day?
4. Do I want to play more than one sport in college?
5. At what level would I like to play? (Division I, II, III, etc.)

II. Myths and Facts of College Athletics

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) about one billion dollars worth of scholarships are awarded to around 126,000 student-athletes every year. Getting an athletic scholarship is challenging, but you can make it easier on yourself by learning the facts and making a game plan. You don’t have to be a superstar to receive a scholarship, but you do need to learn the facts of college athletics.

• Some people think that in order to get an athletic scholarship for college, you need to be an all-star athlete in a major sport such as football, basketball, or baseball. But actually, there are scholarships for athletes who are good (not necessarily superstars) and who play sports like lacrosse, badminton, crew, archery, and volleyball. To make it happen, you need to plan and research your options, in order to pursue those scholarship dollars.

• Getting an athletic scholarship doesn’t mean you’ll cruise until you graduate. Athletic scholarships are awarded for one academic year at a time. While there are no guaranteed four-year athletic scholarships in NCAA Division I or II, one-year scholarships can be renewed annually for a maximum of five years within a six-year period.

• Don’t think that if you’re good enough to play in college, the college will contact you. There are 568,500 high school seniors playing football, and men’s and women’s basketball. Across these three sports there are roughly 24,800 positions available for college freshmen. So if you want to be eligible for an athletic scholarship, you need to show recruiters that you’re the player they have been looking for.  

III. Marketing Yourself: Tips for Promoting Yourself

• Start early. Begin thinking about your collegiate athletic/academic plans in your sophomore year.
• Maintain good grades. You won’t be playing at a college unless you have the minimum requirements to attend.
• Collect news articles and videotapes that demonstrate your athletic performance.
• Talk to your high school coach about which athletic programs fit your qualifications.
• Select the schools that are right for you, taking into consideration the quality and admission requirements for the athletic and academic programs.
• Find the name of the coach of your sport at each college you are considering. Write letters stating your interest in their programs and your academic and athletic goals and achievements. In the letter, you should include statistics, records, honors, clippings, and if possible, enclose a videotape of your athletic performance.
• Apply!!! College coaches will take more of an interest in your once they see you are serious about coming to their school.
• Keep in contact with the coach by inquiring about the status of your application and by visiting the school.

IV. Understanding the Specifics

Most collegiate athletic programs belong to an association. Each association has different regulations regarding eligibility and financial aid, so become familiar with the specific rules. Don’t wait and find out you have ruined your chance because of a technicality. Consult these websites for more information:

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
• National Junior College Athletic Association

If the school you are interested in is part of the NCAA, you need to familiarize yourself with its particular divisions; there are different regulations for each division.

V. Questions to ask college coaches

• What positions will I play on your team?
• What other players may be competing at the same position?
• Will I be red-shirted my first year?
• What happens if I want to transfer to another school?
• What academic support programs are available to student-athletes?
• How many credit hours should I take in season and out of season?
• What is a typical day for a student-athlete?
• How much financial aid is available for both the academic year and summer school?
• How long does my scholarship last?
• Are there academic criteria tied to maintaining the scholarship?
• What scholarship money is available if I suffer an athletics career-ending injury?