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Fall Recruitment Checklist for College-Bound Athletes
Anyone wanting to become a college student-athlete needs to understand how to prepare for that opportunity. Heading into your fall semester, whether you are a senior or an underclassman, it’s important to know where you stand, academically and athletically, in your recruiting process. Below we will give you a detailed guide of how to stay on track in your pursuit of a career as a college student-athlete.
FRESHMEN (Grade 9)
CHECK IN WITH GUIDANCE COUNSELOR
Speak with your guidance counselor, or an educational advisor, about your intentions to attend college. Together, you should be able to create a plan that works for your individual situation.
The most important thing for you to figure out is what core classes you will need to take during your high school career to be eligible for the NCAA.
INFORM COACHES OF YOUR COLLEGE ASPIRATIONS
Make your high school coaches aware of your intentions to become a collegiate athlete.
Coaches can be very helpful to athletes in the recruiting process. Most coaches will be able to give you sound advice throughout your recruitment.
High School coaches can also use their network of colleagues to assist you, in whatever way they deem appropriate.
CREATE LIST OF DREAM SCHOOLS
Make a list of 5 schools that you would love to attend, regardless of any initial limitations (Harvard is NOT impossible at this point!).
Figure out what makes these schools ideal for you. Write down 3 or 4 of the best characteristics of the schools. Also write down 3 or 4 aspects of college that are the most important to you. If these two lists do not match, re-consider what a “Dream” school could be for you.
Decide what characteristics these schools have that are less than ideal. Write down 3 or 4 of these non-ideal aspects. Compare these to your list of 3 or 4 college aspects that are the least important in your decision making process. There should be some overlap, if the schools are indeed “Dream” Schools.
RESEARCH COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
Calculate the cost of living at your dream schools, after scholarships & financial aid expenses.
Estimate the distances that you and your family would be traveling during your 4 or 5 years in college. Also, estimate the amount of costs involved in the travel.
Research your dream schools in depth. Find out as much historical & unique information about the school and sports programs as possible.
RESEARCH COLLEGE ROSTERS
Look at rosters to see what types of players are on the team. Do their skills or physical build look like what you see in the mirror? If yes, you’re on the right track. If no, what needs to be done to get you there?
Look into players' resumes of stats & accolades. Is the team full of All-state selections, or 4 star athletes? And more importantly, what do you need to do to create a similar resume during your High School career?
LEARN ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AID
Understand the different types of financial aid, and what is available throughout the different divisions of college.
NCAA Division I & II schools combine to award over 3 billion dollars in sports scholarships annually, making it pretty important to figure out how that money is allocated to student-athletes.
VISIT A LOCAL COLLEGE
Take a day-trip to a local campus to get an initial idea of college life. Check out different aspects that might be different than what you are accustomed to in High School.
Visit different colleges as well. Experience the difference between a large & small colleges, as well as a rural setting compared to a campus in the center of a major city. Seeing these campuses now, will give you a better understanding of what kind of setting you would like to live in for your 4 to 5 years in college.
KEEP UP WITH IMPORTANT DATES
Download the NCAA Division I & Division II Recruiting Calendar that applies to your sport. Keep up with this calendar and any changes made to it throughout the year.
Learn about new NCAA recruiting rules that are relevant to freshman and underclassmen.
SOPHOMORES (Grade 10)
CHECK IN WITH GUIDANCE COUNSELOR
Speak with your guidance counselor, or an educational advisor, about your intentions to attend college. Together, you should be able to create a plan that works for your individual situation.
The most important thing for you to figure out is what core classes you will need to take during your high school career to be eligible for the NCAA.
INFORM COACHES OF YOUR COLLEGE ASPIRATIONS
Make your high school coaches aware of your intentions to become a collegiate athlete.
Coaches can be very helpful to athletes in the recruiting process. Most coaches will be able to give you sound advice throughout your recruitment.
High School coaches can also use their network of colleagues to assist you, in whatever way they deem appropriate.
CREATE A PLAN FOR PSAT
Register and take the PSAT as soon as possible. It will serve as an indicator of what academic areas you need improvement in before you take your SAT/ACT tests.
The PSAT is great practice for the SAT/ACT tests, helping you create a process for studying and taking the tests.
PSAT scores are used to identify National Merit Scholars. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards merit scholarships to top PSAT performers.
REGISTER WITH NCAA
Register for a free NCAA profile and receive you NCAA identification. This profile will allow you to receive important information about the NCAA throughout your High School career.
The free profile is a good option if you are interested in Division 3 schools or haven’t decided where you plan to attend college
If you start receiving interest or offers from Division I & Division II schools, you can upgrade to a certified account. ($90 Domestic/Canada, $150 International students)
DETERMINE YOUR FAMILY’S EFC
Finding out your Estimated Financial Contribution (EFC) can help estimate your federal student aid eligibility. Knowing this information will allow you to create an effective financial strategy for your college career.
UPDATE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE
Your online presence will consistently viewed throughout the recruitment process.
If you have not done so already, create Twitter & Instagram accounts that can be seen publicly, and used throughout the recruitment process.
**We suggest that you delete your personal social media accounts, or make them
private during the recruitment process, to prevent any unwanted content being
displayed to potential recruiters.
Adjust your profiles with relevant information for recruiters including your: sport, graduation class, measurements & verified statistics, school name & location, and contact email (make sure your parents are aware of this information).
Create an email account specifically for recruitment purposes. This account should be used to send & receive communications from college coaches directly during the recruiting process.
**We suggest that you create an account that can be monitored by your parents as well
to ensure transparency during recruitment.
WIDEN SCHOOL SEARCH
Be realistic about your athletic and academic situation, by adding schools to your original dreams schools list.
Create a list of 5 to 10 safety schools.
Create a list of 10 to 15 target schools.
Update your list of 5 to 10 dream schools.
COMPARE YOURSELF WITH TEAM ROSTERS
Looking at your target & dream schools, compare your physical measurements with current players. What can you do to match or exceed those measurements?
Look into players' resumes of stats & accolades. Is the team full of All-state selections, or 4 star athletes? And more importantly, what do you need to do to create a similar resume during your High School career?
Determine if schools recruit players from a certain area or region. Figure out if you are likely to be recruited or not because of your High School location.
Do your schools have rigorous academic standards? Find the average GPAs of players on the roster & compare to what you currently have in High School. This will allow you to determine if the school will fit you academically, in addition to your athletic ability.
Does the team have a need for your position? Figure out how many players at your position are on the team, and try to estimate how many will be there in 2 to 3 years. If a team has a ton of seniors at your position, it can be expected that in 2 years they will have sophomores & juniors replacing those players.
KEEP UP WITH IMPORTANT DATES
Download the NCAA Division I & Division II Recruiting Calendar that applies to your sport. Keep up with this calendar and any changes made to it throughout the year.
Learn about new NCAA recruiting rules that are relevant to sophomores and underclassmen.