I suggest having your student athletes start with a list of 20 colleges they would like to know more about that have an athletic program which includes their sport. (Time to accomplish this list-one week.) They should look at Division I, II and III levels. (Division I colleges are generally considered the most competitive and highest level of college athletic competition. Division I and Division II colleges both may have athletic scholarships available. Some Division I colleges, such as the Ivy League colleges, do not offer athletic scholarships period! A Division III college cannot award an athletic scholarship. Some Division III colleges are better than some Division I and Division II colleges competitionwise.)
A good place to start your list is with “Peterson’s College Guide," available at most bookstores or the high school guidance office. Another good source is the Internet. (See Insidelacrosse.com. and check out teams). You may also do a net search for the particular sport, or just “Collegiate Sports Sites” and you’ll get a complete menu to investigate. There’s also an important section on the NCAA here. Then follow the leads provided. Today, most colleges and universities have their own “Home Pages” with a lot of information available right on the computer, including applications!
Another good source for your 20 schools is a local community college. Often they will sponsor a “College Night” at which several colleges will have representatives available to answer some basic questions and distribute literature about their schools.
THE GUIDANCE OFFICE
One of your primary sources for colleges should be your high school guidance office. Counselors should have all kinds of lists and videos available for you. One great video we discovered in our guidance office was titled “Game Plan For College Success” and it should be shown to all student athletes. I would encourage you to talk early and often to the guidance counselor. We had one outstanding guidance counselor in an office with three others. Make sure you feel comfortable with the counselor. Some of them are just doing a job, and some excel. Find the good one!
Once you have got your list together, do your letters to the individual coaches and get them mailed. (Same basic letter—change addresses and coach’s name. (See samples in appendix of my booklet at www.recruitingguide.com.) Find out who the coach is at each particular school and write to them asking for information on their program. Mention that you have been playing the sport for X years and would like to play in college. Also include a copy of your “sports resume” for his or her information. (See last issue for information on “sports resumes”) How fast you get a response has a lot to do with how much the coach has going on. If you do not get a reply within 30 to 45 days, write again. Some coaches are a lot better than others in responding, but most will answer eventually. Start a checklist. Record and date your letters and each coach’s response. If a coach sends back a form to be filled out for his or her own tracking system, make sure you supply that information within 48 hours! How fast you respond will be interpreted as an indication of your real interest in a school. At this point, you are very interested in every school. Also, a quick response has the benefit of keeping your name in front of the coach and he or she may remember your name. That is one very important goal!
VISIT COLLEGES AND COACHES
Anytime you as a parent or student initiate a visit to a college, it is considered an "unofficial" visit as far as the NCAA is concerned and you will not be violating any of their recruiting regulations. Anytime a Division I or II college calls your athlete and invites them to visit the college and offers to pay their transportation or other costs, it is considered an "official" visit for NCAA purposes. This is an important distinction because your athlete is limited to 5 "official" visits to D-I and D-II colleges, so by the time these visits occur in the fall of their senior year in high school, you will have to be selective in which D-I and D-II colleges they may visit. Because Division III colleges do not offer any pure athletic scholarships, you may go on "official " visits to as many Division III colleges as you like.
After gathering information from these schools, get your student athlete to start narrowing the list down to five to eight schools they would really like to visit. Make sure this list has some opposites i.e. large schools vs. small schools, state vs. private etc. They may think they want a large school, but they should at least look at some other alternatives.
You have to make time for these college visits. Spring semester during the junior year is the best time to start looking and certainly by the summer before their senior year. Schedule your trips two to three weeks in advance. Have your student athlete write to the coaches and tell them you are coming for a visit to the campus on a specific day and have scheduled an interview with the admissions office. Tell them you would really appreciate the opportunity to stop by their office to introduce yourself and ask them some questions about their program. (See sample letters in appendix of my book.) If the head coach cannot make it, they often will have one of the assistants meet with you. In any case, it’s important to get a face-to-face meeting with the coach and admissions people. Confirm your appointment with the coach by phone three to four days in advance of your trip.
(This is the time to let both the admissions people and the coach know that you are interested in financial aid.)
Ask questions, be friendly, have a firm handshake and look them in the eye when speaking to them - don’t look at your shoes or the ceiling. Have a list of 5 -6 questions prepared in advance. For example, ask specifically about graduation rates for their athletes and make sure you are satisfied with their answer. How many graduate in 4 years? What academic help is available for the team members? What commitments are required in the off seasons? What equipment is provided? etc. Leave them an updated copy of your sports resume. Within 48 hours of returning from your visit, write both the coach and the admissions person with whom you interviewed thank them for their time, and express your interest and enthusiasm again.
I am available through my web page at www.recruitingguide.com should you have any questions. Dave Prossner.