College Admissions: Get Noticed By College Coaches This Summer

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Monday, June 17, 2013

Cristiana Quinn, GoLocalWorcester College Admissions Expert

Sports showcases, college camps, travel teams! July and August used to mean lazy days on the beach for athletes and their parents, but no longer. Now, summer is prime time for athletes to be seen by college coaches. However, most students don’t realize that showing up at these events is not enough to get you recruited. Unless you are a top national recruit, you can’t sit back. Student athletes MUST show the maturity to drive the process. So, understand the landscape and what you can do to maximize your investment:

1. Know the NCAA rules for your desired division and coach contact rules.

If permitted, shake hands with coaches and talk to them before and after events. For recruiting rules and to register at the NCAA Clearing House, go to: http://www.ncaa.org

2. Don’t discount D3 colleges which often have very generous need-based and merit aid packages.

Although sports scholarships are not permitted at D3 schools, many students get more favorable financial aid packages here vs. D1 or D2 colleges.

3. Attend showcases and camps only where your target colleges are sending coaches.

It doesn’t make any sense to spend time and money attending showcases or camps which are drawing coaches from colleges that are not a good match for your academic and personal goals.

4. Send a cover letter and an athletic resume to select college coaches who will be attending showcases and travel team tournaments.

Participating colleges are usually listed by the organizers and e-mails are available on college websites. This will get you on the coach’s “must watch” radar at events where there may be hundreds of participants.

5. College-based camps can be an effective way to get the attention of a coach, but make sure that you are recruitable at that college before you spend the money.

The Ivy League and other elite institutions use an athletic index, and you will NOT be able to be recruited if you do not meet fairly high minimum requirements. It is a complex calculation that utilizes SAT I and SAT II scores, GPA and class rank or percentile. Students are then tiered into bands, and only a certain number of athletes can be recruited from each band. Students who fall in the lowest bands must be exceptional at a national level to be recruited.

6. In addition to noting talent and work ethic, coaches are very focused on students who demonstrate a strong interest in their school.

So, don’t wait to see if coaches contact you after a summer tournament, showcase or camp. Make sure to send a letter of interest when you return home, and include a DVD of your highlights or a link to your sports videos online. Tell them if you plan to visit campus and ask for a meeting (official visit rules only apply if the college is paying your travel expenses).

Cristiana Quinn, M.Ed. is the founder of College Admission Advisors, LLC which provides strategic college counseling, SAT prep and athletic recruiting services http://www.collegeadvisorsonline.com. ;

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