Also plan to meet the coach. This will also provide you important information on what he is looking for
in a future player, how many prospects they plan to bring in and are they recruiting your positions. You
can also gain valuable insight on whether they develop players, what their facilities look like as well as
the resources each schools have to train their athletes.
The most important thing for you to consider is the academic fit on your visit. Does it offer the areas of
your interest if you know what you want to major in? If you are unsure, learn how students eventual
end up choosing their majors. You should also ask about things that interest you such as clubs or
organizations, internships, research or studying abroad. How does the school provide funding for these
opportunities and ask the coach if you can take advantage of these things if they are available.
The last thing to consider are the various rounds of applying. Most schools have various application
deadlines which leads up to when you will decided on which school to attend. An important part of this
decision needs to be based on the coach’s interest in you. After your visit, it is important to follow up
with each coach to determine which round you should pursue. If they coaches believe you are a right fit
for their program, they may ask you to go Early Decision or Early Action at their school. Early Action is
where you will send in your application to the school in the fall to determine if you are an admissible
candidate. This is a non-binding process that provides if you are admitted as well as the financial aid
package you will receive. Early Decision is designed for students who believe a particular school is their
first choice and is a binding agreement if admitted. What this means is once admitted, you are expected
to pull all of your applications to other schools and that you will enroll in the Early Decision school.
Again, this Early Decision process is designed for students who know which school they want to attend.
Regular Admission dates vary from school to school. Some schools have rolling admission which means
after you turn in your application, with in two or three weeks you will hear back from the school with
you admission notice as well as the financial aid package. Other schools do what is called broad-cast
admission. These are typically highly selective schools that “shape” their institutions through a variety
of ways including diversity, socio-economics, international and regions.
Your goals in the recruiting process should be to have a group of 5 to 10 schools you are truly interested
in as well as a school that is your first choice. Apply to them, many schools waive the application fee if
you apply on line. The easiest way to apply to multiple schools is through the Common Application. If
you are unfamiliar with the common application, check with your guidance counselor to learn more.
Finally, there are many things that determine which school you will eventual attend. The most
important may be cost. Begin early to work with your parents to understand what will be affordable for
your family. Each school has a matrix to determine financial aid packages. These packages will typically
have need based aid, merit based aid, student loads and work study.
Need based financial aid is done through the FAFSA which is a form you and/or your parents fill out
through the government. The FAFSA takes in your families tax information and families finances to help
guide each academic institution how much “need” based aid they can provide. You will need to
designate the institutions you wish to receive this information. Some college also use the CSS Profile