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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: CHOOSING A COLLEGE
Here at NCSA, we believe in the power of recruiting education. The recruiting process has been rapidly changing over the past 10+ years, and knowing how the process works today can mean the difference between earning a scholarship and not competing in college. To help set you up for success, we’ve put together some valuable tips for making your college decision!
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CHOOSING A COLLEGE FACTORS TO CONSIDER TIPS OF THE TRADE WHAT TO CONSIDER Five factors to consider when making your college decision include: Academics Athletics Location Social Fit Finances
When making your final decision, there are 5 factors you need to consider. They are Academics, Athletics, Location, Social Fit and Finances. Most athletes take these factors into account at the beginning of the recruiting process to help identify which schools to contact. Now that you’re looking to make a final decision between a handful of schools, it’s time to re-evaluate. Your visit to campus, your experience with the team and your conversations with the coaching staff are just a few things that will have altered your initial evaluation. Let’s go back through all 5 major factors that will influence your decision. First, Academics. Now that you’ve talked with the admissions office and know what the coach expects of you as a student-athlete, ask yourself if the school is a good fit for you academically. Will you be able to balance your schoolwork with your athletic schedule? You’ll also want to evaluate the program’s Athletics. As you develop a relationship with the coach, the coach will have an idea about what type of fit you will be for his/her program. Will you be able to contribute early? Will you be a freshman starter? A walk-on? You’ll also be able to determine what kind of program you are looking for. Will another program give you a better opportunity? Are you comfortable walking-on to a more competitive program or would you rather earn a scholarship and start as a freshman on a less competitive team? Next is Location. Is the school in a rural or urban environment? Is the program close to home or far away? A good tip for this criterion in particular is to look back at your notes from campus visits and compare your experiences at each school. You can also use your notes from the visit to help you evaluate your Social Fit. How well did you get along with the team and others around campus? What clubs or activities are around campus for the times when you’re not studying or competing?
*EXAMPLE FINANCIAL AID CALCULATOR*
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Finally, you need to evaluate Finances. Did the school provide an adequate scholarship or financial aid package? Can you leverage your offers against each other to receive more aid? If you cannot receive an athletic scholarship, we recommend checking the school’s admissions page for a financial aid calculator. This calculator can give you an idea about what your out of pocket cost may be to attend.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: CHOOSING A COLLEGE
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
CHOOSING A COLLEGE HOW TO WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS Once you’ve re-evaluated each school, there are countless ways you can compare them. It can be anything from a pro’s and con’s list to an Excel spreadsheet. We recommend filling out a spreadsheet as you re-evaluate each school (see below). This will take away any emotional stress and is the easiest way to compare each program evenly. First, identify which criteria are most important to you and list them in order from most important to least important. You can create as many, or as few, criteria as you’d like. Then list each school. Next choose any rating system you want. Here we use a 1-5 scale. Now all you have to do is evaluate each area of each school on a 1-5 scale. In the end it will look like this.
SCALE (1-5) WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON
BLOOMSBURG
TRAINE (IN)
Academics
4
5
3
Playing Time
4
5
4
Team Compatibility
2
4
5
Team Success
4
3
2
Class Size
5
5
3
Safety
2
2
1
Out of Pocket Cost
3
3
3
Job Placement
1
1
4
Ease of Travel
4
4
4
Totals
30
32
29
SCHOOL
TIPS OF THE TRADE KEEP AN ORGANIZED SET OF NOTES As you are evaluating each school, make sure to refer back to any notes you’ve taken from your research or visits. Recruits often forget minor details that can play a large role in the decision process.
You can use a spreadsheet like this to quickly tell which school was the best in each criterion, or you can total up the scores to see which school had the highest overall rating!
TIPS AND ADVICE 1.
Always know your deadlines. If a college coach needs to hear back from you by a particular date, make sure to do so. Know when the signing periods are and when the application deadlines are as well. The last thing you want to do is miss an opportunity because you put it off for too long.
2.
Don’t rush the process. If you’re too quick to make a decision, you may overlook the program that’s the better fit for you. If a coach needs to hear back from you right away, it’s okay to ask for a little more time. Otherwise you force yourself to make the time to evaluate all your options by that deadline.
3.
It’s okay to tell the coach ‘No’. Coaches have been turned down by recruits before. If a program has fallen out of your top choices, it’s okay to tell the coach. If you do, they will be grateful so they don’t waste their time. Or, if they are seriously interested, they may try to address your concerns. Remember, to a college coach, recruiting is a business.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT: CHOOSING A COLLEGE
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For more detailed information on everything recruiting, from communicating with college coaches to financial aid, visit the Resource Library under the Recruiting 101 tab in your RMS or contact our Recruiting Coach team (email: recruitinghelp@ncsasport.org phone: 877-845-6272).