Students who are considering being a college student-athlete or might be considered as a "recruited" college athlete are encouraged to engage in the following steps.
1. Complete an Athletic Self-Assessment: Do you have the ability, potential, and desire to compete at the college level?
2. Seek feedback from: coaches, college counselor, and current college athletes.
3. Meet with your Proctor coach, preferable during the beginning of your junior year, to identify potential schools and conferences.
4. Review the NCAA Guidelines for Student-Athletes
Potential Division I and Division II players must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse
5. Contact college coaches directly. Most coaches want to hear from the student-athlete directly. A call, e-mail, or letter can easily do this. Also, many athletic programs now request the completion of a recruiting form on their website.
6. Start contacting admission offices; let them know you are a varsity level athlete and the sport(s) you play. Admission Offices are real good about passing along this information to coaches.
What I wish someone would have told me about being a college athlete
The importance of:
earning good grades in challenging courses starting in the ninth grade.
looking at schools that meet academic needs as well as athletic needs.
setting long-range goals for ten years after high school.
understanding athletic careers can end abruptly.
talking with several college coaches from different schools.
visiting college campuses.
learning time management skills before starting college.
developing communication skills as a team member and as a student.
keeping my priorities in order: school first, sports second.
