5-Point College Recruiting Checklist for High School Seniors
As a high school senior, you should be in your final steps of the recruiting process. If you aren’t actively talking with coaches, it is critical you get started contacting coaches right away.
For recruits who have been talking with coaches, it can be a very nerve wracking time. By double-checking the five points below you can be sure you finish off a successful recruiting process.
Confirm Your Academics
Your eligibility is calculated using your entire high school transcript. Just because you have taken the SAT or ACT and have signed an offer doesn’t mean you can slack off. It is also good practice to check with your counselor starting your senior year and confirm you are going to meet the core course requirements.
Get Your Updated Video and Resume Out to Coaches
You don’t have all year to get your final evaluations from coaches. Make a new highlight video and update your resume with your summer’s achievements and get it out to coaches within the first few months of your senior year. It should be an easy process of loading your video to You Tube and sending them the updated link in your resume.
Make Visits to Your Top Schools
Whether these are official or unofficial visits it is critical you get out and see the schools you are most interested in. While making unofficial visits can be expensive, a good option is to follow the university and program on Facebook and YouTube. Oftentimes,there are great videos tours of the campus and facilities where you can get a sense of what life is like as a student athlete even if you can’t visit in person.
Double-Check Application Dates
One of the most heartbreaking ways to lose a scholarship is to simply miss the application deadline for the school you want to attend. Don’t assume a coach can get you through admissions just because you are a prospective student- athlete. Make sure you know every admission date for the programs you are interested in and get started on the admissions packet weeks in advance.
Recruiting Doesn’t End with a Signed Offer
If you are going into the spring of your senior year and have already signed an offer and know where you are going, it is tempting to relax; and maybe your grades may drop a little and you are not working out like you should be. Once you sign an offer, you should carry yourself like a college athlete. Showing up to school out of shape or finishing off your senior year by letting your grades slip or maybe getting into a little trouble can set off some red flags for coaches. Finish off you senior year like you want to start your freshman year of college.
Seniors, it’s getting late, but there is still time to find an opportunity to play college sports! Are you a senior who wants to play at the college level but not sure where to start? Leave us your questions in the comments section or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+!
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