Recruitment Questions

Academics

• What percentage of athletes graduate? The response will suggest the school’s commitment to academics. You might want to ask two follow-up questions: 

  • What is the current team’s grade-point average?  

  • What academic support programs are available to student-athletes? Look for a college that will help you become a better student.  

• What Majors and Minors does the school offer? It is important to make sure the school has what you are looking for.  

• What are the standards to get into school? Make sure you will be able to get accepted into the school. 

• How many credit hours should I take in season and out of season? It is important to determine how many credit hours are required for your degree and what pace you will follow to obtain that degree.  

• Are there restrictions in scheduling classes around practice? NCAA rules prevent you from missing class for practice. 

• Is summer school available? If you need to take summer school, will the college pay it for? 

• How many hours of school work a day? How much time will you spend studying, and is it manageable for the current students, or do they struggle. 

• What is the typical week of school like? How many classes will you take, how often does class meet, what times are classes? 

• What is the acceptance rate for people who want continue their education? This is a very important question to ask if you want to go to grad school, med school, law school etc…  

• What percent of students are able to find a job out of college in the field they want? Finding a job or continuing on with your education should be the most important thing to you.

General

• What is there to do on the weekends? It is important to find out whether or not people stay around for the weekends or people go home. 

• What is dorm life like? Ask how the dorms are how they are set up and what options you have when you get older. 

• How is the dinning service on campus? Some schools have better food than others, try and eat in the dining hall on your visit. 

• Are freshman allowed to have cars on campus? This can differ from school to school.  

• What is the weather like? Find out what the weather is like during the fall, winter, and spring. 

Athletics

• Do you have any travel limits on your team? The answer is not always obvious. Most coaches want to be flexible, so you might not receive a definite answer.  

• What other athletes may be competing in the same event area? The response could give you an idea of when you can expect to contribute. 

• Will I be red shirted my first year? The school’s policy on red shirting may impact you both athletically and academically. It depends on your ability to contribute at the conference and national level.

• How will I fit into the team freshman year? Some teams need freshman to play a major roll right off the bat and other you have to work your way into that roll.  

• How would you best describe your coaching style/philosophy? Every coach has a particular style that involves different motivational techniques and discipline. You need to know if a coach’s teaching style matches your learning style. 

• Can you describe your training philosophy? Some coaches have one training program for everyone some will individualize a program for each athlete. Be honest with yourself and make sure you can survive the training.  

• Who else are you recruiting? Coaches may consider other student-athletes for every position. 

• Is medical insurance required for my participation? Does the college provide it? You may be required to provide proof of insurance. It is not required.  

• If I am seriously injured while competing, who is responsible for my medical expenses? Different colleges have different policies.  

• If I am seriously injured while competing will I be able to keep my scholarship? Different colleges have different policies.  

• What other factors should I consider when choosing a college? Be realistic about your athletic ability and the type of athletic experience you would enjoy. Some student-athletes want to be part of a particular athletics program, even if that means little or no playing time. Other considerations include coaching staff and style. Of course, the ideal is to choose a college or university that will provide you with both the educational and athletic opportunities you want. You want to make sure that you feel at home at the school you choose if athletics were not in the picture. 

• Who will be coaching me? Some programs will use Graduate Assistants, or Assistant coaches, and some of these coaches might only be around for a year or two. Find out if an Assistant coach is coaching you who wrote the program and why and if it will change if a new coach comes in.  

• What is a typical week of practice like? How often do you do workouts, what time does practice start, does it interfere with class?  

• Where do you stay when traveling? Find out the kind of hotels that the teams stay in and how many people they put in each room.  

• What form of transportation do you use to travel? Some teams will travel by charter bus while others will use vans driving by coaches, think of comfort and safety.  

• How well does the team eat on trips, how much money do we get, who decides what we are going to eat? Each school is different and a lot depends on budget. 

• What is the teams meet schedule? Keep in mind you might not get to go to all the meets on the schedule. 

• Is there a chance for me to compete beyond the NCAA or NAIA level? Some schools will pay for you to go to national meets or Olympic Trials and beyond. 

• How good is the team? Make sure you are coming into a program that is on the competitive level that you are looking for. We have a very successful team. 

Financial Aid

• Exactly how much will the athletics scholarship be?  For Division I track and field programs (which includes cross country), women's track and field has a maximum of 18 scholarships and Men's track and field has a maximum of 12.6 scholarships. This affects the overall availability of scholarships for track and field, as well as how the available track and field scholarships are parceled out.  

• Am I eligible for additional financial aid? Are there any restrictions? Sometimes a student-athlete cannot accept a certain type of scholarship because of NCAA limitations. If you will be receiving other scholarships, let the coach and financial aid officer know so they can determine if you may accept additional dollars. 

• Who is financially responsible if I am injured while competing? You need to understand your financial obligations if you suffer an injury while participating in athletics. 

• Are there academic criteria tied to maintaining the scholarship? Some institutions add academic requirements to scholarships (e.g., minimum grade-point average). 

• What scholarship money is available after eligibility is exhausted to help me complete my degree? It may take longer than four years to complete a college degree program. Some colleges assist student-athletes financially as they complete their degrees. Ask how such aid is awarded. You may have to work with the team or in the athletics department to qualify for this aid.

• What scholarship money is available if I suffer an athletics career-ending injury? Not every institution continues to provide an athletics scholarship to a student-athlete who can no longer compete because of a career-ending injury.