College Athletes

Strategies for College Bound Student Athletes

College Search Resources

As a collegebound student athlete, you have additional criteria to consider when you begin your college search. After considering the college environment, size and location of the school, majors, and selectivity among other factors, you also need to investigate NCAA rules, eligibility and divisions, colleges’ athletic programs, resources for athletes, coaching staffs, etc.

It’s time to focus on you as an individual. Use the resources available to find the best college match for you, both academically and athletically. Remember that most colleges are very good ones, but not all colleges are good matches for you. Don’t let the process become overwhelming. Start early and set short-term goals to accomplish one thing at a time.

Know Your Resources

In addition to high school and club coaches, family, friends counselors and teachers, use available technology to guide your search.

Athletic Resume - Sample of athletic resumes, and suggestions for letters to coaches, etc.
Link Athletics access 27 different sports by state and college choose the sport, state and college you’d like to know more about Check the page menu for coaches’ bios and contact information , statistics , player rosters, schedules , etc. By doing so, you can learn a great deal about the team and their potential needs.
NAIA National Association of Intercollegiate athletics
NCAA Up to date coverage, statistics and rankings
NCAA Eligibility Center for academic eligibility information, including SAT/ACT’s, and calculations for GPA. Be sure to check the list of approved courses (by high school) and confer with guidance if you have questions.

How to get started

Determining the “academic fit” is just as important as the athletic one. Sign in to Naviance as a “registered user” with your email address and password. Using the “About College” menu, you can do a college search , look up a particular college(s), compare up to 10 colleges, and view graphs highlighting colleges’ acceptance histories . Your goal is to learn as much as possible about the schools on your list, to determine if they might be potential academic and athletic matches for you. In doing so, it is important to realize that colleges are looking for matches as well.

There are many factors used to evaluate all applicants. The top factors continue to be grades in college prep courses, strength of curriculum, overall grade point average and standardized tests. Activities, volunteerism, recommendations, and your athletic participation and contributions will also be factors. In addition, coaches will evaluate your potential to contribute to the success of the team and athletic program. Once you’ve developed a list of potential college matches, it’s time to Get Noticed.

Get Noticed

It is never too early to begin your college search. The more you do to prepare yourself in the classroom and in your sport, the better equipped you will be for the search process. Your college search is not easier because you’re an athlete, it’s just different.

If you are a freshman or sophomore, explore all of your options. Do the best that you can in all of your classes. Take the most challenging courses for which you are eligible. Get involved in school and community activities and service.

Only a small percentage of athletes are offered major athletic scholarship money. A larger percentage of athletes are offered an opportunity to play their sports for little or no athletic money. But, academic scholarships or monetary awards for leadership and service may be awarded to athletes because they are outstanding individuals. Athletics may open doors to colleges that might otherwise be just out of reach. Your guidance counselor and your coach will be outstanding resources to you as you continue with the college search process.

If you are a junior, your college search goals and timelines are more immediate. Find those colleges that will afford you the opportunity to play your sport in an atmosphere that encourages you to grow as a student, an athlete, and an individual.