College Tips for the Recruited Athlete

So I am a college consultant who does not specialize in college athletic recruiting per se although we are required to have knowledge in various aspects of the college application process and this is one of those areas. My own daughter is a high school junior who is very interested in playing sports at the collegiate level so I have been paying much more attention and have been more involved in this process. This past week I joined in a webinar by Harry Rosenholtz who is a specialist in this area and has coached at Yale, this webinar was put out by Applerouth tutoring.

"The Recruited Athlete: Admissions, Testing, and Timelines". I would like to share just a few of the pointers he shared with us.

1. Coaches are interested in kids with confidence. Parents need to let their students reach out to these coaches, and take the reins. As hard as this is for all of us parents, let your students do the talking, the writing, and the calling.This brings me to tip #2.

2. Coaches get up to 150 + emails a day and more right before an exposure event, such as large college showcase tournaments. Here is a novel idea for many kids...pick up the phone and actually CALL! Yes you read that right, not an email or text an actual phone call. Rosenholtz said that of the few phone calls he has gotten over the years he was more inclined to connect to those students and therefor either recruit them for his team or refer them to another coach and program more suitable.

3. Focus on fit not just scholarship. Do your homework on the program. Be able to speak to the coach regarding the specifics of his or her program. Did they have a good record this year? Can you talk about the defense or other tactics they use? Is it a good fit academically? Is it a level that matches your ability? Do you like the coach ? Do you like the school? If you got hurt and are unable to play would you want to be there?

4. The first three sentences of every email are the most important. Just like a college essay, make yourself memorable.

5. When you make a verbal commitment understand you are essentially taking yourself "off the market". Also understand that although the vast majority of coaches will try to honor a verbal commitment, nothing is solid until you have signed a national letter of intent. Things can change. Remember, coaches are paid to win.

Playing sports in college can be so rewarding in many ways. Good luck to all the college athletes out there whether playing Division I, II, III, club or intramural sports.