EXECUTING YOUR RECRUITMENT

  • CONTINUE
  • ACT & SAT
  • THE PROCESS & APPLICATION DEADLINES

EXECUTING YOUR RECRUITMENT

CONTINUE 

Filling out recruiting questionnaires/forms and contacting coaches/recruiters -  All the way through to your summer before senior year it is crucial that you continue to fill out recruiting questionnaires/forms and contacting colleges. You can still receive offers up until the early months of your senior year, this is to ensure if your schools on your list do not work out it still gives you other options. 

Updating your recruiting portfolio - Keeping your recruiting portfolio up to date is a crucial thing to stay on top of as a player. All the hard work you have done by filling out recruiting questionnaires/forms and contacting coaches all throughout the years will have paid off for those who have decided that they were interested in you. When the coaches/recruiters receive your questionnaires or emails they have your link to your recruiting portfolio to view at anytime.  Coaches/recruiters will pop into your portfolio to continue to evaluate you once your on their radar, and the #1 thing they love to see is PROGRESS. 

Following up with coaches - As your recruitment continues to happen and you are adding colleges to your list, it is always good to be following up with the coaches from schools who have contacted you earlier in the process. Its always good to be touching base with the coaches who have showed interest in you, so it allows you to maintain that contact before making your final decision. Its best to send at least 1 message a month or respond to coaches who have contacted you to follow up. Also, you may want to update a coach with some newly come across information that’s important to your recruitment. Keeping your options open gives you the flexibility and assurance before coming to your final decision.

A few reasons to update or contact the coach –

  • You achieved a higher ACT or SAT score
  • Update on your grades if improved, like your GPA
  • You want to know when their organized scouting events, online/in-person tournaments, or tryouts are  being held
  • You have a new highlight video or clip that shows your improvement in play
  • You want to follow up after sending your highlight video to ask a coach what they like or don’t like, and what it is you can do to improve
  • You have new statistics the show your improvement in a specific category
  • You want to know how many scholarships they still have left to offer, and possibly if you are in a position to receive one
  • You would like to set up a phone call or online meeting to learn more about their school/program, and their amount of interest in you as a recruit
  • If you want to know, what type of players are they looking for to fill spots on their roster for your recruiting  
  • You want to let the coach know when and what upcoming competitions you will be competing in, the date, the time and if they can watch either in person or live link 
  • You received an accolade or national ranking in a competition or national league

Researching and comparing schools - Once you’ve finished your initial top 35 school list that is not where your research ends. Its always good to sign up for newsletters or follow the school/program social media accounts, to stay up to date with current news, updates, policies and or program changes. Program changes would probably be your biggest thing to keep your eye on such as with a coaching staff change, new recruits coming in, decommits, transfers, almost anything that may aid in your decision making in the end. Keeping an eye on the number of scholarships left to be offered could be a major decision-making point if you’re looking to receive one. Creating a pros and cons list and comparing schools to one another is something that you should be doing while continuing to research your schools, you can compare schools based off your initial school checklist questions. 


ACT & SAT

Underclassmen: During your freshmen and sophomore years you should be setting yourself up for success in the ACT and SAT. Using prep courses, standardized practice tests like PSAT and PreACT, and studying test taking reading material if you have access to it. Recommending at least participating in a minimum of two (2) pre-test to get yourself familiarized with the procedures and material it will be covering. 

Upperclassmen: You can take the ACT a total of 12 times officially, and the SAT as many times as you want. The ACT is given a total of six (6) times a year, and the SAT is given seven (7) times a year. Although your able to take it numerous times is best to still stick to a minimum of 3-4 times for both. Hopefully before entering your junior and senior year you have had enough practice using prep courses to prepare yourself to test.

Dates –

ACT (6) – September, October, December, February, April, and June

SAT (7) – October, November, December, January, March (or April), May, and June

When to apply - The average and recommended time for players to begin applying to colleges is going to be the summer following your junior year, into the early months of senior year. Hopefully throughout your junior year you were able to take either the SAT or ACT, or even better both. By this time, it is best to have narrowed down your target list of schools to a top 5 or 10 if possible. Things to remember when applying to colleges is the cost of application fees involved, the time it takes to fill out the forms can be time consuming as well so creating an organized timeline for yourself helps. Especially with deadlines varying depending on each institution and double check application cut off dates for your target schools so you do not miss out.

  

THE PROCESS & APPLICATION DEADLINES

It is going to be crucial to remain in contact with your potential school(s) that you have narrowed yourself down to that there are no questions left unanswered including about paperwork. Knowing when all paperwork whether it be for attending the school or playing for the program is in order and ready to submit by either the deadline or as soon as you can turn it in. Being ahead of the process is always the best place to be, because around this time things will be getting a little hectic with the transition you are beginning to make to the next level. The last thing you want to do is forget a crucial step, form or document that can keep you from either attending or playing your first year in college.

Application process  steps –

1. Registering for and taking the ACT and SAT

2. Filling out and sending in college applications

3. Sending your final transcripts and proof of graduation 

4. Signing your acceptance letter