Families seem to be in the middle of a perfect storm as they seek to send their sons and daughters to college. The stock market has wiped out a lot of the savings that people thought they had; college enrollment has increased; the economy has eliminated millions of jobs; house prices have collapsed and equity destroyed; and more children than ever want a higher education.
Perhaps the promising circumstances for you are that your child plays a sport, even does it quite well. Sounds like you, right? You wouldn’t be reading this any other way. Therefore, aid in the form of an athletic scholarship may well be in the cards. You’ll have to navigate the recruiting process and make some tough judgments about how to contact college coaches, hire college consultants, negotiate terms (if you’re lucky enough to get that far), and all the rest of a potentially messy process. But for those with perspectives and needs, there is simply no other way.
And there’s no question that an athletic scholarship can help pay for that college education. It may not be a complete trip, but most of us would appreciate any input. However, the challenge for parents, especially those new to the college recruiting process, is navigating uncharted terrain in a career where the stakes couldn’t be higher. Hey, it’s just your kid’s education!
Jennifer Noonan of College Sports Quest has been mentoring high school athletes in Southern California for approximately 10 years and has mentored over 500 families in that time. She cautions against leaving everything up to the student. It is too important for the athlete not to have the full support of the family.
And as Jennifer Noonan sees it, there are five common misconceptions when it comes to college recruiting and athletic scholarships.
Myth No. # 1: if you’re good enough, coaches will always find out about you
And all the good comes to those who wait. In a perfect world, this is exactly what would happen. Unfortunately, our world is not perfect. And a college scholarship is too important to be left to chance. You must be proactive. I
Myth No. # 2: you have a lot of time
Not as much as you think. About 25% of high school athletes identify themselves as college scholarship prospects when they are freshmen. Another 35% identify as sophomores. And another 45% more or less identify when they are juniors. Not many identify as older people. So you don’t have as much time as you think. According to Noonan and College Sports Quest [http://www.collegesportsquest.com]The time to begin your own recruiting efforts, in most sports, is September 1 of your junior year (or earlier).
Myth No. # 3: Your Coach Has Connections And Will Recruit You
Coaches’ first job is to train you, so you can be recruited. And they are busy, many have teaching duties in addition to their athletic duties. Not to mention families and personal life and everything in between. Sure, use the help that the coaches offer you, even ask for it and take advantage of all the connections they have. But don’t make this your only recruiting strategy.
Myth No. 4: college camps and exposure tournaments mean you’ll turn heads
By the time most college coaches make it to tournaments, they have a very short list of prospects in mind that they are watching. In a camp of 500 student athletes, a college coach can only be seriously staring at 2 or 3. The lesson is that you have to do the work to appear on their radar screens before the tournament. And be realistic (but optimistic) about your skills and the college tournaments you are targeting.
Myth No. 5: grades don’t matter
Colleges and the NCAA have high school course requirements and minimum GPA / SAT / ACT standards that you will need to clear. But meeting the minimum standard set by the NCAA and your university does not mean that you will continue to meet the required academic levels. And, all things being equal between you and another prospect, the highest ratings will count.
It is always helpful to visit the colleges that interest you. Try to schedule your visit so you can see how your sport is played. Avoid applying for athletic scholarships at colleges you would not otherwise consider attending. In other words, whatever happens to the team, you still have to get a title!