See the issue: January 2008

Literally thousands of tasks are necessary to achieve your goal of playing at the college of your dreams-ranging from tearing it up on the field all the way down to making sure your No. 2 pencil is sharpened at SAT time. And each task, no matter how significant or how small, presents a risk and an opportunity. Use the following checklist to avoid the pitfalls and make yourself the best recruit possible. 

Prior to junior year
• Set seasonal, yearly and overall high school athletic and academic goals

• Write them down
• Be realistic
• Keep them where you’ll see them regularly
• Assess your progress at the end of each season/school quarter

• Maintain good academic standing

• Don’t cut class
• Strive for good grades
• Take advantage of study halls and tutors
• Don’t cheat
• Show respect to teachers and fellow students
• Avoid detentions and suspensions

• Identify athletic weaknesses; research safe and effective methods, or professionals, to help you eliminate them

• Develop good relationships with teachers, who will eventually write your college letters of recommendation

• Get involved in extracurricular and volunteer activities

• Be aware of your off-field lifestyle and the image it portrays

• Choose friends wisely; avoid troublesome crowds
• Keep online profiles clean
• Avoid drugs, alcohol and tobacco
• Don’t fight
• Don’t break the law
• Adhere to a reasonable curfew

• Meet with your guidance counselor to discuss NCAA curriculum and grade requirements

• Consider playing multiple sports to develop and display well-rounded athleticism

• Maintain poise and sportsmanship at all times. College coaches watch you during competition, even when you are not playing. Always:

• Cheer on teammates
• Respond to referees and/or bad calls in a professional manner
• Interact positively with coaches on the sideline
• Keep your head up. Don’t pout regardless of score or situation
• Avoid fighting
• Celebrate with class

• Have all athletic competitions videotaped for future use

• Create a filing system to organize athletic awards, newspaper clippings and outstanding achievements

• Research the best non-schoolsponsored athletic leagues in your area—club teams, AAU, summer leagues, etc.

• Participate in non-schoolsponsored athletic competition

• Create a resume that includes academic and athletic achievements

• Send initial contact letters to college coaches at schools you are interested in attending

• Find name, address and other information about coach on school’s website
• Express your interest in playing for the program
• Include athletic and academic resume
• Attach a schedule of your games for the upcoming seasons

• Create a filing system for materials and info you receive from colleges and coaches

• Complete and return all questionnaires

• Inform college coaches about camps and clinics you’ll be attending

• Attend camps and clinics at schools you are interested in attending

• Begin pulling clips and creating a highlight tape

• Attend a college competition in your sport

• Contact parents of athletes on the college team’s roster to find out if they’re happy with their son’s or daughter’s experiences with the team
• Observe the way the coach interacts with his team
• Gauge the level of play compared to your ability

• Assess your athletic ability

• Talk to your coaches
• Measure yourself against other players at your position in your state/district/conference
• Compare your accomplishments to the high school accomplishments of players on rosters of colleges that you think you could play for

• Begin thinking about the academic area of study you might want to major in, and research which schools excel in that area

• Solicit information about colleges by talking to:

• Friends
• Guidance counselors
• College’s alumni

• Talk with parents about:

• Cost and what you can afford
• Location
• Academic opportunities and programs
• Their academic and athletic expectations for you in college

• Create a target list of colleges in each of the following categories:

• Likely admission
• Safety net
• Reach

• Send follow-up letters to coaches who haven’t responded to your initial contact

• Assess benefits of using a recruiting service

• Familiarize yourself with the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Athlete

• Open a dialogue with your high school coaches about the college coaches who have contacted them about you and the colleges that most interest you

Junior year

• Register, prep for and take standardized tests

• Register with NCAA Eligibility Center [must be done by end of junior year]

• Schedule and take unofficial visits

• Find time to meet with coaches around their busy schedules
• Bring pen and notepad, and have a few questions ready about the program, the coach’s level of interest and his or her plans to remain at the school during your four years
• Provide coaches with your highlight tape and stat sheet
• Talk to players on the team
• Check out the facilities
• Go to a class in your area of interest
• Keep a journal to list pros and cons of each school and coaching staff after visits

• Continue to update college coaches on your athletic successes

• Update highlight tape with recent clips

• Talk to athletes from your school who now play at the collegiate level. Ask about:

• The level of competition
• How college life and sports differ from their high school experiences
• Any additional advice they have to offer

• Update wardrobe with clothes appropriate for meetings with college coaches

• Send thank you note after any meeting with a coach

• Have high school coach call college coaches to recommend you as an athlete

• Prepare a list of questions for coaches when they call (they can call after May 1 of your junior year for football and after July 1 for most other sports). Cover these topics:

• Their level of interest
• Chance of an official visit
• Possibility of a scholarship
• Who they have at your position (height, weight, stats)
• Your upcoming game schedule and the possibility of their attendance

Senior year

• Be prepared for an in-school visit from a college coach at any time

• Have questions ready in your locker
• Dress appropriately at all times

• Retake standardized tests if necessary

• Avoid senioritis—continue to take challenging courses and strive for good grades

• Narrow down schools you’re interested in and eliminate those in which you definitely have no interest

• Plan and take official visits. Remember, only five are allowed

• Bring pen and notepad. Have questions ready for meetings with coaches (see Communicating with a Coach)
• Talk to as many players as possible, not just the happy ones
• Go to a class in your field of interest
• Stay on campus
• Always conduct yourself properly
• Keep a journal to list pros and cons of each school and coaching staff after visits

• Set time standards as to when you want to take phone calls from coaches

• Assess financial needs by talking with parents and various schools’ financial aid offices

• Apply for financial aid

• Research and apply for alterative sources of funds

• Once you begin receiving financial aid offers from colleges, share them with other coaches to improve your final offer

• Create timetable for all application deadlines

• Ask teachers for recommendations

• Calculate your GPA and find out your class rank

• Request official transcript from guidance counselor

• Ask college coaches to waive application fees

• Decide whether to apply early action or early decision

• Write application essays early so you have time to edit and perfect them

• Complete the rest of applications and mail before deadlines

• Narrow down college choices to your top three opportunities

• Make final decision

• Notify all college coaches you’ve been speaking with of your final decision

• Contact your new college coach to receive strength and conditioning manual

• Mail thank you letter and/or graduation party invite to STACK at:
letters@stack.com or
1422 Euclid Ave, Ste. 1550
Cleveland, Oh 44115

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