Getting a college athletic scholarship takes perserverance and hard work.
Despite all the media attention on blue-chip high school athletes signing national letters of intent to play for big universities, the reality is that most high school athletes are not recruited by college sports programs. If you want to play college athletics, you have to make yourself known to the coaches. You worked hard to become a good athlete and now you need work just as hard to make sure those coaches find out about your talents. Follow these guidelines to point you in the right direction toward getting a college athletic scholarship.
Instructions
Contact Coaches
1. Research colleges and universities and create a list of the ones in which you're interested. Consider the academics, social life, and sports programs for each school and how you'd fit in there.
2. Take the requisite college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT and score well. Make sure you meet the minimum academic standards for the universities you've chosen as targets.
3. Create a portfolio of your academic and athletic accomplishments. Obtain a transcript of your high school courses, grades and honors. Draft a writing sample, perhaps an assignment from one of your classes. List games, tournaments or competitions in which you've completed with your scores, rankings, and awards. Accumulate pictures and video of your athletic performances.
4. Ask at least two adults who are influential in your community, have coached you, or have contacts at one of your target colleges to write letters of recommendation on your behalf.
5. Obtain the name(s), addresses, phone numbers and email contacts for the coaches for your sport at each of the schools you've targeted.
6. Draft a cover letter personalized to each coach describing why you're particularly interested in his school. In the letter, outline your academic and athletic achievements. Include pertinent scores and rankings and what you can offer that will benefit his program. If you have upcoming tournaments or games, provide the dates and locations so the coach can possibly watch you in a competition. Ask for a return call and a campus visit and interview. After sending the letters, follow up with emails and phone calls to the coaching staff.
7. Follow up promptly with any request you receive from a college coach. Show your enthusiasm and energy about playing for his team.
Use Other Resources
8. Ask your high school or personal coach to call or write college coaches on your behalf regarding an athletic scholarship.
9. Complete athletic questionnaires that many universities have on their websites.
10. Attend combines for your sport that give coaches a chance to see and compare athletes.
NCAA Clearinghouse Requirements
11. Register with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse if you want to play for a NCAA Division I or II school. The clearinghouse ensures that you're academically eligible and meet amateur status requirements.
12. Go online to the NCAA clearinghouse website and create an account by entering personal information and answering questions about your athletic participation. Pay the registration fee. Authorize your high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores to be sent to the clearinghouse. Most student-athletes register by their junior year in high school.
13. Meet the minimum academic standards set forth by the NCAA rules. For example, 2010 requirements for eligibility to a Division I school include that student-athletes successfully complete 16 core courses and have grades that fall within the sliding scale combination of high school grades and standardized test scores.
14. Update the information of your athletics participation section frequently.
15. Graduate from high school. Around three to four months before enrolling in college, finalize your information online and request a final certification of your status.
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