Winning An Athletic Scholarship; Everything You Need To Know.

Are you a high school athlete interested in intercollegiate athletics? If so, here are a few things you should know.

Be realistic. Not many high school athletes can play basketball at Florida or football at USC. To find out where you might be able to play, speak with your coach and other objective adults. Then, take your list to your counselor to see which colleges are a good academic fit for you and to see if there are others you might want to consider as well.

Consider all important factors when building a list of colleges to contact. Don't choose a college for its athletic programs alone. Academics should, in fact, be your first consideration. In addition, location, size, campus environment, co-curricular opportunities, and special programs are among the factors you need to factor in to your decision.

Don't rule out colleges simply because you have not heard much about them. Mount Union, Kentucky Wesleyan, and Kenyon are three colleges you may not have heard of, but all have distinguished themselves in athletics. There are dozens more like them in every sport you can name.

Remember that there is a lot of financial aid aside from athletic scholarships, and that there are some great athletic programs at the NCAA II and III levels.

Never lose sight of the fact that the goal of leaving college with a good education should come before your athletic aspirations. Unfortunately, there are coaches out there, at all levels, who are more interested in winning games than educating student-athletes. If you suspect that you've encountered one, run, don't walk, in the opposite direction.

Be sure you learn the rules governing athletic recruiting. And, be certain you and the college coaches with whom you come into contact adhere to them strictly. Go to your high school coach if you have questions or concerns.

Don't just reach out to coaches...get information from admissions offices as well. Admissions counselors are allowed to contact and speak with you at any time; coaches have restrictions. And, admissions counselors will often provide you with college publications and information you might not get from coaches.

You should not be too concerned about college costs until the very end of your college search when, for the first time, you will know what it will actually cost you to attend an individual college or university. Most students receive at least some aid.

Coaches receive lots of inquiries, so you may not receive an immediate reply to your letter or email. Thus, don't be too impatient. However, if you've not heard from a coach you contacted within a month, try again. Be aware that some coaches will not be interested in you and may therefore never respond.

Remember, even if a coach swamps you with emails, letters, or brochures, he or she may only be doing so to be polite or may be stringing you along as a possible alternative to the student-athletes he or she really wants. Knowing that, your smartest plan is to continue communicating with any coach who seems to be interested in you until you have accepted a firm offer. Don't close any doors early.

After you have commited to a college or university, send an email or letter thanking the coaches who showed some level of interest in you. Not only is it good manners, but it might help you if you later decide, for any reason, to transfer.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Daniel Z. Kane, now a university dean, is a former high school coach. You can find lots of helpful information on his websites about college how to get an athletic scholarship , and online colleges .
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