Try to identify your top 5 schools by the end of Sophomore year.
Times from Junior year matter most! You will likely be committed to a school before you swim your fastest times of Senior year.
Take the SAT and/or ACT so you have scores available to provide coaches. Take the SAT at least once during Junior year!
Speak to your guidance counselor to find out when your GPA and class rank will be available.
Speak to your coaches for suggestions and guidance!
Swimmers should contact coaches on their own! This will show maturity and responsibility. If a parent contacts a coach on their swimmer's behalf, this may not leave a good impression!
Webistes that can help with the college selection process
www.collegeboard.com (use this to register for SAT/ACT)
www.princetonreview.com
www.petersons.com
Helpful Links and Info
College Recruiting 101
10 MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK A COLLEGE SWIM COACH DURING RECRUITING
NCAA Recruiting Rules: When Can College Coaches Contact High School Athletes
NCAA GPA Requirements | What GPA do you need to be eligible?
Swimming Scholarships - recruiting site sign-up on College swimming.org
How to help your athletes during the college recruiting and decision process
This resource is for coaches, but is helpful for athletes and parents too!
What College Coaches Look For
1) Academics
2) Swimming ability and potential to contribute to the team
3) Desire to complete at team’s conference or national level (research results from a teams conference to see where you stack up!)
4) Are you a TEAM player?
5) Show interest in an academic program. Coaches want to see commitment to a major, don't go undecided! (It's ok, you can change your mahor later - 75% of students do!)
6) Swimmers who fit in, not only competitively, but personally; will you be a positive influence for the team?
7) Coaches decisions are influenced by interactions with parents too. Be supportive and open!
8) Recommendations from club coaches
9) Progress over time. Caoches want to know you will continue to progress and improve as part of their program. Keep a spreadsheet of your times in such a way that shows continual progress over whatever time span showcases you best in each event. ie. show that you consistently improved your times over your high school career and did not plateau.
DI vs DII vs DIII
Divisioins are merely a matter of resources. Schools with more money available are usually able to cultivate larger more competitive programs.
Division I and Divsion II schools may offer athletic scholarships and have specific academic and SAT requirements.
Divison III does not offer athletic monies and has no specific academic and SAT requirements, except of course, what each individual school requires. DIII schools can still offer academic scholarship.
You should level with coaches on family funds, as they may be able to offer supplemental aid for swimming, and often have the ability to help you get academic scholarships as well.
For the official NCAA explanation of the difference between divisions go to http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=418.
Don't discredit Division III if a school satisfies your needs! Division is not always indicative of a team's competitive level.
Making a Decision
Swimmers should visit schools they are interested in. A decision should not be made without visiting the school - officially, unofficially or both!
Questions to ask yourself after visiting a school and meeting the team:
1) "Will I be happy living here for 4 years?" (Environment, campus, surrounding area, climate are all factors)
2) "Will I get along/bond with the freshman/sophomores that I met?" (Seniors and Juniors will graduate soon - consider the people youll spend the most time with! You will sped A LOT of time with your teammates. A good social fit is important.)
3) "Will I thrive under the team's coaching philosophy/Do I like the coach?"
4) Above all else - "Does this school suit my academic needs?"
Best of luck in your search! Please ask for guidance if you need it!!!
