The following guide should be used as a reference when applying to colleges and universities.

Sophomore Year 
• Review NCAA Athletic Eligibility Guidelines.
• Take PSAT test. 
• Prepare soccer resume and player profile.
• Review NCAA Clearinghouse eligibility guidelines and understand requirements.

• Select junior year course to fulfill these requirements.

Summer Before Junior Year 
• Register with NCAA Clearinghouse.
• Complete resume and player profile on the Barons Website. 
• Search for colleges / universities that meet your interests and submit them to the Barons/Banshees Youth Academy Technical Director.
• Research the academics and teams at these schools.
• Send resume and player profiles to these schools.

Junior Year 
• Take PSAT test for National Merit Scholarship.
• Play in College Showcase tournaments.
• Attend any recruitment seminars at these tournaments.
• Narrow your search to 10 or so schools.
• Contact coaches to schedule a time for an unofficial visit.
• Make unofficial visit (at your expense) to selected schools.
• Take SAT test.
• Check status with NCAA Clearinghouse.
• Select senior year courses to complete Clearinghouse requirements.
• Obtain college financial aid form (FAFSA).
• Send coaches updated resume and player profile, send dates of tournaments and league games. 

Summer Before Senior Year 
• Complete unofficial school visits.
• Narrow search to 5 or 10 schools.
• Evaluate opportunities during recruiting calls from coaches.
• Complete FAFSA form for an estimate of available aid.

Senior Year 
• Check status with NCAA Clearinghouse.
• Narrow search to 5 schools.
• Send “Early Admission” applica\tion to the 5 schools.
• Complete FAFSA form again with recent tax information.
• Complete 5 Official (at the schools expense) visits.
• Make a decision and sign a National Letter of Intent.

Visit www.collegeboard.com to find out valuable information about applying to college.

The site offers: 
PSAT and SAT testing dates and locations. 
Advice about choosing the right school. 
Planning for college. 
Getting into the schools of your choice. 
How to pay for school

When Can A College Coach Talk to a High School Prospect?

There can be a lot of confusion about contacting college coaches, especially if you are new to the recruiting game. This is the time of year when athletes start thinking a lot about getting calls from a college coach and there are usually a lot of questions surrounding the topic.

Is it OK for an athlete to call a coach? When can a coach call an athlete? Are there any rules to be aware of when you are hoping to be recruited by a college coach?

To help simplify this, here are a few simple tips to guide your future interaction with college coaches:

•  A college coach can only call or visit you after July of your junior year in high school. That means a coach can not place an outbound call to you, nor can he initiate a visit to your home or school specifically to talk to you about playing a sport at his or her college, until the summer before your senior year. Remember, this deals only with outbound communication from a coach. 
• You can call or meet with a coach at any point in your high school career. That’s right, you can call a coach whenever you want. The key here is that you are the one initiating contact with the coach and not the other way around. If you want to call a coach or visit a campus and set up a meeting with the coach, you may do so as often as you wish. 

• You can take as many campus visits as you would like when considering a sports scholarship offer. Again, the key here is that you are the one initiating the visit. What about those five "official" visits that you often hear about big-time athletes making to schools when they are seniors? Those are visits that the school pays for. A prospective student-athlete can only take five official visits that are paid for by schools during his or her high school career. 

With these rules in mind, the advice that the experts here at Recruit would give you would be to contact as many coaches as you can during high school, as often as you like. We like to see our athletes take control of the process and try to "interview" and evaluate coaches that may express interest in them rather than waiting and waiting and waiting for a coach to finally call them. Be proactive about the process! Take control!

Here is a quality website that covers college scoccer: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer/men

 

What’s the difference between Divisions I, II and III?

 

Division I - List of Division 1 Colleges

Division I member institutions have to sponsor at least seven sports for men and seven for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each playing season has to be represented by each gender as well. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria. For sports other than football and basketball, Division I schools must play 100 percent of the minimum number of contests against Division I opponents -- anything over the minimum number of games has to be 50 percent Division I. Men’s and women’s basketball teams have to play all but two games against Division I teams; for men, they must play one-third of all their contests in the home arena. Schools that have football are classified as Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) or NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Football Bowl Subdivision schools are usually fairly elaborate programs. Football Bowl Subdivision teams have to meet minimum attendance requirements (average 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game), which must be met once in a rolling two-year period. NCAA Football Championship Subdivision teams do not need to meet minimum attendance requirements. Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid awards for their athletics program, and there are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school cannot exceed.

Division II - List of Division II Colleges
Division II institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, (or four for men and six for women), with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are contest and participant minimums for each sport, as well as scheduling criteria -- football and men’s and women’s basketball teams must play at least 50 percent of their games against Division II or Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) or Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) opponents. For sports other than football and basketball there are no scheduling requirements. There are not attendance requirements for football, or arena game requirements for basketball. There are maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division II school must not exceed. Division II teams usually feature a number of local or in-state student-athletes. Many Division II student-athletes pay for school through a combination of scholarship money, grants, student loans and employment earnings. Division II athletics programs are financed in the institution’s budget like other academic departments on campus. Traditional rivalries with regional institutions dominate schedules of many Division II athletics programs.

Division III - List of Division III Colleges
Division III institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women, with two team sports for each gender, and each playing season represented by each gender. There are minimum contest and participant minimums for each sport. Division III athletics features student-athletes who receive no financial aid related to their athletic ability and athletic departments are staffed and funded like any other department in the university. Division III athletics departments place special importance on the impact of athletics on the students academic progress. The student-athlete’s experience is of paramount concern. Division III athletics encourages participation by maximizing the number and variety of athletics opportunities available to students, placing primary emphasis on regional in-season and conference competition.

Key Websites

• www.ncaa.org

 

Academics & Athletes

        -  Eligibility

        -  Recruiting

        -  Division 1 Financial aid Information

• web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

    (NCAA clearinghouse – must register if student athlete)

• www.sjelitebarons.com

 

Click on youth academy and NCAA information and some useful guides and explanations are available.

 

SJEB College Recruiting Advice

• Stress the necessity for student involvement in the process
• Mom and Dad are not the one’s going to college
• What can happen if you do not do your homework and due diligence.

1. May not like the campus
2. May not like the location – distance from home, town, shopping, weather etc.
3. May not have your ultimate major
4. May not have a good mix of students compatible with you
5. Class sizes and teaching approach may not be what you expected
6. On-campus restrictions – cars?
7. On-campus security
8. Academic competitiveness
9. Social activities (nightclubs, movies, organized school activities etc.)
10. Cost may become burdensome and stressful to family
11. Coach may not be what you expected
12. Team may not be what you expected
13. Teammates may not be what you expected
14. Team competitiveness
15. Competition for playing time
16. Preseason and off season activities
17. Who do you play? – accessibility for family to see you.

1. • Always ask the key question – if soccer doesn’t workout would you still stay at the school?

Give examples of injuries, academic and social challenges coaches who change, etc.

 

We are here tonight not to give you a basic college decision program we are here to help you understand how important it is for you to be proactive and involved in your college process.

 

Academics 

• Maintain or improve academics results
• Focus on success in core subjects – English, Math, Sciences
• Get involved in outside school activities in addition to sports – (know what schools you are looking at want)

Research admissions criteria at various colleges that interest you.  Cannot join clubs in your senior year and get much benefit.

• If you have troubled subjects get help now.
• Do not get black marks on your high school credentials – suspensions, detentions, drinking or drug issues.
• SAT’s prepare for and take 3 times.
• After 1st time research your weaknesses and get help. Difference between 1,000 and 1,200 for the 2 key parts is huge. Research school admission and financial aid criteria so you understand what they are looking for.  You can figure out generic guidance but school specific is important.
• ACT’s have value at some schools, research it!
• Do not let down your senior year.  Many schools pay particular attention to course selection and performance throughout your high school career but in particular senior year.
• Honors and A/P courses have benefits.
• Understand the difference between liberal arts schools and traditional schools, graduate school planning vs jobs right out of college.  Even if you do not have a major try to select schools that have enough diversity for your possible needs.

Finances

• Understand cost relationships between private and public universities and in-state vs out of state tuition.  The differences can be significant.
• Have open discussions with your parents on financial parameters.  Students should not assume any school is fair game and parents should not assume that scholarships or grants will happen.
• Develop a family budget with or without academic/athletic aid.
• Know if you qualify for financial aid.  This will differ based on schools you look at, family finances, number of siblings in school at same time.
• Research financial aid sections at colleges you may be interested in to understand their grant/scholarship/aid expectations and parameters (this will help guide your SAT efforts).
• With your parents lay out possible options taking into account academic aid, parent contribution, student contribution.

Having knowledge is always the preferred approach. When you know what you are looking for you can approach various colleges and universities with a plan.  This will generally be more successful than winging it.

 

 

Soccer

College Selection 

• Once you have developed an initial list of schools that fall into your academic, social and financial parameters you can focus more on understanding the soccer side.
• Visit the soccer websites of schools you are considering. Look for the following:

• • Stability of coaches, players and results
  • Schedule – who do they play?  Where do they play?  Consider other schools in the same conference as they will generally have similar criteria and school structures
  • Review current roster for makeup of players, size, high school affiliation, overseas players
  • Review prior rosters for player turnover
  • Review team stats as this will tell you a lot about how the coach works (does he play 13 – 14 players per game vs 17 – 18).
  • How big is the roster and how many players had significant participation?
  • What is the record of the team?
  • What is the class makeup (upper classmen vs under classmen)?
    
    Visit schools

• • Look at campus
  • Look at facilities for soccer and off season
  • Talk with players and coaches
  • Talk with non-student athletes
  • Check out cafeteria
  • Sit in on a freshman class

• Communication

• • Contact coach
  • Be professional and courteous at all times whether verbal or written communications
  • Always respond/follow up positively with coaches
  • Keep coaches informed of your schedule
  • Be prepared to ask the coach soccer questions that matter to you.
  • Follow up thank you’s after a visit have value
  • Understand when recruiting coaches become sales people.  You have to try to sift through the sales pitch to get to the facts.  Your research will help you with this.

Process

• Beginning of junior year develop a tentative list of schools (include wish list schools and others)
• Begin to research and get guidance from your parents.
• End of September contact coaches at schools you are looking at and provide them with your profile along with high school and club schedule.
• Follow up prior to showcases.
• Follow up after showcases with thanks if they attended.
• Over the winter break analyze what occurred and re-visit your school selection list.
• Spring contact additional coaches.
• August of Senior year have a more defined list based on the previous years experience and research
• Provide list to SJB staff along with accurate up to date profile and club will develop a letter from the coach to various schools on our players lists for introducing and recommending players.
• Stay in touch with coaches during fall high school/college season.
• During Junior and Senior year try to get to a number of games involving schools you are considering as well as visiting the school.
• Be prepared for final college showcases.
• Provide feedback to SJB staff for follow – up assistance.

Player

• Fitness and work rate are absolutely critical to most college coaches.
• Technical ability and tactical knowledge is assumed and will be observed.
• A lack of work rate, fitness and defensive emphasis are death to a potential recruit.
• Fitness includes endurance and strength so use your off season wisely.  Get into permanent fitness habits.  Eat right, stay away from drugs and alcohol.
• Take care of minor injuries before they become chronic.
• Be smart during your high school season.
• Once you have committed to a school increase your attention to details both academic and athletic.
• Players who take a vacation between commitment and college pre season struggle or fail.  Do not let yourself be one of them. 

 REMINDER

• Academics are critical

• Stay out of trouble say NO to Alcohol / Drugs

• Do your research, procrastinators do not succeed

• Communicate, communicate, communicate with parents, coaches, SJB staff, teachers, they can all help

• stay sharp technically and tactically

• Fitness can always be better, get off the sofa and focus

• Pick friends for the right reasons – good one’s help the cause

• Be humble but confident and success will come