Many high school students are interested in participating in college athletics, but many are unsure what to do and where to start. Adding athletic recruitment to the college application process not only requires additional work on the part of the athlete, but it actually moves up every part of the college application timeline. In addition, one of the biggest surprises for aspiring college athletes is that recruitment rarely provides the financial impact on college costs that many families are led to expect. There are huge differences in athletic recruitment from sport to sport, and between Divisions I, II, and III, that will affect financial benefit. What is most important is that with talent, tools, and time, students can find an athletic program that will fit their abilities at a school that can provide them with a wonderful college experience.
Below, we catalog the most important considerations for students who are interested in making athletics a part of their college experience. In part one, we discuss the early stages of the college selection process. In part two, we will discuss the steps students will take to put together and submit applications to their schools of choice!
