NH Classics Path to Playing in College - check out our alumni--->>>
that have advanced on as successful student athletes playing into college.
According to NCAA statistics (www.ncaa.org), only 4 to 5 of every 100 high school varsity soccer players will continue on as student athletes at the NCAA level. If you wish to play in college, the NH Classics offer a tremendous development and play opportunity for you to get there, you just need to hold up your end by getting the grades in school and following the plan below.
Are academics important?
§ Absolutely positively YES! The first and most important aspect of playing in college is to be certified as academically eligible by the NCAA in addition to getting accepted to the college of your choice.
§ To understand the minimum academic requirements for eligibility, see www.ncaa.org and look for the “Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete”. This is the primary reference document to answer all questions regarding eligibility, recruiting and information regarding college selection. Study it and understand it.
§ In general, academic minimums must be met to be eligible to play in NCAA Division I and II programs.
§ NCAA Division I and II programs require a certain set of core courses to be completed e.g. a certain number and level of credits in English, Math, Science, Social Sciences, etc. plus a minimum GPA for this list of courses. If the student does not meet this minimum through their four years of high school coursework, they will NOT be eligible (initially) to play in an NCAA Division I or II program.
§ A minimum SAT score is also required to be eligible in an NCAA Division I or II program.
§ If a player does not meet the minimum requirements, it is possible for the player to attend a community college, junior college or four year college and after a certain number of credit hours and GPA is achieved, the player may become eligible to play but this is the long way around and the player may need to attend college for one or two years after high school graduation before becoming eligible for NCAA I or II levels.
§ It is very important to understand the eligibility requirements and to use the “NCAA Eligibility Center” (previously called the Clearinghouse) at www.ncaa.org as the key source of information. Use the site to look up the specific courses at your high school to determine which are accepted in the eligibility review. Ideally, this is done in the student’s freshman or sophomore year to lay out a minimum course work plan to ensure eligibility. Certainly by the student’s junior year at the latest, the course work plan should be in place to achieve eligibility. The minimum requirements are not all that rigorous for the good student who is on a college track in coursework but it is still important to use the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure that all course selections at your high school meet the NCAA eligibility requirements.
When should I register with the NCAA Eligibility Center?
§ During the student’s sophomore or junior year (latest) in high school, the student should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Student grades and SAT scores should be transmitted periodically through the student’s high school guidance office to the NCAA Eligibility Center to track progress toward eligibility. Final eligibility status is determined upon graduation from high school but some students with a more rigorous course track may meet all requirements prior to graduation from high school.
§ Once the student is registered in the NCAA Eligibility Center, college coaches are able to look up the student on the NCAA Eligibility Center web site to determine if the student is on track for eligibility and/or acceptance into the college.
What about colleges that are not at the NCAA I or II levels?
§ At the NCAA Division III, NAIA or Junior College levels, eligibility is primarily determined by each individual college and there is no eligibility requirement through the NCAA Eligibility Center.
§ In all cases, eligibility through the NCAA Eligibility Center is only a minimum academic requirement for eligibility and does not mean that a student will be accepted to a college. For most colleges, the academic standard for acceptance into the college is much higher than the minimum NCAA eligibility requirement.
If I am a really good soccer player, won’t this be good enough to get me into the college of my choice?
§ Students who are desired athletes, pass the NCAA eligibility minimum and are slightly below the standard of a typical student accepted into the college may receive some advantages in the admission process due to their athletic desirability. Students who are significantly below the standard of a typical student accepted to a college may need to look for another college. It is always more beneficial for students to be able to gain acceptance on their own academic merit whether they are an athlete or not.
What are my chances of getting a scholarship?
§ The chances of getting an athletic scholarship are quite limited.
§ NCAA Division I and II schools are able to offer athletic scholarships but the number allowed is restricted by the NCAA. Additionally, some schools may choose to fund the soccer program to the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA, some schools may choose a lesser number and some schools may choose to fund no athletic scholarships.
§ For the men, athletic scholarships are even more competitive due to competition from foreign students.
§ NCAA Division III schools do not have athletic scholarships.
§ A very important note of consideration is most colleges provide academic scholarships (a form of discounting for desired student-athletes). Students who are academically proficient and are being recruited as an athlete put themselves into a position where receiving some form of academic aid is likely.
§ Academic scholarships are far more available than athletic scholarships so get the grades!
§ Financial aid comes in various forms.
o The athletic scholarship can be full or partial and is subject to the rules and restrictions defined in the “Guide for the College Bound Student/Athlete”. The athletic scholarship directly reduces the cost of college attendance. 0.5% to 1.5% of NCAA soccer athletes moving successfully to the NCAA level will receive an athletic scholarship.
o Academic scholarships and grants are also available and these also directly reduce the cost of college attendance.
o Subsidized and non-subsidized loans are also used in financial awards which allow the family or student to pay for the cost of college over a longer period of time. Loans are not like scholarships or grants as they must be paid back but they will be included in the overall financial aid package.
o Work study is also another form of aid that allows the student to work on campus to help cover expenses.
Do I select the college or does the college select me?
§ Finding a college to attend and play soccer at is like finding a job. To find a job, you must send resumes, apply for jobs, and leverage your social network and key contacts to open doors for you. To connect with a college soccer program, if you do nothing, chances are highly likely that the college coach will not find you. But if you invest the necessary time to pursue and recruit the college, it is highly likely that a college coach will invest time to assess and recruit you.
§ The biggest mistake you can make is to play on a club team in league play or at a “showcase” tournament without contacting coaches in advance to watch you play. Just because you are playing in a strong league or tournament and a lot of coaches are attending, it does not mean that the spotlight will be on you. If you do not connect with coaches in advance, the coaches will have no reason to find you.
§ Either in your sophomore year or in your junior year, you will need to have an idea of what colleges you would like to attend. Large, medium or small? Geographically close to home, a reasonable distance away or far away? Type of academics, e.g. business, liberal arts, university, etc. What are your chances getting accepted to the college? Easy, likely or stretch?
§ Next, you will need to have an idea of where you might like to play. Do you like the coach? The coaching style? The program? The players? The style of play? What is your chance of playing? Easy, likely or a stretch?
§ Once you have your target list of colleges that match your academic and soccer needs, you should directly email the coach. This should begin by the spring season of your sophomore year or the fall season of your junior and certainly before your spring club season of your junior year.
§ For your junior year spring/summer club team season, your target college coaches should be kept up to date with your playing schedule, what league games you might have (especially if they are geographically near the college), what tournaments you will play in, etc.
§ Your club team will typically play in strong league play and at strong tournaments which are easily accessible for college coaches to attend and see you play.
§ It is really in your best interest to recruit the college rather than hoping a college coach will somehow find you.
§ See the “Guide for College Bound Student-Athletes” to understand what is acceptable in the recruiting process including key dates, rules, etc.
Where do college coaches go to see players?
§ College coaches manage their time and use resources wisely to get the greatest return on their recruiting investment.
§ College coaches will go to see players who have demonstrated interested in their school, e.g. by emailing them. These players are the “low hanging fruit”. Coaches can easily seek these players out to assess their academic eligibility and level of play. From there, they can make a decision on whether to recruit the player based on academics and ability. College coaches are interested in players who are interested in their college. It is a waste of their time to watch and recruit players who have no interest in attending their college.
§ College coaches also use successful players in their program to recruit other players from the same area. That is why it is common to see a number of players on a college roster from the same town or area but in different academic grades. If you are interested in a college, be sure to use the NH Classics club connections to college coaches through the NH Classics coaching staff and player alumni.
§ College coaches will attend tournaments and camps to see players and share information with other college coaches.
§ Players may also receive unsolicited interest from coaches who have come to see teammates or opponents. For example, a college coach may attend a game to watch a certain player but may also be interested in other players in the game and may seek out information on some of the teammate(s).
§ College coaches use official visits to bring players into their college during the fall-winter of their senior year in high school to meet with the player, have them play with the team, etc. This gives the coach as well as current players on the team a chance for a face to face visit with new recruits and a chance to assess the player. This also gives the player a brief chance to be part of the program and campus life.
§ Finally, colleges with the least amount of resources and time to recruit will simply obtain rosters with contact information at various tournaments, or off web sites, ODP lists, etc., and mass mail to players to generate interest in their program. This approach is quite common and may give some parents and players the false sense that they are being recruited when it is actually just a mass mailing.
When should I contact the college coach and how can I get the coach to see me play?
§ During your junior year (latest), you should be emailing the coaches of the colleges you are interested in. This is how you start the recruiting process. You should be sure to have an established email account with an email name that is something mature, e.g. NOT wildpartyperson@yahoo.com and you should be sure to check your account regularly. Keep coaches well informed about your academic progress and playing schedule so they can see you play in your spring season club games.
What about the coach?
§ Be sure to research the coach. Choosing a coach that you can trust and one that will be interested in your academic and athletic development is very important. All coaches are competing for players to improve their program and some coaches may make promises about the program, style of play, position, playing time, etc., that may not hold true once you arrive. The professionalism and integrity of the coach will be important and will set the tone for the entire program.
When should I visit the college?
§ During your junior year, you should visit the colleges (called unofficial visits) on your target list to see the campus, talk to students, talk with admission advisors and see the varsity team play.
When and where should I get the college coaches to see me play?
§ During your sophomore and junior years, you should provide your game schedule to the college coaches so they can attend your games to assess your ability. This could include your high school team if it is a good level team but it should definitely include your club team (typically stronger) either in league play or tournament play.
§ Strong club, league and tournament play is important for the college coach to see you play at a high play level.
§ Many coaches will come to see you play in a league game but coaches have a tendency to attend weekend tournament events in an attempt to see many players in a short period of time.
§ Events that draw college coaches include local tournaments such as the Scorpion Bowl , Oakwood Invitational, Needham Invitational or regional tournaments such as MAPS, Bethesda, Potomac, PDA, and the USYSA regionals plus the Rider ODP tournament weekend. There are other major tournaments that are further away like Disney, Jefferson Cup and others that draw large groups of college coaches as well. Players attending any of the above events should have definitely contacted their target list of coaches well in advance so these coaches can see them play in these events.
§ For players wishing to attend a college a great distance away where it is unlikely that the college coach will travel to see you play, one option is use of video of an entire game played at a good competitive level (many coaches use a video as a last resort) and another option is for the player to attend a summer camp that the college coach works at or operates during the summer before the start of your junior or senior year.
Am I a D1, D2 or D3 player?
§ It is important to find a good match for your playing ability but don’t be confused by those who label you as a D1, D2 or D3 player because there is a wide disparity of ability in each division as well as a large overlap in ability across divisions. A team ranked #1 in D1, D2, or D3 is going to be significantly different than a D1 team ranked #200. Many teams at the D2 or D3 level can be more difficult to play at than many D1 programs. See www.soccerratings.com for the rankings of soccer programs within each division from the first to last.
§ A key factor in the play level of a soccer program is whether the school has scholarships and if the school has the ability to recruit players nationally and/or internationally. Look at the roster of prospective schools to get an understanding of the players on the team. Many college soccer team sites have player bios. If you see that the team includes players who have been in the national pool or on national teams of the U.S. or other countries, and the team is ranked highly in their NCAA division, it is likely to be a very competitive program whether it is D1, D2 or D3.
§ There are many very good players who are not able to be academically admitted to certain colleges and universities and these players tend to migrate to schools with very strong soccer programs with lower academic standards. D2 has a good number of these colleges and the ability to draw these players so they are very competitive in soccer.
§ At the D1 level, many times the soccer program is D1 because of the basketball, football or ice hockey program. When a college or university decides to compete in a certain division, all sports within that college or university athletic program will compete at the same level. Even though the soccer program is D1, it may be relatively weak compared to their highly ranked hockey, basketball, or football program. So be sure to understand the competitive level of a program and select one where you'll fit in.
How do I know things are progressing?
§ On July 1st prior to your senior year, college coaches will be able to contact you by phone.
§ During the fall-winter season of your senior year, you will be able to attend a limited number of colleges (see guide) on “official visits”. Official visits generally include an overnight stay, meals, campus tour, playing time with the team, etc.
§ You will want to ask the coach how you will fit in, etc. Regardless of what they say, you will have to work hard every year in the classroom and on the field to maintain a good position in school and on the team.
§ Typically, you will have a number of schools in play and the college coaches will have a number of players in play as well. Eventually, you will be notified on whether you have been accepted to a school in addition to your financial package which will be part of your final decision.
§ If you will receive an athletic scholarship and sign a national letter of intent, be sure to see the information on national letters of intent under www.ncaa.org
Are you on the team?
§ When talking with the coach, be sure to determine whether you are on the team or not.
§ If you are going to attempt to “walk-on” and tryout, that is not an impossible route but it is a very difficult route as you are really not on the team and at some schools, you will not even be allowed to tryout.
§ If you are invited to pre-season, does that mean you are on the team? Some schools may invite you into pre-season and after three or four days, decide whether you have made the team or not. If you do not make the team, you may not be provided further housing, meals, etc., and may need to go home until school starts. This is not the most desirable situation, especially if you live a great distance from school.
§ The more respected programs will invite you in for pre-season and will cover your housing and meals until school begins even if they consider you a “squad player”. It is not uncommon for teams to have upwards of 30 or more players in the program and only dress 18-22 for games, especially games requiring travel expense. The remaining players are considered “squad players” and they practice with the team, but do not dress for games until they can earn it.
Is it what you know, how you play or who you know that counts?
§ It is a little bit of all of the above.
§ Do not underestimate the connections that the NH Classics have with colleges of your choice. It is highly likely that club alumni are playing at or have played at a school that you are interested in and it is also highly likely that some member of the club coaching staff is connected to the college of your choice. Be sure to make use of these resources for references and to open doors as needed. College coaches rely heavily on a network of coaches that they can trust for information.
§ Do not miss out on the important window of opportunity during your junior year to recruit your college and to get connected to the colleges of your choice to see you play in league games or tournament events.
Is that it?
§ Be sure to remain in good academic and social status all the way through graduation at your high school or you may be subject to a change in admission status.
§ Do not underestimate the commitment level and desire needed to play college soccer. For players in competitive programs, it is a full year commitment to playing, lifting, staying fit, overcoming injury (for some), and managing your time and activities to maintain your academic eligibility, but for players who love the game, it is a very rewarding experience.
Best of Luck!