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The best time to begin looking for a college for your child is during their
sophomore or junior year in high school. Be aware, that for the majority of players, this process continues well into the senior year.
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Proven Success |
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Following a proven process is vital to getting
the recognition required to get the scholarship
opportunities you are seeking for your child.
College Sports Exposure has fine-tuned this
process after discussions with dozens of college
coaches and carefully noting what works and what
doesn't. Starting early is important.
That's why we recommend that you read and follow
the Recruiting Process outlined below. The
best test of the success of our process is in
what our athletes tell us. We encourage you to
Read what they say
about our services. |
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Sophomore Year
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PSAT |
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Players should take their PSAT during the Fall of their sophomore year or junior year. The PSAT is good practice for the
SAT.
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On-Line
Player Profiles |
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Freshman
and sophomore athletes should post their
player profile on an internet
website. College Coaches can view
and track the progress of the the high
school freshman and sophomore athletes
when they visit the on-line player
profiles of juniors and seniors.
Tips: Choose an internet website
to publish your on-line player profile
where there is already college coaches
visiting the site. It takes years
to get college coaches to visit on-line
profiles on a website. Ask the
website owner what methods they use to
encourage college coaches to visit their
website. Also, ask the owner for
proof that college coaches are visiting
the website to view the on-line player
profiles. |
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Videos
& Profiles |
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Competitive
Div. 1 programs scout athletes 1 and 2
years in advance of their senior
year. As a consequence, mature
athletes should mail or e-mail out
resumes
and film their videos during their
sophomore year. The spring part of
the sophomore year is a good time to
mail or e-mail out resumes and film the
video. Please see resumes and videos
under Junior
Year for more details.
Video Tip: There are many
companies that offer packages to help
athletes get college scholarships.
Many of these companies do not
film or edit videos. Ask the
salesman of these companies if you can
view one of their videos before agreeing
to their package. |
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Junior Year
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NCAA
Clearinghouse |
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Players should sign-up with the NCAA Clearinghouse in the Fall of their junior year. Clearinghouse forms
are available from the player's High School counselors. To
register with the NCAA
Clearinghouse
on-line, Click
here. For more information about the
NCAA Clearinghouse, Click
here.
You can call the Clearinghouse at 319-337-1492 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
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SAT/ACT |
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Players should take their SAT and ACT their junior year, preferably in the Spring. They should plan to take the SAT and ACT at least twice. Take the SAT the second time in the Fall of your senior year. Most players usually make a better score on their second test.
To register for the SAT,
Click
here.
To register for the ACT, Click
here. |
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Areas of Study
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Decide on which colleges have the areas of study which you are interested. Focus on those colleges. College Sports Exposure can help you develop a list of colleges that have your desired
major using their "College-Fit"
program. Also, look for "college nights" in your area.
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Resumes
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The best time to send out resumes is early in the Fall of your junior year of high school. For fall sports, your high school sports schedule should accompany each resume. For softball, a schedule of your travel team's tournaments should accompany each resume. In the Fall, the college softball coaches frequently visit the tournaments scouting players whose resumes and tournament schedules they have received as well as players that they have heard about!
Click here
to see the available resume options at
College Sports Exposure. |
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| Return Questionnaires
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Return all questionnaires sent to you by all the colleges as soon as possible. Delay indicates lack of interest! |
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| Cover
Letter
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Attach
a cover letter when you mail your resume,
video or return a questionnaire to the
college coach. The cover letter should let
the coach know why you are interested in
their particular college. It should
mention the fit between the college and
your area of study and geographical
preference. Hand written cover
letters usually make a bigger impact with
the college coach.
CLICK HERE
for a sample cover letter. |
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| On-Line
Player Profile
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Update
your on-line player profile. |
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High School Coach
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During your junior year, let your high school coach know what schools you are interested in. He/she can often provide valuable advice and help you get
exposure
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Video
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The best time to schedule the filming of your
Skill and/or Hi-Light
video is during the season of your particular sport in your
sophomore or junior year. The video should be mailed to the colleges of your choice in May and June. A schedule of your travel team's summer tournaments should accompany each video.
If you wish to attend a particular college and you have not received any contact after sending them your resume, send them your video. Some college coaches will respond to a video but will not respond to the resume.
Follow-up with a phone call within a few weeks after sending your video. For softball, it is important for the coaches to receive your video in May and June so that they can watch you play in a tournament before July 1. July 1 is the date for all sports except football in which college coaches and faculty members can first make a phone call to a player who has finished their junior year in high school.
Click
here
to find out the
contents of your sport video made by College Sports Exposure.
Tips: It is best to get your video filmed and edited
professionally. If the college coach is interested in you, the coach may
play your video several times. First impressions are critical. Do
not use just anyone to film your video, like a wedding videographer because
they likely know little about your sport and sports
related decisions needed to be made during the filming and editing
process.
Plan your filming well in advance of your senior year. It's amazing how
the weather doesn't cooperate when you want to film your video.
Furthermore, editing requires considerable time to pick through the footage,
make right decisions, title and copy. Also, footage can become corrupt or
the computer or editor become inoperable during the editing
process.
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Contact College Coach
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Call the Coach of the schools which you are interested in! Colleges are more likely to recruit athletes who have shown an interest in them. NCAA rules prohibit colleges from calling high school athletes until after their junior year (July 1). There is no rule prohibiting the athlete from calling the coach. After July 1, College Coaches are limited to making one phone call per week.
Click
here to see exceptions.
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Clinics
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Write you favorite colleges in the winter of your junior year and ask whether they have any clinics. Sign-up for one and attend it in the Summer after your junior year. The clinics are opportunities for the college coaches to see you perform. The college coaches cannot attend every tournament of prospective players. For softball, the college coaches typically favor scouting ASA Gold qualifiers, ASA Gold National Tournaments and AFA National Tournaments during the summer.
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Senior Year
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NCAA Clearinghouse
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Check with the Clearinghouse to see if they have received your high school transcript, SAT and ACT scores.
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Up-dated Resume
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Send out an up-dated resume with a high school schedule or fall travel team schedule in August and September of your senior year. This will help remind the coaches to come and watch you play in the fall before the signing dates. National Letter of Intent signing dates are given in the following table:
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| NCAA
Sport |
Initial
Date |
Final
Date |
| Fast
Pitch Softball |
November
8, 2006 |
November
15,
2006 |
| Baseball |
November
8,
2006 |
November
15,
2006 |
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Soccer,
Field Hockey & Men's Water Polo |
February
7,
2007 |
August
1,
2007 |
| Women's
Volleyball |
November
8, 2006 |
November
15, 2006 |
Basketball
(early period) |
November
8,
2006 |
November
15,
2006 |
Basketball
(late period) |
April
11,
2007 |
May
16,
2007 |
Football
(regular) |
February
2,
2007 |
April
1, 2007 |
Football
(midyear JC transfer) |
December
15,
2007 |
January
15,
2007 |
All
Other Sports
(early period) |
November
8,
2006 |
November
15,
2006 |
All
Other Sports
(late period) |
April
11,
2007 |
August
1.
2007 |
| Junior
College Sport |
Signing
Date |
| Fast
Pitch Softball |
January
15
to Dec |
| Baseball |
January
15
to August |
| Soccer |
December
1
to August |
| Women's
Volleyball |
November
1
to August |
| Basketball |
April
8
to August |
| Football |
1st
Wednesday in Feb. to August |
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NCAA
Signing Dates always start on a
Wednesday. These National Letter of intent signing dates are subject to change.
Click
here to insure the above NCAA National Letter of intent signing have not been revised.
NAIA college coaches can sign players anytime during the
year. NJCAA signing dates end two weeks
before the Fall College semester begins.
NJCAA college coaches can request an extension
to sign players after the end of the signing
date. Contact the NJCAA at 719-590-9788 to determine whether any of their signing dates have been changed.
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| Up-date
Player Profile
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Up-date
your on-line player profile. |
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Visit the College
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It is never too early to visit a school. Arrange visitations in the Fall with the schools you are interested
in. |
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College Applications
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Start collecting college applications. Be aware of deadlines. Complete and mail applications early and let the coaches know you have applied.
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| Contact College
Coach
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Follow-up your contact with the college coaches with a phone call or note.
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SAT/ACT
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Take the SAT and ACT a second or third time in the Fall of your senior year. Most players usually make a better score on their second and third tests.
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Finally
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Narrow your college choices down to five or six. You may only take five official (paid) visits. Only one of these visits can be to the same campus. Do not make a decision unless you have visited the campus and met the coach.
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