Start Dialing: In this day and age of social networking, texting, email, Facebook, Twitter, it is unbelievably easy to communicate with the world without ever actually speaking. It’s no secret that college coaches like to recruit talented athletes who have displayed success on the field and in the classroom, but other traits they love are maturity and confidence. Your ability to communicate with college coaches on the phone and in person will go a long way in determining if you are recruited over another athlete with similar skill. You can call NCAA coaches at any age and anytime, so start dialing!
Make tough decisions: What colleges you apply to and ultimately attend may be the first of several important decisions you have to make this year. Have you heard the saying “time is money”? Well it’s true with junior golf too. Channel your energy for situations that will get you to where you want to be. Make those tough decisions confidently!
Be prepared for roadblocks: To succeed in the recruiting process, you will need a unique set of skills (academic, athletic, social, work ethic, desire, attitude) that other recruits do not have. Some families get locked in to a small list of “dream” schools, and they focus all their energy on those schools with the assumption that one of them will work out. There are so many factors to the recruiting process and many things you cannot control, so it is important to expand your list of colleges where you can potentially play and where your skills may be needed. If you get a “no” from five college coaches, move on to the sixth, seventh and eighth school on your list. Be prepared for the roadblocks and the unexpected!
“Respect…. People!”: It is important to treat everyone you meet in life with respect including parents, teachers, high school coaches, instructors and so forth. You never know what role someone may play in your life and contribute to your success. You never know how the recruiting process is going to play out. You may have to place a last-minute phone call to a college coach who was recruiting you 8 months ago because other opportunities did not work out as planned, so respect ….people!
You are as much a part of the process as the college coach is: Arguably, the most common misconception is that high school athletes don’t have any say in the recruiting process. Most think they have to wait for college coaches to choose them and make them an offer. The harder you work in school, the harder you work in practice, the harder you work to identify what colleges might be a good fit and the harder you work to contact those coaches directly will increase your ability to choose what colleges accept you. ForeCollegeGolf can help you package your skills and find colleges where you are more desired and a better fit. You will have more offers, and ideally, you will decide where you attend college. So know that you have power and use it wisely!
Mike Smith is the Founder & CEO of ForeCollegeGolf and specializes in assisting junior golfers & their families through the college recruiting process. Email him @ mike.smith@forecollegegolf.com
