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Newsletter                                                                November 2009
In This Issue
Ready, Set, Apply
Advice for Student Athletes
Now Enrolling Juniors
Connect with Educational Advocates
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Ready, Set, Apply: A Checklist to Help You Finish Your College Application
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With the January deadline for most college applications lurking around the corner, it is time for high school seniors to start submitting applications. However, before pressing the "Submit" button and hoping for the best, there are a few steps that students should take in order to make sure that the applications are complete and to help prepare for the next steps in the application process:
  • Apply early. Don't wait until the last minute to send in your application. It is also a good idea to get your application done early so you can have someone proof it for you.
  • Remember to pay the application fee when you submit the application. The best way to ensure that the payment and the application have gone through is to log out of the application (or the Common App site) and then log back in. The application should show up as submitted.
  • Check your email regularly. Most schools will email you to let you know that your application has been received. If you don't receive an email within two weeks of submitting the application, call the school to make sure that it was received.
  • Read the school sites. Even if you are submitting your application and supplement through the Common Application website, you should still go to the sites of all of the colleges you are applying to in order to see each school's application checklist. This can help prevent you from inadvertently missing a step, particularly with schools like Colorado College, which has a form not found on the Common App site that must be completed. On the school sites, you can also check to see if there are additional requirements such as a graded paper or a separate application in order for you to be considered for scholarships.
  • Start the financial aid process. Although the Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2010 - 2011 school year won't be available until January 1, 2010, you can still fill out the CSS Profile form.
  • Determine which schools recommend interviews and, if you aren't able to visit the schools between now and February to have an on-campus interview, check to see if your schools will hold interviews in your town or if they offer an alumni interview program. Do not wait until the last minute to schedule interviews.
  • Stay on top of your recommendations. Make sure that you have filled out and given your guidance counselor and teachers all of the needed forms and envelopes for your recommendations. Don't be afraid to ask your counselor or teachers politely about the status of the recommendations to see if they have been sent.
  • Send the official score reports. Most schools need the official score reports for your standardized tests, including the SAT and/ or ACT. Be certain that you have requested that the official scores be sent from the College Board or ACT directly to the school. You should also make sure to send AP scores if you earned a 4 or 5 on the test.
Contacting a College Coach: Advice for the Prospective Student Athlete
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High school athletes devote many hours to their sport, and those who have been standouts on their team or in their league may want to consider playing in college. One of the biggest myths about college athletics is that coaches will find you if you are truly talented. Nothing could be further from the truth. College coaches are busy, and in an era of budget cuts, they cannot always travel to scout out potential recruits. Students need to do their research, not only regarding their ability to play on a college team, but also to determine if the college is a good fit both academically and socially.

Research the College-Not Just the Sport  Matt Noone, head coach of the Babson College baseball program, advises students that their sport must be very important to them due to the significant time commitment and work they will need to put into being a college athlete. At Babson, it is essential that the student not only be deeply interested in the sport, but also be academically eligible and a good match for a Babson education.

"The best recruits are those who initially contact us and have done their research," says Coach Noone. "Because baseball is a spring sport, we must be able to see prospective athletes in the spring of their junior year or the summer following junior year. By the high school senior year baseball season, the recruitment process is over."

When and How to Contact a Coach  While the very best athletes might begin contacting coaches as early as freshman and sophomore years, junior year is an ideal time for most athletes to contact college coaches. Coach Noone recommends that students begin a dialogue by sending the coach an email expressing interest and providing SAT/ACT scores, GPA, and a brief athletic background. According to Coach Noone, video of a student playing their sport can be a nice introduction and may be a potential motivator for him or a member of his coaching staff to get out to see the player perform.

"Students don't need to send an elaborate video. Footage taken with a simple video camera is sufficient," says Noone. "And with today's technology, video can be emailed, which is easier for the coaching staff, since we can instantly access it from a computer."

However, video is no substitution for a coach actually seeing the prospective athlete perform.  Noone says that no coach will add a student to his roster based on viewing video.  Therefore, once a student establishes an initial rapport with the coach via email, he or she can email the coach a schedule of contests (for high school, club and summer leagues).  So a pitcher, for example, should list the days he expects to start, and should notify the prospective coach if there is a change in his schedule. If the coach is interested, he can come out and see the student's game.

NCAA Rules  There are rules that govern how and when college coaches can contact prospective student athletes and they vary by NCAA Division as well as by sport. A coach can send recruiting materials by mail and reply to an email but cannot contact prospective athletes by phone until after a certain point in junior year (for most sports/athletes).  Students may unofficially visit the coach at the college campus, but the coach may not have off-campus contact with the student until certain time periods. For a complete review of recruiting rules, download the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete at http://www.ncaastudent.org/

Showcase Tournaments  Another way that college coaches can see students perform is at showcase tournaments, which are offered throughout the country for many sports. However, because participation in such events can be costly, it is important that students be sure about which college coaches are attending the event, and if they are likely to show up. A showcase might be a good idea for a student who lives in Boston, but is interested in a college at a geographic distance such as one in Texas or California. If the coaches at the schools in which a student is interested can confirm that they will be attending a given showcase, then it might be worth the investment.  Some colleges also sponsor camps or single-day events as way to evaluate student athletes.

Making the Team  Prospective student athletes should be aware that they can be recruited by a college, and still not end up starting or even making the team once they matriculate. Most coaches hold tryouts in the fall for recruits, returning players and walk-on athletes. The coach will go with the best performers, so a talented walk on athlete could potentially take the place of an athlete that was recruited the previous fall. This is another reason that the student must like the school beyond the sport.  If students pursue a school where they are one of the weaker players on the roster, they risk not ending up on the team. If playing a sport in college is a top priority for the student athlete above all other criteria, then the student must do a careful self-evaluation of how his or her talent and ability truly fits in with the players on the current roster before committing to a college.

The Admissions Process  When it comes to applying, many coaches will ask student athletes to apply early decision, which is a binding agreement under which a student pledges to attend the college if admitted. In an upcoming newsletter, we will take a closer look at the admission process for student athletes and how it differs between Divisions and leagues, and will explain approaches such as the National Letter of Intent, the likely letter used by the Ivy League, and the ways in which coaches can and cannot advocate for student athletes in the admissions office.

Matt Noone is the head coach for the Babson College baseball program and can be reached at [email protected]

Juniors: It Isn't Too Early To Start Thinking About College

We are now enrolling juniors for college planning. With a range of different services and packages, we strive to offer the support you need during the college application and admission process. Call us at 617-734-3700 for more details.
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Educational Advocates
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Joan Kelleher Casey, President
[email protected]
Newsletter editorial staff:
Joan Casey
Terri Suico