an insider’s look at the admission process for student ... · • send the coach an athletic...

NACAC Conference - Columbus, Ohio - 2016

An Insider’s Look at the Admission

Process for Student-Athletes

NCAA FactsIn

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NCAA = 3 Divisions

Information from the NCAA Guide for College Bound Student-Athletes 2016-2017Kim

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www.ncaa.orgKim

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• Michigan State

University

• Harvard University

• University of Alabama

• UCLA

• USC

• Villanova University

• Yale University

Selected Division 1 College Programs:

• The division you see on television the

most.

• The division that spends the most

money on its student-athletes,

programs, & facilities.

• The division that requires the most

hours of commitment—including

summer & vacation breaks.

Kimberly Oden, Campbell Hall School-

NACAC 2016

• Angelo State University

• Barry University

• Bemidji State University

• Chico State University

• Chaminade University

• Miles College

• UCSD

• Ursuline College

• Intermediate sports level as an

alternative to the highly

competitive Division 1 and non-

scholarship Division 3.

• Smaller public schools and many

private colleges that often draw

more locally and play closer to

home.

Selected Division 2 College Programs:


NACAC 2016

• Amherst College

• Cal Lutheran University

• Claremont McKenna

College

• Haverford College

• Johns Hopkins

University

• Linfield College

• Macalester College

• These colleges do not offer athletic scholarships.

• Some of the most highly selective colleges in the nation.

• Small class sizes, regional season play, and the opportunity to play more than one sport in college.

• Division with the best life balance.

• Each campus determines its own academic eligibility requirements.

Selected Division 3 College Programs:K

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• The term “Ivy League” has nothing to do with ivy covered walls or highly selective academics. It is believed that the four original members were termed IV (Roman numeral “4”). When the athletic league was decided upon in 1954 and added four more members, officials took the Roman numeral and made it “Ivy”, like it was routinely pronounced.

• “A ‘verbal commitment’ by a coach is NOT an offer of admission. Only the Admission Office can offer admission. An Ivy League coach can only commit his or her support to a student-athlete in the admissions process.”

http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/information/psa/index

Ivy League Colleges:

• Brown

• Columbia

• Cornell

• Dartmouth

• Harvard

• University of Pennsylvania

• Princeton

• Yale

http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/landing/index

The Ivy LeagueK

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http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/information/psa/index

http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/landing/index

Recruiting Myths:

1. A “blue chip” athlete can get into

ANY college.

1. Athletic ability trumps high

school academic performance.

1. Test scores don’t matter.

1. Any college will work for the

student-athlete, as long as he/she

can play.

Recruiting Truths:

1. A student must meet academic requirements

(especially if he/she is not the #1 recruit in

the nation).

1. In almost every situation, the admission

office, NOT the college coach, will make the

admission decision.

1. College coaches assess a student-athlete’s

high school GPA and SAT or ACT score to

determine his/her academic eligibility.

1. Student-athletes need to figure out what type

of college “fits”, as well as if they want to be

a “big fish” in a little pond, or a “little fish”

in a big pond.

Recruiting Myths/TruthsK

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What Can Counselors Do?

An Insider’s Look at the Admission Process for Student-Athletes


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The 4 A’s – for Counselors1. Academic Assistance

2. Athletic Talent

3. Advertising

4. Admission Office Guidance


NACAC 2016

Academic Assistance



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NACAC 2016

Info

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Athletic Talent



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Athletic Talent When a student walks into your office to let you know he or she is interested in

playing college sports, or if the student tells you he/she is being recruited, at first it

is hard to assess if the student is legitimately being recruited or not.

How can you tell?

a. Student has received emails and letters from a (or many) college coach(es).

b. College coach may have visited your school.

c. College coaches may attend this student’s high school or club sports contests.

d. College coaches may contact counselor to request the student’s transcript to

determine whether or not the student can still be recruited.

e. Student is offered an official (paid) visit to the college campus.

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Three Important Questions:Does the student-athlete with whom you are working have the….

1. ABILITY to compete at the college level?

1. DESIRE to compete at the college level?

2. PERSEVERANCE to finish what he/she starts?

(Participation in college athletics is very demanding.)

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What counselors can do: If a college coach requests a student’s transcript, after receiving written permission to do so from

the student-athlete’s family, email or mail the student’s transcript to the college coach in a timely manner.

Talk to the high school coach to determine the student-athlete’s talent level in a sport.

Watch the student-athlete play at a school-sponsored match/game—is she a starter? Is he the go-to person? Or not so much?

Encourage student-athletes to speak to their club or high school coaches to determine which athletic division is appropriate for them, if any, and to ask the coaches to connect with their contacts in the sport to get the student-athlete’s name out there.

Visit the college’s official athletic website along with the student—how tall are the basketball players in her or his position? How much do the football players weigh? Where are the water polo players from and how tall are they? What are the times of the fastest (and slowest) swimmers or runners on the college team? How many freshman and sophomores at the college play the student’s position?

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The Ohio State University Football Roster

UCONN Women’s Basketball

Advertising Support



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Advertising Support

Advertising is needed when the student isn’t

receiving any mail or email from college coaches. It

could be that coaches don’t know about him or her.

Sometimes it may be a matter of getting her or his

name and statistics out there. Having the student

take the initiative to contact coaches is a way to

advertise the student’s talents to college coaches

who could be interested. Kimberly Oden, Campbell Hall School-

NACAC 2016

What counselors can do: Ask the student if a college coach has written or emailed him/her.

Help the student craft introductory emails to head and assistant/position

coaches.

Include in the email:

Student’s name, contact information, graduation year, position played, gpa

(if good), test scores (if good), athletic highlights/awards/championships in

the sport, high school/club team information and playing schedule. Offer to

send the coach film of the student playing.

Encourage student-athletes to attend summer showcases and summer

camps at colleges at which they are interested.


NACAC 2016

What can the student-athlete do?

• Email the coach at various colleges to express interest in the athletic program.

• Send the coach an athletic resume.

• Send a web link of actual game/match footage and a copy of the student-athlete’s club

tournament/showcase schedule, if the coach requests it.

• Attend a summer sports camp at the college in which the student-athlete is interested.

• Ask club/high school coaches for their opinion on which NCAA division would be

appropriate for the student-athlete.

Marketing Student-Athletes to

College CoachesK

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Sample Email and Resume

Courtesy of J.T. Thomas, Maybeck School https://recruityourself2college.com/Content/Sample

Templates/Soccer/CoverLetter3.pdf

Kimberly Oden, Campbell Hall School-NACAC 2016

Admission Office Guidance



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Admission Office Guidance It can be particularly confusing to a student

to figure out if a college coach is actually recruiting him/her and/or if the college coach will support the student’s application during the admission process. Supporting the application means that the coach actually takes the time to speak directly with the admissions office on behalf of the student.


NACAC 2016

What counselors can do: Pick up the phone and call the college coach to ask

him/her about interest his/her in this student.

Call the admission office to ask if the college coach

is in fact supporting the student-athlete’s

application.

Help the student-athlete deal with high-pressure

tactics from some college coaches.

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Resources



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Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete

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http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/CBSA17.pdf

The Eligibility Center

http://web3.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp

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http://web3.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp

Get in the Game Brochure

http://www.nacacnet.org/research/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/student/Pages/GetInTheGame.as

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http://www.nacacnet.org/research/PublicationsResources/Marketplace/student/Pages/GetInTheGame.aspx

http://web1.ncaa.org/maps/memberMap.jsp

Who We Are – NCAA WebsiteK

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http://web1.ncaa.org/maps/memberMap.jsp

NCAA Eligibility Worksheet:

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?page=view&resid=6C765F6BFCF646AA!1017&authkey=!

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https://onedrive.live.com/redir?page=view&resid=6C765F6BFCF646AA!1017&authkey=!ANcla6wa6pFm17U

Thank You!Presenters: An Insider’s Look at the Admission Process for Student-Athletes:

Lindsay Acevedo, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission, Yale University

Kimberly Oden, Assoc. Dir. of Coll. Counseling/NCAA Coordinator, Campbell Hall School

Trish Priest, Admission Director, Columbus School for Girls

Maureen Shagonaby, Assistant Director of Admission, Michigan State University

J.T. Thomas, College Counselor, Maybeck School

Scott Verzyl, Dean of Undergraduate Admission, University of South Carolina

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