College Recruiting
Reach out to Wilfred Williams, Director of Coaching at doc@tricitiesunited.org for any questions regarding the recruitment process.
The following guidelines are designed to help educate players and their parents as they develop a plan that should be completed throughout their recruitment. Communication should come from the player. Collegiate Coaches want to see players who can hold conversation and show maturity throughout the process.
9th Grade - Discovery Phase - Enjoy Your Soccer
• Meet with your high school guidance counselor to set a four-year academic plan.
• Start an academic path that will satisfy NCAA rules (Discuss Core Courses)
• Set short and long-term academic goals with your family
• Understand the path to AP classes for junior and senior years
• Participate in community service and school activities (student government, math club, etc.)
• Research colleges/universities you would like to attend (websites, talk with family members and friends, college guides and publications).
• Set short and long-term soccer goals with your family and/or coach
• Gain experience playing in the showcase events
• Go to area college games (Division I, II, and III) to better understand level and atmosphere
• Start strong academically!
10th Grade - Discovery Phase - Enjoy Your Soccer
• Keep pushing in the classroom with good academics.
• Meet with high school counselor to review and revise your academic plan
• Make sure your class schedule satisfies the NCAA core course requirements
• Review your grades and academic goals with your family
• Identify 20+ schools of interest and categorize schools on:
• Dream schools
• I think I can play at
• I know I can play at
• Research the schools on your interest list in the following areas:
• Academic Degrees
• Soccer Program and Athletic Department
• Private/Public Institution
• Enrollment size, location of school and surround areas
• Cost of enrollment, Financial Aid, Academic Scholarships
•Contact admissions and financial aid offices to be added to their mailing lists
• Create personalized resume and cover letter
• Correspond with college coaches via email with your cover letter, resume, academic achievements and your teams' tournament/showcase plans
• If you are playing near a school that you are interested in, email them the week of the game
• Before showcases, email all of the schools. (This should be done all the way up until you commit...adding or dropping schools depending on the
process)
• Meet with your coach/Director to review the school you're interested in attending
• Visit college campuses
• Take admissions tour
• Visit the athletic/soccer facilities
• Unofficial visits
• Unlimited number
• Research and attend college summer soccer camps
• You will get a number of inquiries about camps form schools that may appear like recruiting letters. Before you go, find out if you are going to be recruited or if you were just on the mailing list!
• Soccer research: look at the past 2 years recruiting classes for those schools
• Fill out the recruiting questionnaire on the schools websites
• Go watch your schools of interest play games or train
11th Grade - Be Proactive - Build Relationships
• Complete the NCAA Eligibility Center application
• Meet with high school counselor to review and revise your academic plan
• Make sure your class schedule satisfies the NCAA core course requirement
• Challenge yourself academically
•If possible, take AP and Honors classes
• Narrow your college list to approximately 10-15 schools
•Understanding of each schools admittance requirements (ACT/SAT, GPA, etc...)
• Verify SAT and ACT registration deadlines - we recommend to take one of the tests multiple times
• Take SAT or ACT
• Have scores sent to NCAA Eligibility Center and schools on your list
• Attend financial aid workshops/obtain financial aid form (FAFSA) www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Review college applications for admittance with family and guidance counselor
• Start requesting letters of recommendation for college applications
• Visit college campuses
• Try and visit during the week when class is in session to get a good feel of what the campus looks like during class time
• Update the college coaches on your soccer and academic achievements and tournament/showcases your team will be attending
• Reply to all emails/phone calls from college coaches, keep lines of communication open
• If you don't have an interest in a particular school, politely let the coach know
• Meet with your coach/Director to review and revise your college list
• Club coach should provide you with a realistic evaluation for what schools on your list make sense from a soccer standpoint
• Attend high school college nights, college fairs.
• Schedule unofficial visits with schools that have shown interest
• Participate in showcase events with your team
• College summer soccer camps for the schools still on your list
• Demand excellence in the classroom
• GPA and Class Rank potentially play a role in admissions and financial aid process
12th Grade - Be Proactive - Decision Time
• Narrow your school list to approximately 5 schools
• Finalize applications
• Complete applications in the fall
• Allow time to edit and finalize essays and collect letters of recommendations
• Recommended that your teacher or parents review the essays for proofing
• Meet all application/scholarship/financial aid/housing deadlines
• Submit your FAFSA application
• Meet with high school counselor to review and revise your academic plan
• Make sure your class schedule satisfies the NCAA core course requirement
• Official High School transcripts be sent to NCAA Eligibility Center (mid year and final) and to schools that received applications
• Official Visits
• Schedule official visits with schools that have expressed interest
• If possible, visit during the season when the school plays a home match
• Follow up on all emails, letters, texts messages and phone calls from college coaches
• Take SAT or ACT again if needed
• Meet with your coach/Director to discuss your final list of schools
