Stimulus For Your College Education!
The following is an article from a college soccer coach providing tips on how to get an athletic scholarship. Coach Schilke provides “ten tips” to earn an athletic scholarship. The Philippi Sports Institute provides services through sport specific strength training, speed development, nutrition counseling and offers staff with experience in the college ranks to assist you with the coach's first two recommendations.
“Athletes and Parents of Athletes take notice. Athletic Scholarships are difficult to get. Just because you dominate your local sports scene does not mean that college coaches will be lining up to give you an athletic scholarship. Trying to get a Scholarship? Here are 10 tips to get you started.
1) Work on your sport. There is no substitute for being good at what you do. Great players get attention.
2) Be realistic. Listen to advisors who know your sport. Just because Grandma and Grandpa, your friends and the local reporter think you are good, it doesn't mean that you are. Find an honest person with experience in the college ranks and ask them to assess you. These individuals will save you grief and time by helping you find an appropriate college fit for your abilities. You may not have the qualities of a Division I athlete but you may be a perfect fit for a NAIA school, NCAA Division II, Division III or Junior College.
3) Study the college sports landscape. There are five different leagues or levels of college sports in the United States.
· NCAA Division I - Regarded as the highest level of college sport. Can offer scholarship money for athletics.
· NCAA Division II - A good level, but not as deep as Div. 1. They can offer athletic scholarship money.
· NCAA Division III - Varying levels of teams. In some sports Div. III teams stack up with Div. II and some Div. 1 teams, but generally a conference for serious student athletes. They cannot offer athletic scholarships.
· NAIA - Levels of play range from NCAA Div. III to NCAA Div. 1. There are fewer eligibility restrictions on these athletes. The NAIA is and has been a good option for foreign student athletes. They can offer athletic scholarships.
· Junior College - Two year schools that are generally used for students who cannot afford or meet the academic requirements of a four year college. Many great athletes can be found in the Junior College ranks. A major recruiting ground for four year schools. They can offer athletic scholarships.
4) Excel in the Classroom. A good academic record makes you an asset to any college or university. Academic money supplements athletic money and coaches like this. A college coach may not be able to afford you based on athletic money alone (the majority of coaches can only give partial athletic scholarships) but combined with academic money the college may be able to offer a good package that allows you to attend the school. Be careful though; know your academic and athletic value. Don't let the coach lowball you based on the fact that he knows you will get academic money.
5) Find the right fit. This applies to more than just athletic value. There are institutions that place a high value on religious background and sincerity. If, for example, you are Christian, you may find it easier to get an athletic scholarship at a school that is pursuing students with your values.
6) Sell yourself. Be proactive about contacting coaches and playing in tournaments and leagues that are well travelled by coaches. Most coaches are not going to commit valuable scholarship money to players they have not seen. Be careful though, there are companies that promise you all kinds of results if you hire them to promote you. Coaches get thousands of profiles from these companies; they are skeptical and overloaded. Even if they wanted too, they couldn't sift through the masses of profiles from these companies.
7) Work with alumni of athletic programs that you are interested in. Former players and assistant coaches have the trust of the college coach they played for or worked with. A well timed comment from one of these individuals can get you on the coach's radar.
8) Play on more than just your high school team. In a sport like soccer, club experience is more important than high school experience.
9) Be wary of using summer camps as a vehicle to get a scholarship. Many coaches do use summer camps as a vehicle to sift through talent, but be realistic, summer camps are first and foremost about making money for the coach and college. They provide a great summer experience, but don't put too much stock in the fact that you went to a college's summer camp in regards to getting a scholarship to that athletic program.
10) Don't be afraid to look at Junior colleges. Junior colleges are fertile ground for recruiting. Many four year schools coaches stock their teams with Junior college talent. Look for Junior college programs that have a track record for placing athletes into four year college programs.
Real life facts about athletic scholarships:
1) The majority of athletic scholarships are partial. Most do not include room and board.
2) Most players who play college sports are not scholarship athletes. NCAA Division III schools are not even allowed to give athletic scholarships. (Many Div. III schools do manage to find different sources of scholarship and grants for their athletes, but rarely full)
3) Coaches who can give scholarships rarely have enough money for everyone in the program.
4) Coaches will try to get the best athletes they can for as little money as possible. They save the money for those who they perceive they can only get with money.
5) Athletic programs are expensive and rarely make any money for the college. Money allotted to athletic programs can be reduced or cut at any moment.”