College Pathway
FRESHMAN YEAR
All Students:
Welcome to high school! It’s time to check out your new campus, get comfortable with your new teachers & academic schedule, meet new people, explore interests/clubs, and discover your high school niche. This is not a time for college planning, although it is a good time for parents and students to discuss college finances. Freshmen need to focus on getting good grades, making friends, and enjoying yourself. Get involved in on campus clubs or activities; off campus activities are great too. Colleges love to know that you are committed to your high school because it indicates that you will be committed to their college in the future. Freshman year grades matter so stay on top of your academic game in addition to your soccer game. Ask for help early and often. Teachers, like coaches, want to help you improve and succeed.
Student Athletes:
Attend local college games to assess their system, style of play, level, and team vibe.
Study college rosters online to determine who they recruit and who will be graduating your year. Research their team: how many internationals, different states, club levels, and positions?
Make sure your social media is squeaky clean. Set up a Twitter account and follow/like the programs you are interested in.
Create an email account that is easily recognizable, appropriate, and that the entire family can access.
Let your club and high school coaches know your soccer goals. Ask them about their college or professional experiences and get feedback about areas you can improve and your potential college level of play.
Parents:
To avoid sticker shock, explore college cost, financial aid, and discuss with your student how college will be financed so they have realistic expectations.
Each college is required to have a net price calculator on their website. Parents can enter basic financial information and get an estimate of actual costs at different colleges.
Help your student by creating a quiet study space in your home and checking in with them about their homework and classes.
Advise your student on how to balance athletics with academics.
Make sure your athlete is getting enough nutrition, sleep, and time away from their devices.
Strategize with other families, coaches, and directors about how to film your players games so they can create highlight reels in the future.
SOPHOMORE YEAR
All Students:
Colleges will be looking to make sure you are taking the most challenging course load possible. With many schools going standardized test optional, course rigor plays a bigger role in admissions. Sign up for honors, AP, IB, and or community college courses in subjects of interest…if and only if, you can do well in them. Keep exploring your interests (dance, art, drama, music, community service, church, student government, yearbook, clubs, etc.) and remember that depth wins over coverage with extracurriculars. Don’t waste your time with tons of “resume building” activities. Focus on the activities you really enjoy. Start or join a club(s) and stick with them over the summer by doing camps, clinics, and programs, or volunteer to enhance your experience. Colleges love students who work and/or serve their community so find a summer job/internship/service that fits in your busy schedule (referee, assistant coach, babysitting, pet care, etc.). Balance is important; don’t overload at the expense of academic success.
Student Athletes:
Ask your coaches, again, about your potential level of play in college and if they would be willing to be your reference.
Ask your high school college counselor about what types of colleges may suit you academically.
Research college soccer programs. Use the NCAA’s Membership Map to see which colleges have teams at your level. Check out team rosters to better understand which players get recruited and playing time.
Research college academic programs and admissions selectivity. Consider all aspects of college: academics, cost, location, size, social vibe…and soccer (College Board, Niche)
Build a big and varied list of 30-40 colleges of interest (DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, Community College, College Club).
Create an athletic resume highlighting your athletic and academic accomplishments, references, contact information in addition to photos. Post your resume on any FREE sites.
Create an email cover letter to send to coaches. This needs to come from the player, not the parent! Make it personal by forming a connection to the coach, team, or college. No one likes to receive spam-type emails sent to hundreds. Email all coaches on staff, make sure your name, graduation year and club team are in the subject line and create a “signature” that automatically sends with each email containing your name, grad year, club team, high school and highlight link.
Create a spreadsheet to track responses and non-responses, contact information, division/level, ID/summer camps, visits, and any notes/research on each program/school.
Fill out Prospective Athlete Questionnaires on college athletic websites so you start an electronic file in the college soccer offices, in addition to receiving all information about their program and ID/summer camps. You can use Recruitspot.com (free) to help.
Create a highlight video. Put together 4-5 minute of clips with music/fan noise and a front slide with your information (name, grade year, club team/position, high school team/GPA, email and references contact). Make sure the clips are organized from best to worst showing all parts of your game.
Continue following and liking programs of interest in addition to humbly posting your soccer accomplishments and new clips
Attend a local ID camp or college showcase tourneys the summer after your sophomore year. It’s good to practice at these events before attending one at the dream school. ID camps are expensive so choose wisely and email the coach to let them know you’re coming, introduce yourself at camp ,and send a personal/specific post camp thank you!
Be your own agent.
Parents:
Continue exploring how your family will finance college and discuss it with your student athlete. Search scholarship engines for specific aid that matches your family and student’s needs.
Help your student decide on their courses. Set them up for success by making sure they are challenging themselves but not biting off more than they can chew academically.
Understand the recruiting rules specific to soccer in your desired division or level on the NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA websites.
Support your athlete’s college research by taking them to college games and campuses and helping them decide on ID/summer camps.
Help your student-athlete schedule, manage, and balance their activities and academics.
Talk to parents of older players in your club so you better understand the process and can help navigate it with your player.
JUNIOR YEAR
All Students:
This is usually the most challenging year of high school! First and foremost, no matter how busy you get with your college search, testing, activities and soccer, colleges prefer students that are improving academically. So don’t let that hard-earned GPA suffer. You may need two teachers and your college/guidance counselor to write you a recommendation from junior year so form relationships with them and ask. Based on your college list and the standardized testing requirements you may need to prepare, register, and sit for the SAT or ACT (for those that qualify, see your high school counselor for fee waivers). Some colleges have gone test optional in the past few years so make sure you know what is required at all the colleges on your list. If you’re taking advanced courses, like AP or IB, make sure you sign up for the exams in the spring (fee waivers available here too). Continue exploring and researching colleges. Use your counselor, parents, guidebooks, websites, college fairs/nights and college representative visits. Visit campuses/sign up for campus tours with your family or friends on your holidays or long weekends to get a feel for the college and student body. Keep notes to remind you of the campus vibe so your head isn’t spinning after multi-college visits. Talk to older siblings, older friends, teachers, coaches and others about their college and their search. Plan a meaningful/productive summer by investigating one or two of your interests in depth (internship, travel, study, work, sports, theatre, art, dance, language, school leadership, church, community service). The summer after junior year is a great time to work on college essays.
Student Athletes:
Keep grades up; the higher the GPA, the more interest you will have from coaches/colleges.
If necessary, take standardized tests (ACT/SAT) early.
Continue contacting college coaches. Send them your transcript, updated highlight video, AP/IB/SAT/ACT scores, soccer accolades/awards/honors/stats, and tournament/ID camp updates. Ask coaches where they will be recruiting this year or if they will host an ID camp.
Schedule a call with the coaches of interest and have questions to ask that cannot be answered on the website. Ask them about their evaluation, recruiting, and committing timeline.
Track responses and non-responses on the spreadsheet. Decide on which programs need more attention or need to be removed from the list. Add more colleges, if necessary.
Visit campuses unofficially (unpaid) or officially (paid by the coach/program), attend games/practices and classes, to demonstrate interest in the team and determine if you’re a good fit for their program. Talk to athletes, admissions offices, professors, and coaches.
Attend virtual recruiting zooms, virtual college fairs/nights and continue researching rosters for players/positions that will become available your graduation year.
Register for NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Center (DIII & JUCO players don’t need to register). The NCAA may require standardized test scores before allowing you to play college soccer. Review your transcript with your high school counselor to make sure you meet the NCAA academic eligibility requirements.
Attend ID Camps/Prospect Camps and College Showcase Tournaments. Email every coach on your list to let them know you are attending. Ask your club coach to email college coaches prior to tournaments.
Keep your coaches in the loop so they can contact college coaches on your behalf. Continue asking your coaches about your potential level of play in college.
Parents:
Help your player navigate the process; gentle reminders, scheduling assistance, discussions about their email campaign, spreadsheet, and check in on their desire to play college soccer.
College coaches expect players to make contact and drive the process, not parents. It’s obvious when parents are emailing instead of their athlete.
If your player is getting an official visit, scholarship, or commitment offers from a college coach, then parents should schedule time to talk with the coaching staff about the details.
Research scholarship opportunities (athletic and non-athletic).
Find a copy of your taxes from the previous year to use to determine your Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) for college.
SENIOR YEAR
All Students:
Consider this fall a sprint. Balancing schoolwork with college applications is tricky but vital. Pare down your list to 10-15 schools that are ALL FIRST CHOICES (3/4 safeties, 4 targets, and 2/3 reaches). Try to visit the campuses that you’ve missed and show interest in your Top 15 by emailing, registering on their website, introducing yourself at college fairs, attending college rep visits at your high school, and following them on social media. Many colleges track student interest. Kindly request letters of recommendation from your teachers and counselor, if required. Send transcripts and test scores to colleges; retake SAT/ACT, if necessary. Set up interviews if your college recommends or requires them. Decide if applying Early Decision, Early Action or Restrictive Early Action is right for you. Many of these early applications are due in November. The UCs/CSUs are due on November 30th. Plan time to write, edit, and re-write college essays and Personal Insight Questions. Complete applications online in a timely manner. Fee waivers are available for those that qualify. The more of this you do in the summer before senior year, the better!
Student Athletes:
Have a conversation with coaches of interest about where you stand in terms of recruiting.
Continue your email campaign and have strong backups rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.
Check with the college coach to determine if you meet NCAA eligibility and the school’s admissions requirements. Make sure the admissions office agrees with your coach’s academic assessment.
Ask if the coach wants you to apply early or use a separate application for admissions.
Discuss scholarship and financial aid options with the coach.
Attend official visits to your top schools.
Sign your National Letter of Intent (NLI) which legally confirms your financial arrangement with the school/program. This does not serve as an acceptance to that school.
Send, or have your counselor send, final transcripts to the NCAA and college. Submit AP/IB test scores to the college.
After you’re admitted and before May 1st, send in your deposit, Statement of Intent to Register, housing information to secure you spot in the college.
Fight off “senioritis” as colleges can, and will, rescind admissions decisions based on senior year grades.
Celebrate your accomplishments, in addition to working on your game so that you will be successful in college soccer. Ask your college coach for the summer workout packet and continue playing for you club team to prepare.
Send thank yous to your club coach, high school coach, school counselor and parents for supporting you in this process.
Parents:
Meet with your player’s prospective college coach to discuss the details of “committing”. Get questions answered about admissions, financial aid, scholarship, housing, and academic support
Help your student complete and submit financial aid applications (FASFA/CSS Profile/Cal Grant GPA Verification).
Help your student complete the SIR, housing, and deposit paperwork.
Support your player when coaches and admissions decisions don’t go as planned by making sure they have solid backups.
Celebrate with your player when decide on their path.
Timelines will vary in the recruiting process. College selectivity, soccer rankings, division level, and admissions office policies guide coach’s recruiting timelines. Top programs in the top conferences tend to commit players earlier with the best (youth national teamers) committing the summer after their sophomore year. Girls tend to commit earlier than boys. Some players will commit in their senior year or the summer before while others will not commit to the soccer program until they are admitted to the college.