4 easy ways to improve your scholarship opportunities

Student-athletes wanting to participate in college sports can improve their scholarship opportunities by being more aware of what they post on social media accounts, more active when researching colleges, and filling out athletic recruiting questionnaires.

DON'T WAIT AROUND!

Get involved. Don't wait around for coaches, scouts or recruiting companies to find you. As an athlete you should be used to being a go-getter and working hard for what you want. This is why being the catalyst to your own recruiting process will give you the control to do what is needed in order to gain the best college opportunities.

Depending on the sport you play and the amount of exposure that you have received, you will either have college athletic programs sending you form letters early in your high school career or not. Remember that NCAA rules and regulations are enforced and NCAA Division I and Division II coaches must abide by contacting recruits during certain time periods. Dedicated athletes need to make sure they have done all of the necessary recruiting tricks to get their name out there.

USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Clean-up your social media accounts. Remember to post ONLY appropriate pictures and videos on your wall. Coaches and recruiters will be trolling recruits accounts before they seriously consider athletes; don't give them reason to dismiss you before they get to know you. If you have a Twitter, Facebook or any other social media accounts make sure that the updates you send out are appropriate, meaning no foul language, no name brand endorsements and especially no smack talking any coaches or teammates (past or present). This is an instant red flag. Think about it, if coaches see that you bad mouth your current coach they will undoubtedly believe that you will cause issues with future coaches and teammates.

SEARCH OUT COLLEGE COACHES

If you have your mind set on attending a specific college, get online and check out what that school has to offer academically and athletically. Check the number of players on the team and where they hail from- it will give you a good idea of where the coaching staff recruits from. Read up on the coaching staff and accomplishments that they have made. Check into academic features the college is known for;

• Does it offer a major that you are drawn to?
• What will the typical class sizes be?
• What are the graduation rates of students that chose that major?

Knowing what colleges have to offer will help you to learn what you want and need in college.

RECRUITING QUESTIONAIRES

The simplest way to get your name on coach's radar is to fill out recruiting questionnaires. Questionnaires alert coaching staffs that you are interested in their program. Another advantage student-athletes gain by filling out questionnaires is that they will be informed of upcoming events, camps or games that will be hosted by the college as a way to gain more exposure and have more chances to meet college coaches.

What level can I play in college?

Determining the right division level to play in college depends two factors. How good are you now and how good can you be?  Despite what you think, it is not based solely on your height, weight and athleticism.

 

How good they are now – coaches are always looking for recruits who can come in and make an impact right away. They determine this by how good you are right now. Remember, you might be able to walk-on to a DI program but can come in and contribute right away at the DII or NAIA level.

 

What is their potential – this is more commonly where coaches are evaluating recruits. Coaches and scouts are very good at watching film or watching you in person and making an assessment on how good you can be. Maybe you don't get to play against elite competition, but with a year of practice at the college level, you will really improve and be a top talent.

 

• For sports like track and field and swimming finding the right division level is pretty easy. Look at the results of college meets and see if your times match up. If you look at the conference championship results for s school you are interested in and your times are comparable, then chances are good you can compete at that level.
  

 

• In sports like golf, tennis and wrestling, you want to see what tournaments the current college athletes were playing in high school. Go to the schools website and read the bio's about the athletes already on the team. Often times their high school accomplishments are listed here, if you see you have a similar ranking or similar results then that division level is right for you.
  

  
   

• The most difficult sports to determine the right division level are football, basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball. For these sports you need to not only measure up physically, but you need to know where you stack up against the other top recruits. If you go to a big club team event or a top camp and are one of the best players there, chances are good you could be a DI talent. If you are a middle of the road talent or struggling to compete, maybe you should look at the other division levels.
  

Cost of college is on the rise

A college scholarship in today's economy is now more important than ever.  A recent study conducted by LSA Portfolio Analytics took a closer look at the rising cost of college tuitions on a national average.  The findings are quite remarkable.  The inflation rate for college tuition is 6-7% each year, which means if you have an 8-year old son or daughter right now the cost for them to attend an out-of-state public college in 10 years will cost roughly $222,000 and $300,000 for a 4 year private college.  Current cost for the same out-of-state public college would cost an 18-year old roughly $124,000.  In just a decade the cost for college will increase nearly one-hundred thousand dollars.  Some more alarming statistics found by LSA were:  By the time a 2013 senior in high school graduates their cost for each college will cost:

College scholarships of any amount will help offset the staggering cost of college tuitions; therefore, it is important for athletes and parents to begin the search of scholarships at an early age.  By the time a freshman in high school graduates in the year 2016, it will cost almost $84,000 to attend a 4 year in-state college and $148,000 for a 4 year out-of-state college.  If this isn't alarming to families then I don't know what is.  Not every high school athlete will get a full-ride to play college sports, but there are many avenues for high school athletes to obtain money for college:  financial aid, academic scholarships, athletic scholarships, and others.

College recruiting budgets limit a college coach's resources

Coaches won't come to you – but they hope you'll come to them!

The pros have coaches and they have scouts.  In college, coaches and scouts are the same guys.

This highlights how little time college coaches really have to run around looking for recruits.  A top Division One school in the Big Ten – spent $27,500 on recruiting last year.

Now, that sounds like a lot – until you consider that is split between 23 different sports.  Even if your sport is getting a full third of that - how many round trips, including: hotels, meals, and plane tickets for one or two coaches will that buy?  Each recruiting trip cost about $500-$1,000 per coach.  With universities closely monitoring expenses on the balance sheet, coaches don't have the freedom to travel to every sporting event to recruit new players.  If you're one of the top recruits in the country, no sweat – you'll probably get seen because coaches want to evaluate the top talent firsthand.  What about the other 99% of recruits?  How will they get noticed, and what if a big Division One school isn't a good fit for you?  What if you're looking at a Division II school or Division III?  Some of these schools have recruiting budgets of only a few hundred dollars.

Standing in the shoes of a recruit, looking at the big world of college sports from the outside, it can seem like schools have unlimited power and resources; however, the truth is, they're stretched for time and money, too.  Coaches are looking as hard as they can for good recruits, and they can never find enough!

That's why it's so crucial for athletes to reach out to coaches.  Even the best-off, big-time college programs hardly have enough money, time, or resources to find as many athletes as they'd like or the quality they'd like.

So take the initiative and get yourself found.

Featured scholarship of the month

AXA Achievement Scholarship

This scholarship is for current high school seniors who plan to enroll full-time in an accredited two- or four-year college or university in the United States for the entire 2015-2016 school year. 

To qualify, applicants must demonstrate ambition and self-drive, as evidenced by outstanding achievement outside the classroom. They must also be US citizens or legal residents living or claiming residency in one of the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico. Primary consideration will be given to applicants' non-academic outstanding achievement, such as a long-term achievement, activity, or project that occurred in their school, community, or workplace. 

Only the first 10,000 applications will be considered, so early application is encouraged.

Application Deadline: December 15, 2014 at 11:59 pm EST

Award:  $10,000 - $25,000

For more information click here.

25 colleges where graduates make the highest starting salaries

Let's face it. While there are many benefits of pursing higher education, many students do it to achieve better career prospects and better pay.

Not surprisingly, research universities dominate this list of schools whose graduates make the highest starting salaries, with colleges well-known for science and engineering programs at the top.

This reflects the reality that often it is your choice of major that will dictate a higher salary, and not necessary the choice of school, although some universities produce graduates of all majors who out-earn their peers.

The top schools on the list include Colorado School of Mines where graduates make an average starting salary of $66,400, followed closely by the United States Naval Academy with recent graduates who make salaries of $64,800. MIT takes the number three spot, with grads who make an average of $60,300 upon starting their careers.

Please note that this ranking is based simply on the average starting salaries of graduates and is not meant to be a reflection of the school's overall quality (although many of these colleges also rank highly in College Factual's best colleges nationwide ranking).

The salary number is the average starting salaries of all graduates with bachelor's degrees regardless of major, and was created with data from Payscale.

Colorado School of Mines, $66,400
United States Naval Academy, $64,800
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $60,300
California Institute of Technology, $57,200
United States Military Academy, $55,400
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, $54,300
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, $53,900
Harvey Mudd College, $53,800
Stanford University, $53,700
Montana Tech of the University of Montana, $53,350
United States Air Force Academy, $53,150
Cornell University, $53,150
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, $53,100
University of Pennsylvania, $53,000
Missouri University of Science and Technology, $53,000
Princeton University, $52,700
Stevens Institute of Technology, $52,600
Milwaukee School of Engineering, $52,400
Columbia University in the City of New York, $51,900
Georgetown University, $51,700
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, $51,700
Polytechnic Institute of New York University, $51,600
SUNY Maritime College, $51,600
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, $51,300
Kettering University, $51,300