Tips for Academic Excellence

Athletes work incredibly hard to perform their best on the field, the court, and in the pool. They train, practice, and compete to be able to participate in their favorite sport at a high level. When you are an athlete in high school, you have even more stuff to juggle.

In between homework, essays, projects, and exams, student athletes have to work to balance both their student and athletic lives. Being able to master the balancing act is crucial to your success in high school. And your success in high school, both academically and athletically, will help determine whether or not you can get recruited.

There are too many athletes who just assume that their athletic talents will land them a huge scholarship. They fail to recognize that being a student-athlete means you are a student first, and an athlete second. To be eligible to compete at the college level, you need to meet the academic requirements to be accepted to the school.

Your grades and SAT/ACT scores are as equally important as your sports stats and athletic skills. College coaches won’t be interested in someone who doesn’t perform in the classroom and only relies on their athletic talents to get them through school.

Here are some tips to help you stay on top of your academics:

Be Organized: Being able to keep your school work organized will help ensure that you won’t miss an assignment or test because you forgot or it got lost. You should make a calendar for your classes and make sure to write down everything that is due and when you need to study for a test. Remember, studying for a test is best done in shorter increments for a longer duration of time. In other words, that 5hour long “cram” session the day prior to a test is actually less effective than studying 30min to 1hour each day for a week prior to the test.

Stop Procrastinating: Student-athletes do not have time to procrastinate. The sooner they learn to stay on top of their studies, the easier they will find keeping up with college assignments will be. Most classes will be rotated—you will have say a Calculus class on Monday and Wednesdays with a Finance class Tuesday and Thursday. Even if your Finance class assigns you homework or studies on Tuesday and it is not due until Thursday, DO NOT WAIT. Do the assignment right after class if you are able to. Doing assignments the day they are assigned will keep the knowledge of the subject fresh allowing the student-athlete to get it done quicker and more accurately. Subsequently, this will free up more time for the student-athlete to do things outside of school and sports.

It is crucial to get this time-management down the first semester before season starts. Many assignments and studies will carry through weekends. It is a good idea for the student-athlete to try to have all work and most studies done before the bus-rides (they can be pretty distracting especially when you’re trying to get into the zone for a game or if you are coming home from a great win).

Find Help: Your high school offers great resources for you if you are struggling in school. If you find you are having difficulty keeping up with school work, or you need extra help understanding a certain subject, make sure you take advantage of a tutor or you ask your teachers more questions. Teachers love students who take the initiative to ask for help if needed. That is what teachers are there for. If you are struggling in a class, don’t sit back and hope you’ll do better. Go up to the teacher, ask to sit down with him or her and try to figure out what it is you are missing. It is much harder to catch up after falling behind, so be proactive and avoid it.

Get Serious: Your grades determine where you will be able to go to college, and college has a huge impact on your entire future. Don’t take your school decision lightly, especially if you are looking to get recruited to play college sports. College coaches take grades seriously and only want athletes who also do well in class. You should realize the importance of your education. There is no MLB for softball unfortunately. Your degree will help you establish a career in something other than playing sports.

If you have any questions or topics you would like for us to answer or discuss please comment below!

5 Things to Update College Coaches With

Contacting college coaches is one of the most crucial parts of the recruiting process. They can’t recruit you if they don’t know you exist. High school athletes need to know the importance of getting in contact with college coaches. You cannot wait around thinking that you will be discovered somehow; you would already know if you were being pursued by a college program. But do you know what to do after you’ve made that initial contact? There are many things to consider when you have started a conversation with a college coach: how often should I email them? When should I call them? What do I say? Being able to maintain consistent contact with coaches will make or break your chances at finding an athletic scholarship.

Once you have started contacting coaches, you will need to work hard to keep them informed about your progress in recruiting and what is going on with you athletically and academically. Most of the recruiting process occurs over a matter of months or years, so coaches will want updates on your season and school year. College coaches use your updates to follow your progress and compare you to other recruits. If they stop hearing from you, they assume that you have lost interest and they will move on to recruiting another athlete. You can miss out on opportunities if you fail to keep in contact with coaches!

Here are 5 things you need to update college coaches with:

- Statistics: College coaches will want to see how you are progressing through the season while you are in school, so it is important to keep them updated on your season. Send them any updated stats or other information regarding your season.

- Grades/Test Scores: Your academics are just as important as your athletics. College coaches want to see that you are working hard both in the classroom and on the field. You need to keep up your grades and SAT/ACT scores to be eligible and get accepted into the school.

- Recent Accomplishments: Coaches are always pleased to hear when your hard work has paid off so you should feel free to update them on any PRs, awards, and improvement that you have recently achieved.

- Application Process: When it comes time to start applying to colleges, coaches will want to know when you have submitted your application so they can keep an eye on it as it goes through the admissions office. They can also answer any questions you may have about it and how to apply.

- Questions about the Program: As you develop relationships with college coaches, you should always take advantage of their contact to ask them any questions you may have. You can ask them about their recruiting, their coaching style, team standing, or about the school. They can be a great resource for any questions you may have regarding their program.

10 Things to do on Your Official Visit

Going on an official visit is a great opportunity to see a school, meet the team, and get a sense of what going to that school might be like. It’s important you get to see not only the athletic facilities but also what life is like for a student. Here are some tips for making sure you get the most out of your official visit.

1. Eat at the Cafeteria on Campus

You get a lot of perks as a student athlete, but one of the things you will have in common with all of the students is where you eat on campus. Try the cafeteria and see if it is food you like.

2. See the on Campus and Off-Campus Housing

Most official visits include a tour of the on-campus dorms, but make sure to go and see where athletes live once they move off campus. Also, think about how you will get back and forth from school and home.

3. Go to the Library and Study Hall

You probably won’t spend as much time here as the rest of the students on campus but make sure to see the academic facilities. If a program has a good tutoring area it is a good sign they support their athletes academically as well.

4. Meet the Training Staff

Be sure to take time and meet the staff in the athletic department and training rooms. These people are critical to the success of a team and a happy athletic staff is the sign of a well-run athletic program.

5. Schedule Time to Meet With an Academic Adviser

Showing the initiative and seeking to meet with an academic adviser on a visit can pay off in the long run. You may find out that the major you want to study won’t actually work with your team’s practice schedule. Better to find out now rather than after you have committed.

6. Just Hang Out on Campus

Take some time to just sit on campus and see how students utilize the campus. Are people out enjoying the campus, or is everyone just going to and from class? Having a campus where people enjoy spending time will make a big difference in how much fun you will have over four years.

7. Sit in On a Class

Maybe the last thing you want to do on a visit is go to class, but learning how classes are run and seeing what the classrooms are like will give you a better overall picture of what the school is like.

8. Talk to Student-Athletes From Other Teams

On visits, you get plenty of opportunities to meet the team, but be sure to talk to some athletes from other sports teams. Getting a sense of how happy other athletes are will let you know more about the athletic program as a whole.

9. Go Out With The Team Members

Take time and see what athletes do during their time off. Besides getting to know your potential teammates better, you get to see what life is like when you aren’t studying, practicing, or competing.

10. Don’t Be Afraid to Say No

It can be intimidating on a visit to speak up if you aren’t comfortable, but remember this is your recruiting process. You don’t have to go along with a team member or do something just to impress someone.

You Can Get Money to Play Sports at a Division III College

Sometimes athletes must dig deep to find a playing opportunity. Less than two percent of high school athletes end up playing at a NCAA Division I School or a Division II School. That leaves 98 percent of athletes to either give up on their dream of continuing their athletic career or to compete at a NCAA Division III College, junior college, or NAIA college.

Financial Aid and Grants to Play Division III College Sports

You may know that division III schools don’t offer scholarships, but did you know they offer financial aid and other grants? Division III colleges often help athletes pay for school by providing grants and other aid to academically qualified athletes. Depending on the criteria for each grant, athletes can end up with a large amount of their tuition paid for, if not all of it.

Start by contacting coaches to learn more about the grants their schools offer. Coaches may not have the power to get you aid, but most can tell you the qualifications and what you need to do. You can also check with the admissions, and financial aid departments to learn what aid a school offers.

The NCAA does monitor how division III schools allocate their financial aid, but each school determines who gets aid. The NCAA will step in and review a school if they expect a potential violation.

School/Life Balance at Division III Schools

The college experience at a division III school doesn’t resemble that of a big school at all, but it still provides good education and high-level athletic competition. Athletes spend less time each week strictly on their sport, but the level of play remains high. Keep in mind that even when you factor in division III schools, less than 5 percent of all high school athletes go on to play in college. That means you will still compete against athletes that are better than 95 percent of the athletes in the country. The difference is division III will offer you a better balance between school and athletics, which has its advantages for many athletes.

There Are Hundreds of Options

There are over 440 division III colleges in the country. Most of them are in the North East and Mid-Atlantic regions, but you can find them all over the country. Division III could answer your desire to play in college, so start looking at them today.

Once you start researching them, you’ll find that division III schools are easy to visit because of their proximity to each other. Depending on exactly where you are, you could easily visit three or four schools a day and get a better idea of the options they offer.

The Moral of the Story: Grades Matter if You Want to Increase Your Chances

Plain and simple: student-athletes need to focus on academics. You won’t get financial aid to a division III school without good grades, but the NCAA is cracking down on eligibility at the divisions I and II levels too, making grades more important than ever. If you want more options to play in college, look at division III colleges, but it still begins in the classroom.

Don’t Miss College Application Deadlines

High School Senior Student-athletes Have a Busy Year Ahead

We know senioritis is quite contagious. It makes you want to kick-back and relax during your last year of high school, but if you are a student-athlete there really is no time to waste until a college acceptance letter is in your hands with the words: “YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED.”

Besides college sports recruiting, high school seniors need to study up for ACT and SAT exams, keep up grades, ask teachers and guidance counselors for letters of recommendation, apply for financial aid and start understanding which colleges will be the best fit both academically and athletically.

The best way to get ahead in your college recruitment is to be organized. No matter if you are working on contacting college coaches or submitting your college application- you need to know all important dates relevant to your recruitment.

The Best Time For You to Apply to College

Depending on the type of student you are, you will have options as to when to submit your college applications. Most students prefer to have everything in to colleges during the regular admissions deadlines, so they can have time to talk more with college coaches and make sure their grades and exam scores are on par to meet eligibility center and college entrance requirements.

Most Regular College Deadlines Are Due Between January and February of Your Senior Year

If you don’t want to hold off and wait any longer you may want to begin applying during the early admission deadlines. Early application deadlines begin as early as November 1. Some colleges may even have a second early admission date, which is due the end of December or the first part of January.

Know Your College Application Deadlines

You need to know dates. Your junior and senior years of high school is the best time for you to begin keeping track of college application deadlines for colleges you are interested in applying to. The best way would be to set up a common application account (which will be the best use if the colleges you are applying to all use the common application) if not, start a spread sheet, listing the colleges you want to apply to, the application deadlines and supplemental material each college requires. Do all you can to stay organized and on top of the college admissions process.

Can You Handle the Life of a College Athlete?

No one can prepare you to play college sports. With that said, will you be ready to become a college athlete knowing your college experience will be unlike that of the rest of the student-body population?

It’s Important For Potential College Recruits to Get a Sense of College Living Before Heading off to School

The hardest part to prepare athletes for is what comes after they have signed and are committed to a college. Ask any freshman college athlete if they thought their freshman year at college is what they had expected as a high school athlete. The answers will be surprising; most freshmen are not as prepared as they hoped they would be once they settle into college life. They are too busy shuffling from class to practice to studying, then back to training and more class before having some time to sleep, before having to start the whole process over again.

It’s Always  a Good Idea to Prepare

If you are going to be noticed in your recruitment you need to be doing things that will get you noticed. Being a prepared athlete will be a sure way to get college coaches attention and show them you will be more than ready when it comes to college life.

Why College Coaches Will Take Notice

Current high school athletes managing to participate in sports, along with keeping GPA in the above-average range, plus participating in other clubs and extra-curricular activities will help to get them noticed. If you think this is just how you function and it’s nothing special, then that’s all the more reason to tell coaches you are doing all you can to prepare for being a college athlete.

College coaches are well aware of the pressure being a college athlete entails. They know student-athletes are stretched too thin and have to manage a very strict schedule, which is why when they see student-athletes doing things to prepare for college life, they will take notice.

There is no question, making the transition to college sports will be tough for any athlete, so make sure you have done what you can to prepare and have success in your collegiate career.

An Example of a D1 Softball Athlete's Day:

• 5:15am Wakeup and get ready for weights
• 5:40am Walk over to the Student-Athlete Gym
• 6am-7:30am Lifting or running on the football field
• 7:45am Off to the Cafeteria to eat a quick breakfast
• 8am-9:15am First class of the day
• 9:30-10:45 Class
• 10:45-11:30 Lunch
• 11:45-1:00 Class
• 1:00 head over to locker room
• 1:00-2:15 relax/study/get ready for practice
• 2:30-6:00 (approx) Practice
• 6:30-7pm Cafeteria for dinner
• 7:00-8:30pm Study hall
• 8:30pm-Bedtime -Finish Studying

Mental Toughness of the Week - Never, Ever Give Up

Never, Ever Give Up - Arthur's Inspirational Transformation!

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one

thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the

body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up.

It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is

never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger

the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was

never tired... You've always got to make the mind take over

and keep going.” - George S. Patton Jr.