TIP OF THE WEEK - June 29, 2009

Sports Recruitment:

If you’re planning to play a sport in college, make sure you are on track to be recruited. Remember to keep your grades up too! You can be recruited by your number one school, but if your grades do not meet minimum admissions requirements you will not be able to attend or play for that school regardless of your athletic ability. Keep in mind that out of 169 billion dollars available in financial aid. Only 3.7 % comes from scholarships. Out of the 3.7% less than 1 % comes from athletic aid. Coaches have limited budgets and cannot give athletic scholarships to
all athletes (and some colleges aren’t allowed to give athletic scholarships). Good grades and high test scores will qualify you for academic scholarships which make up a majority of the scholarships awarded each year. To ensure you are not over looked follow the steps below each year:

Freshmen and Sophomores
• Start planning now!
• Work hard to get the best grades possible.
Take classes that match your school’s NCAA list of approved core courses.
• You can receive your school’s NCAA list of approved core courses at http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/.

Juniors
• At the beginning of your junior year, register at http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/ and complete the amateurism questionnaire.
• Register to take the ACT, SAT or both and use the Eligibility Center code (9999) as a score recipient.
• Double check to make sure the courses you have taken match your school’s NCAA list of approved core courses.
• Ask your guidance counselor to send an official transcript to the Eligibility Center after completing your junior year. (The Eligibility Centerdoes NOT accept faxed transcripts or test scores.)
• Prior to registration for classes for your senior year, check with your guidance counselor to determine the amount of core courses that you need to complete your senior year.

Seniors
• Take the SAT and/or ACT again. The Eligibility Center will use the best scores from each section of the ACT or SAT to determine your best cumulative score.
• Continue to take college-prep courses.
• Check the courses you have taken to match your school’s NCAA list of approved core courses.
• Review your amateurism questionnaire responses and request final amateurism certification on or after April 1 (for fall enrollees) or October 1 (for spring enrollees).
• Continue to work hard to get the best grades possible.
• Graduate on time (in eight academic semesters). If you fall behind, use summer school sessions prior to graduation to catch up.
• After graduation, ask your guidance counselor to send your final transcript with proof of graduation.

Recruiting Calendars
To see recruiting calendars for all sports, go to http://www.ncaa.org/.

Hope you found our "Tip of the Week" to be informative and helpful.

Until next week...

Your Friends At The College Planning Network