NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

For most Americans July Fourth symbolizes hot dogs, fireworks and star spangled parades. For many of NCSA’s student-athletes, however, July Fourth equals recruiting season. Every summer thousands of college prospects travel to camps and showcases to better their skills and network with college coaches. If you are traveling near a college campus, the summer is a perfect time to take an unofficial visit.

Unofficial visits give student-athletes a perfect opportunity to meet college coaches on their turf and get a close-up perspective of the campus. Visiting a campus before senior year will help you get a sense for what you like or dislike about a school, coach or team.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your unofficial visits:

1) Remember that “unofficial” means the school can not pay for your trip.

2) Unofficial visits can be taken as early as freshman year of high school!

3) Contact the coach! Do not show up on campus unexpected and expect the coach to be accommodating. Call him/her in advance to schedule the visit.

4) When you talk to the coach, use the term “unofficial visit”. By using proper recruiting terms you will demonstrate that you are serious and informed about your college search.

5) Ask questions!

6) Pay attention. This is your insider glimpse into the school so be sure to keep your eyes wide open.

7) Send a thank you note. Always say “thank you” to the coach and any other member of the staff or admissions department who took the time to introduce you to their college or university.

8) Have fun!

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 9:12 am and is filed under Athletic Scholarships, Contacting Coaches, Restrictions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.