NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

  Can’t pay for college? Maybe Uncle Sam can help you. Getting accepted into a military academy or ROTC (Reserved  Officer Training Corps) program may be the most rewarding experience a young man or woman can receive. In this blog entry I want to distinguish between the two elements of government academic training and possibly assist you in the benefits of applying and competing for a military academy or ROTC program.

The Academies

Acceptance: Military academies such as West Point and Annapolis have a prestigious history of fielding some of the best athletic teams our country has ever seen along with first-class education. One thing prospective student-athletes need to understand is that it is tuition free. That’s right it’s free! However, getting accepted into West Point, Annapolis, or Colorado Springs is not an easy task. The academies are very selective in the acceptance process and certain documentation needs to be in order before applying. These documents include letter of recommendations from your state congressman, outstanding GPA, test scores and proof that you are a leader in your community. If you are getting recruited by a coach from one of the academies, I highly recommend you communicate over what is needed to be accepted.

Commitment: Understand that this decision is a commitment. The next four years of your life will be dedicated to earning a degree of your choice and learning the principles of leading our country. After graduation you will be considered a commissioned officer and have a six year enlistment to your branch. The Naval Academy is the only academy where Midshipmen have the option of either serving in the United States Navy or the United States Marine Corps. To learn more about the academies click on these links below:

United States Military Academy

United States Naval Academy

United States Air Force Academy

Reserved Officer Training Corp

Acceptance: The ROTC program is also another great program offered by our military which gives prospective students the opportunity to select the college of their choice while the government picks up the tuition bill. The ROTC program is not as selective with prospective students as the academies, but it is highly recommended that an applicant have outstanding academics and athletic performance. During your four year college commitment students in the program will be enrolled in a series of military science courses and be required to attend military sanctioned events over the first two summers while attending OCS (Officer Candidate School) their third summer and TBS (The Basic School) in their fourth summer.

Commitment: Your commitment after you earn your degree is similar to that of a midshipmen or cadet. You will embark on a 6 year enlistment. If at any point you decide that the military is not for you, you will owe the government the money that was paid for your degree. To learn more about the Reserved Officer Training Corps Click below.

ROTC 

Your role as an athlete

Athletics play a huge role in the image of the military academies. Every year the Army versus Navy game is one of the biggest rivalries in our country. As an athlete, not only do you have your responsibilities preparing week to week against opponents, you also have a series of inspections, assignments, and studies.  Organization, time management, and being squared away will separate you from the pack.

Merchant Marine Academy, New Mexico Military Institute, The Citadel, & the Coast Guard

The Merchant Marine Academy, New Mexico Military Institue, United States Coast Guard Academy, and The Citadel are also fine insitutions that offer first class education. After speaking with representatives from each institution this is the information we found.

   Merchant Marine Academy: The Merchant Academy encourages their student’s to serve as civilians after graduation in the Maritime Industry. These positions include deck officers, engineers, security, and logistics. Students are required to serve an 8 year reservist enlistment which is broken down to 2 weeks per year. 75% of the Merchant Marine Students will be placed in this job industry while making lucrative salaries. 75% enlist in the Naval and Marine Reserve compononent, while 25% enlist into one of the four military branches. The Merchant Marine Academy has 23 varsity sports. Rugby is nationally ranked, and 85% of the student body participates in sports. To learn more about the Merchant Marine Academy click here

New Mexico Military Institute: All students who attend New Mexico Military Institute do not have a military commitment after graduation. They do encourage students to attend military academies after graduation and compete at the junior college level. NMMI offers an ROTC program where students voluntarily sign up and are required to serve a 4 year enlistment in the branch of their choice. To learn more about the New Mexico Military Institute click here

The Citadel: The Citadel is located in Charleston, SC and competes at the Division 1-AA level. There is no mandatory enlistment after graduation. They also offer an ROTC program that does not have a binding contract to serve after your schooling is complete. They do encourage students to serve in one of the four military branches. To learn more about The Citadel click here

The United States Coast Guard Academy

The United States Coast Guard Academy is tuition free. However, there is a $3,000 initial fee which includes a laptop and uniforms. There is a 5 year enlistment that is involved after graduation. Students will receive their military occupation specialty after their second year in the academy. Teams who compete for the academy compete at the Division 3 level. 65% of their students graduate from the academy. If at any point a student has a change of heart the situation is handled case by case and certain money will be owed back to the institution. To learn more about the United States Coast Guard Academy click here

 Serving our country was one of the best career decisions I have ever made. During my enlistment as a young Marine I learned discipline, leadership, and achieved goals I never would have done on my own. These tools helped me become the person I am today and set me up for a wonderful job. To learn more about military life or questions please comment on this blog below and an NCSA Recruiting Coach will be in touch with you.

 You don’t want to wait until senior year to learn about the recruiting process. You can start taking serious recrtuiintg steps as a freshman. National Collegiate Scouting Association president Chris Krause’s simple timeline that everyone can follow:

 ”You can’t expect coaches to keep the process moving all the time, because the average coach [is] very limited in time by the NCAA and by recruiting budgets,” Krause says. “It’s up to you to keep the process moving.”

Freshman Year
Get the ball rolling early, because “college coaches are recruiting the world,” Krause says. “If [your] competition is being proactive and [you’re not], they’ll assume you’re not interested.” Understanding NCAA recruiting rules is crucial to the success of this first step. The rules and regs constantly change, and staying abreast will save you from breaking them-and the headaches and heartaches of being penalized.

Also know the measurables for your sport [e.g, Football: 40-yard dash, vertical jump; Volleyball: standing reach, touch jump; Softball: pop times, ray and jug guns]. “Those are the types of little things [to know], so you know where you stack up.” 

Krause also recommends going to a D-I, -II and -III game or competition to learn the differences between the levels of play. You’ll benefit from this experience as you graduate to sophomore status.

Sophomore Year
Resume the recruiting process by starting your athletic résumé, noting the essentials. “[Coaches] want to know how tall, strong and fast you are [and] what you’re doing academically,” Krause says.

A paper evaluation isn’t the only analysis you need at this point. A scouting evaluation-from your high school coach or an independent third party-is also necessary to help you realistically determine where you stack up against higher competition.

By this time, look into compiling a skills tape, which you can send to a coach after writing a personal letter. “Don’t send videos unsolicited,” Krause warns. “Let the coach know you’re interested [in his program] and why.

“Recruiting is about relationships. The more chance you can help a coach build a relationship with you, the easier you make the process on him, and the more likely you’re going to be recruited.”

This year is also when you should be calling D-III coaches, who, unlike D-I or -II coaches, aren’t prohibited from calling you back. “[This] can really be a great tune-up for you, so by the time you get to your junior year, you’re really prepared for those phone calls.”

Junior Year
This stage is intense because as Krause explains, “what you do during your junior year really makes up a lot of minds.” 

If you’re not receiving letters by now, better start putting ink to paper. “Writing a letter is critical,” Krause says. Be specific when addressing the coach [e.g., write “Dear Coach Smith,” not “Dear Coach”], and share what you like about his/her program and why you’re interested in playing for the team.

Open the [phone] lines of communication. For most sports, this is the year you can start receiving calls from D-I and -II coaches. Always return calls in a timely manner and be fully prepared for phone conversations by knowing about the school’s academic background, its athletic conference and the team’s style of play.

Krause recommends focusing on 10 to 20 schools you think could be a realistic fit, then proactively start talking to those coaches and scheduling unofficial visits.

Senior Year
“For bigger D-I programs, most scholarships are offered during the junior year,” Krause notes.

Didn’t get the offer you wanted? You can still take your game to college. “Keep the level of schools in your recruiting pool open at all times,” Krause advises. “For D-III, most of those coaches are waiting to see who signed D-I and who didn’t. And most of the time, tons of studentathletes weren’t recruited by D-I schools, and now they need to follow up with [coaches from other divisions].”

Philip Surprise, who recently committed to Quinnipiac University, was chosen by ESPN as the Midwest Region Athlete of the Week. Click here to see the Article 

NCSA also sat down with Philip for a Q and A.  See Q & A

When I read Ross’ post “Success is felt at every level” I recalled one of my favorite poems (it is really an article, but to me it reads like a poem).

“Why We Play D-III Athletics” was written by Sean Sornsin, a baseball player at Cornell College.

“It’s not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making SportsCenter.  It’s a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, to play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat.  We do it all for our teammates and for the student in our calculus class that we don’t even know.

We don’t practice with a future major league first baseman; we practice with a future sports agent. We don’t lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don’t run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO.  It’s a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand.  Sometimes we play for 2,000 fans; sometimes 25.  But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us.  You know more than just our names.  Like all of you, we are students first.  We don’t sign autographs.  But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions.  When we miss a kick or strike out, we don’t let down an entire state.  We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans.

But the hurt is still the same.  We train hard, lift, throw, run, kick, tackle, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class.  And in that class we are nothing more than students.  It’s about pride in ourselves, in our school.  It’s about our love and passion for the game.  And when it’s over, when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble.  Those tears are real.  But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves.  We will forever be what few can claim…college athletes.”

 I was speaking with a parent of a soccer player recently and she made the comment “it’s a state school so it will be much more affordable”.

Many people are under the misconception that public colleges and universities are less expensive than private institutions. Sticker prices at public colleges are often less daunting than those of their private counterparts, however, once academic, athletic and need based aid is taken into consideration the final financial package often tells a very different story.

Most private colleges and universities provide financial assistance for many of their students. Yale University, for example, is reducing the average cost of sending a student to Yale College by over 50% for families with financial need. This new policy will apply to all students returning to campus in the fall as well as entering freshmen. This represents the largest increase in spending for financial aid in the University’s history.

The reduction in costs will be spread across a broad range of incomes. Families with incomes below $120,000 will see their contributions cut by more than 50%, while most families with incomes between $120,000 and $200,000 will see cost reductions of 33% or more.

Families earning less than $60,000 annually will not make any contribution toward the cost of a child’s education, and families earning $60,000 to $120,000 will typically contribute from 1% to 10% of total family income. The contribution of aided families earning above $120,000 will average 10% of income.

According to a recent study conducted here at NCSA, the average scholarship (academic, athletic and need-based funds) at public schools totaled $12,850.19. The average private school award totaled a whopping $21,266.10.

Do not be misled by the figure you see on a college website. Once you dig deeper and take advantage of your academic and athletic talent there is a lot of aid available.

1.   Stress academics more than athletics.

Parents really need to keep the entire recruiting process in perspective.  A career can be over in one play; then what happens to their child?  Parents should encourage their child to be as good as they can be in both academics and athletics.  More doors will be open to the student-athlete who is solid both in the classroom and on the field. 

2. Work through the high school coach.

It’s very important that parents do not by-pass the high school coach in the recruiting process.  This is not only looked upon negatively by the high school coach, but also by the college.  The high school coach is the direct liaison with the colleges.  It’s crucial that parents and coaches work hand-in-hand helping the student-athlete during the entire recruiting process.

3. Encourage attendance at camps and combines.

Exposure of the student athletes to camps and combines is important in recruiting.  Working through the high school coach, parents and student athletes select a limited number of camps and/or combines that the student athlete should attend.  Normally the high school coach can best match up the talents of the student athlete to the best camps.

4. Do college research.

There are a variety of ways to obtain information about specific colleges and universities.  Parents can, and should extensively check out those institutions the student athlete is most interested in attending.  Graduation, rates, various majors, post academic programs, etc. can all be found through the internet, working through the high school counselor and by dealing directly with specific institutions.

5. Go on college visits.

Parents should not allow their child to make an official college visit by themselves.  Deciding which college or university to attend is one of the most important decisions in one’s lifetime.  Parents may ask questions and make observations the student athlete may not.  The maturity and experience of the parents is vital in the recruiting process.  Do not assume the child has everything under control; parents need to help.

6. Put egos aside.

When it gets down to the time to make the decision on which college to attend, parents and the student athlete must put egos aside. The final decision as to what school to attend should be based on the best overall match. School size should not be as important as the best academic, athletic and social match.

Bill Conley worked at Ohio State for 17 years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

NCSA student-athlete and Emory University freshman, Ben Schlang, made headlines last weekend by scoring the 20^th “golden goal” in school history. A “golden goal” is one that is scored during sudden death overtime. Ben’s goal was the first “golden goal” scored by an Emory freshman since 2000.

Ben hails from Cooper City, Florida and applied early to Emory last fall. Ben chose Emory primarily because of its excellent academic reputation and after visiting other Division I and Division III campuses he felt that everything about the school was the right fit.

 Any relationship/friendship if it is to be beneficial to both parties must be based upon trust and loyalty. This quality definitely applies to your relationship with the coach that is recruiting you. Even as a young person you need to “get a feel” for the coach who is attempting to attract you to his or her school. Basically this is an initial instinct as to how comfortable you are with this individual.

Recruiters are as diverse and different as all people are different from each other. Initially parents or guardians need to interact with the recruiting coach.  When they are comfortable with the recruiter and the young person is ready, they can turn the brunt of the relationship over to the recruit and watch from basically role as a moderator.

Being comfortable with the relationship, it can mean that the conversations with the recruiter are not just based upon a hard sell for their school, but are actual conversations concerning academics, friends, life goals and other topics. The constant hard sell can become annoying, and indicative of a recruiter who is inexperienced, or who is “not doing their homework.” The best recruiters that I had the pleasure of working with knew their respective recruits almost as life long friends. Again, “the best” recruiters I worked with. It really sent up a red flag for me when on our recruiting call evening I would go down the hall and hear one of our coaches begins the conversation with, “So how is it going big guy, who do you guys have this weekend,? Great, I will call you next week!” I could only think about what the young person on the other end of that call thought of such an impersonal call.

Permit me to digress a bit. When I say recruiting coach, I am referring to the coach who is the primary contact with the recruit. Initially it is usually a coach who is assigned to a geographical region of the prospective student athlete. The recruit may also hear from the coach of a particular position on the team assigned to that recruit, the recruiting coordinator or even the head coach as the process continues.

The coach assigned geographically to the area is usually the initial contact and usually the main conduit to the athletic program for the recruit and the family. This is usually the relationship that becomes the strongest and most lasting. And this is usually the coach that will “have the recruits back” as the young person moves from prospect to recruit to signee, to team member to college graduate. And in all candor, this is the coach who if he or she leave the school for another position at another school will have the biggest affect on the athlete.

And, if this individual should move on during the recruiting process it is critical for the family to immediately call the head coach to determine the status of the recruit in the process with the main contact in the program no longer in the picture. It is an honor to be recruited, it is indicative of hard work and dedication, but remember this is a two way street. It is also an honor to be called ‘coach.” And as you are moving through the process remember that you have a lot to bring to the table, and that as you are being evaluated, you are also evaluating the coaches and schools that are recruiting you. It is critical that once again you “get a feel” for these individuals.

Can you live with these people during the next four years of your life that will determine the next forty years of your life? And when I say “live with” it is just what I mean. A commitment to a school is huge undertaking. Hours, days, weeks, months, years of practice, being coached, competing, and every athletic moment along the way you will be in the charge of the coaches who have recruited you. It sounds like a long road and it is, but it can be just so rewarding, and the ride of a lifetime. Make sure that the coaches who will accompany you on that ride are people,” that you can live with.” Go for it! And always remember that you will be going through this process only once. At NCSA you will be dealing with people who have gone through it so many, many, times. And remember that we are here to assist you. No question is too unimportant; it is about you and about your future. Use us to make that future as bright and as profitable as possible.

Coach C.

Character matters in recruiting.  Virtually every college coach you talk to will tell you that he tries his best to do a thorough background check on every incoming recruit.  Athletes need to understand that the search doesn’t just end with talking to your parents, coaches, and teachers.  These days that search extends to the Internet on site likes Facebook and MySpace.  Want proof?  Both the University of Nebraska and Creighton University recently released Interent Ethics Codes.

Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne told the press that the athletic department will be monitoring more than 500 Nebraska athletes this fall. 

Osborne bluntly stated, “We wont turn our heads if we see something inappropriate.”

Creighton athletic director Bruce Rasmussen echoed the statement. 

“If, in my opinion, I see anything that affects them, the team, the athletic department or the university in negative ways, I’ll handle it any way I see fit.”

College coaches have limited scholarships available and their jobs are on the line if they can’t produce results.  Losing players to suspension is a major blow to any program.  Coaches will continue to monitor their athletes with any tool possible.  Recruits need to realize that the same type of scrutiny will fall on them.  Don’t throw away a potential scholarship by posting a “funny” picture on the Internet that can come back to haunt you.

September 1^st is an important date for several sports in the recruiting process. On this date college coaches will be allowed to start contacting prospective student athletes on a more frequent basis. Many student athletes have a certain level of anxiety regarding speaking to college coaches.

Some student athletes have trouble understanding which questions are important to ask, while others avoid these calls all together. And all too commonly, some student athletes will waste the opportunity they have with college coaches and not ask a single question concerning their status with the school. Whatever your scenario, it’s important that we review the basics of handling phone calls from college coaches.

The first thing I want you to do is breath, stay calm and don’t get anxious. When you start to field phone calls from college coaches you will notice one common theme, they like to talk. Most of the phone calls you receive from college coaches they will simply be talking at you. Meaning they’re driving the conversation. For the most part you will simply sit there and listen. Occasionally you might be asked a pretty basic question regarding last Friday’s game, or how your classes are going but for the most part you should have no trouble answering the questions they ask you. So don’t worry, these phone calls are nothing to get anxious about. I can guarantee after your first call you will not have any anxiety regarding future calls.

Now that you’re relaxed, I want to make sure you understand what your objective should be as a recruit who fields phone calls from college coaches. It’s all about information, plain and simple. The ego stroke most recruits receive about how great of a player they are is really just a side bonus, trust me.  Don’t let the ego boast side track you, stay focused and remember to get as much information as you can from these coaches. 

Now you may be asking yourself, “What sort of information should I find out?” If you asked yourself that, congratulations, you’re starting to understand this process. For the most part it’s simple. You know what you want to find out about, maybe it’s the major that you’ve always wanted to study, maybe it’s whether or not you will have an opportunity to play early, maybe you want know about what kind of academic support the school offers their athletes. The fact is most of the questions need to come from you, ask yourself what is important and then find out whether or not the school can offer what you’re looking for.

I encourage you to write out a list of questions, that way you can ask the same set of questions to every coach you deal with. This will allow you to compare the different answers each school gives you. This will help you when you enter into the decision making part of this process. Trust me; it will be extremely helpful to simply look down at a pad of paper to find your questions, versus having to remember all of them on the spot.

Remember the trick is to get as much information from these coaches as possible. I recommend always working towards finding out where the coach is with his recruiting class, (in terms of offers made at your position) where you stand on his recruiting board, and when you can expect a decision on whether or not they are interested in having you join there program. Finding out this info will really allow you to organize your recruiting effort in a much more effective manor hopefully allowing you to find as much success as possible.