clearhouse

College Bound Players NCAA Clearing House

Have transcripts and test scores sent to the Clearinghouse. It will usualy take a while for the player to be cleared, but you can log on to see if they have everything they need. You can also print out a worksheet for your own use in determining eligibility, and find a link that will tell you exactly which courses from your particular high school count in the NCAA GPA. That's important to do now, so that if you are missing anything, you can make it up next semester. The worksheet will allow you to put in your grades from your eligible courses and determine exactly your NCAA core GPA - then you can determine exactly what SAT/ACT score you need to qualify.

9th Grade - Start making plans for what College you are interested in make a list of about 10-15 colleges. Contact coach and get info about each program(Athletically/Academically). Send out info. about yourself to a coach, like a postcard with your picture and stats each week. Do well in school it is better if you start well academically then to try and play catch up. Join clubs and do community service activites. Maybe attend one of their soccer games or camps. Start running and lifting weights to get faster and stronger as you get older.

10th Grade - Start eliminating some of your choices. Continue to work on your grades! Run cross country to start fitness basing. Play hard every game and at every practice. Go for leadership positions in the clubs you belong to. Talk to your Club and High School coach about where you would like to go and what you might need to do in order to get there. Take the PSAT.

11th Grade - Register with Clearing house, take and SAT review course, and continue to keep you grades up above a 3.5 GPA. Continue in leadership positions in your clubs and continue doing community service. When playing in a tournament play well - eat smart, play smart, and get plenty of rest in order to be at your highest level every game - you never know who is watching and what chance you might have blown by not being on your game. Narrow your list down to around 5 schools, you should be familiar with their coach and he with you. When playing in a showcase email him the time and place and send it so it will send a message back to you when it is opened, otherwise he might not be there or he might only be there to see someone who did email him and then leave. Try and make a All Region or All County or All American team. There is also Academic All-American Awards given out by the NSCAA to deserving Seniors who have high GPA's, Leaders in School Club Activities, involved in Community Service, and are integral part of their team, such as a Captain or All County or All Region.

12th Grade - Hopefully have taken SAT and scored very well on it. GPA still high and are taking some challenging courses in your final year. Take some college visitation days and make sure the coach is aware of you coming. ** very important** know things about the team like their record, how they have done in the past, how many seniors he will have graduate. QUESTIONS for YOU to ask that coach:
1. Where does the coach see you fitting in with his team?
2. What are the time committments he requires of all of his players?
3. What is the drop out rate of players from the team and why? (players on the team)
4. Does the Athletic program offer any help for Academics? Study hall, tutors? Missing classes for travel? How grades are monitored?
5. Does he know how much money you might be eligible for right away(academic/athletic) is there a possibility that the money will increase over time, such as become a starter, important contributor, a senior?
6. Will the coach be committed too stay for the duration of your time at the school? Is he retiring soon, in jeapordy of loisng his job or maybe moving to new job?
(for more questions look at the college bound athlete guide provided in the link above)

EXTRA INFORMATION: OFFICIAL VISITS - What to expect
For OFFICIAL VISITS (if a coach is spending the money of an official visit for a player, then that is a good sign that the coach wants the kid):

Most likely your kid will stay in the dorms with current players, which is a good way to see what the dorms and dorm life are like. It also is a nice chance to get to know the current players and ask questions about the typical routine. Ask the current players specific questions, what other schools they considered, what made them choose school X, if they had any regrets, etc. Also ask what they like most and what they like least, about the soccer program/coach AND the school. The current players will probably take the recruits out on the town to experience the social aspect.

Your player will probably attend practices (but can't practice with the team, at least not D1) and hopefully will get to attend a soccer game and even a football game or other school event. There is a time limit on the length of the stay (I think it's 48 hours or something like that).

The player will probably also have a one to one meeting with the coach where they can discuss offers or other details. Having a list of questions about money, exactly what he/she would be getting, what the expectations are regarding playing time/redshirting, what are any additional costs that you might incur (like costs for preseason "unofficial" training...).

If an offer is made, ask that it be in writing so that there won't be any confusion about exactly what the offer is and so that the parents can review it (since many/most of the official visits are attending by the player without the parent, getting it in writing insures that the player doesn't forget anything or get confused; it also prevents any confusion later). Also, it is probably a good idea for the parent to follow up on the phone with the coach to clarify the situation/thank him/her, etc. Our player also followed up to thank the coach and the host play
GATHER ALL YOUR INFORMATION FROM YOUR FINAL LIST AND MAKE THE BEST CHOICE FOR YOU. REMEMBER IT IS WHAT FITS YOU NOT ANYONE ELSE.