College Recruiting
DISCOVERING WHAT YOU WANT:
PSACC provides student-athletes the information and tools to create and explore all of their college recruiting options. A central part of this process is helping student-athletes discover what they really want from their college and athletic experiences. We work together to establish targets and strategies for achieving goals.
ADVISING FOR DIFFERENT SPORTS:
While recruiting process varies from one sport to another and from one school to another, there are many parallels as well. We want to help you find the answers to the elusive questions — what do coaches look for? — so that you can better position yourself relative to those benchmarks. Coaches are experts in what it takes to be successful on their team and at their school. PSACC’s student-athletes learn to use coaches as a resource to get the answers to all of their questions and know where they stand.
We believe that knowledge is power. When a prospective student-athlete learns what kinds of experience, exposure, and academics he will need in order to make himself a strong candidate, he is empowered. Having accurate information, especially early on, will help you develop a plan to ensure that you have the right experience and exposure when it matters. Our work together will make you a more qualified and better prepared prospective student-athlete.
HOW WE WORK WITH STUDENT-ATHLETES:
Our College Recruiting programs are for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. We recommend starting during sophomore spring, and continuing into senior year. For sophomores, we offer a “starter program”, which is a great way to get on coaches’ radar and start exploring college options prior to when the recruiting process kicks into high gear. It also provides a nice lead-in to the full program offered during junior year. We offer an annual program for juniors, which covers all aspects of the recruiting process.
Throughout the junior year program we meet with the student-athlete (in person or via video conference) once every two weeks, or more if needed. We also have frequent communication via email in between meetings. While the meetings are between the student-athlete and advisor, we want parents to be included and provide periodic updates and check-ins so that we are all on the same page. See below for a list of topics covered throughout program.
TOPICS COVERED:
- recruiting timeline(s) for each school
- how to research schools to learn more about programs and opportunities
- identifying schools of interest
- writing and updating the athletic resume
- best practices for sharing scores, swing videos, and other stats
- writing introductory emails to coaches
- managing ongoing communication with coaches (when to send what information)
- best practices for marketing yourself — how to talk about goals and difficult rounds
- creating a plan for class selection, SAT/ACT, and SAT II
- preparing for phone calls and meetings with coaches
- relevant NCAA rules, including NCAA Eligibility Center process
- unofficial and official visits, and how to prepare for each
- off-season practice / plan for improving
- how to maximize time spent practicing — learn to practice more efficiently
- tournament schedule / improve national-ranking / gain experience
- discussion of goals for college (academic, athletic, and personal)
- what questions to ask coaches to get a good sense of where you stand on their list of prospects
- how to talk about accomplishments with pride and humility
- the importance of goal setting and sharing with coaches
- how to compare offers and push coach for an admissions pre-read
- how to make a well-informed decision based on your goals
- the Academic Index, Verbal Commitment, and Likely Letter process
- early signing process
PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETE COLLEGE COUNSELING
Claire Sheldon Richardson
857-209-4991
claire@psacollegecounseling.com