One of the most common mistakes made among high school students and their parents is waiting to be contacted about athletic scholarships. The truth is, it is very doubtful that a coach is going to find out about the skills of a particular student unless they are contacted by someone else. Those who wait to be contacted about a college athletic scholarship will definitely be missing out.
The ideal time to contact a coach regarding a college athletic scholarship is at the beginning of the Junior year of high school. The reason for this is that the coach will then have enough time to investigate more about the student and watch them during their upcoming sport seasons. Starting the Freshman or Sophomore years is too early and, of course, the Senior year will not give the coach enough time.
When contacting the coach regarding any scholarship availability, it may be best to first check with your highs school coach to see if they have had any contact with the coach at your college of choice. With any luck, your coach may be able to provide you with some insight as to whether or not you would be a good fit for the college and coach. If not, send the coach a letter and even a video of yourself, highlighting your skills in your sports.
Obviously, the one factor that a lot of athletes forget about is their grades. You could be the star of the team and have great skills in your sport, but if you don’t have the grades, you are not going to win anything. Make positive your SAT and ACT scores, as well as your grades are exactly where they need to be to get into the college you prefer.
Don’t make the mistake of waiting to be contacted for a college athletic scholarship. Take the matter into your own hands and start contacting coaches by the middle of your Junior year in high school. Waiting for them to come to you is not going to get you the help you need for a college education.
