11 Steps to an Athletic Scholarship

An overview of what is needed

1. Build a list of colleges that interest you
2. 1. Are you looking for an athletic program that is tops in their sport?
   2. Are you looking for an athletic program in which you may be able to step in as a starter your first or second year?
   3. Are you looking for a large, small or medium sized school?
   4. What major are you interested in persuing?
   5. How far away from home is acceptable to you (and maybe your family and friends)
3. Open your Internet browser and start finding those colleges on the web
4. 1. Get the recruiters contact info including email address and snail mail address
   2. Bookmark the athletic department web pages
   3. Send in recruiting profiles that most colleges have
   4. Keep track of all these in a spreadsheet which you can download here
5. If you have time in the season and the college has a sport camp, go.  Go to the sport camp as this allows the coaches to talk to you about the sport.  At the same time, you can talk to them about your intention to be considered as part of their program.  It may cost a few dollars but at the very least, you will get some good coaching out of the time you are there.
6. At some point, start collecting game film that you will want to send to the recruiting coordinators
7. 1. Group together highlights and keep adding to that reel as the season progresses.  Show off special techniques or plays that you are especially proud of within games.
   2. Set aside entire game footage.  Recruters want to see entire games to make sure you don't just show up a couple times a game with the odd brilliant play.
8. Once you begin the process of sending info to recruiters, keep in touch with them.  Send them an email periodically to let them know how you and your team is doing and make sure you recognize and note how their team is doing.  Don't overdue it but once or twice a month is not too much.  Once a day is just plain stalking :)
9. Create a web page.  With the web page you can do things like put pictures on the site, include videos, newspaper articles and other important stats.  Some recruiters will forego having you send in game film if you have that on your site.  The biggest advantage is that if you do something noteworthy, you can email the recruiter and include the link to film or newspaper article.  What we recommend is that most papers have the clippings on-line but copy the article to your web page and bold the information that pertains to you.  Include the link to the original article as well.
10. Start visiting the colleges that you are most interested in attending and feel you have realistic shot at getting an athletic scholarship.  The colleges may ask you to come as an official visit in which case they will pay for all or some of your expenses associated with the trip.  In other situations, you may just want to go and visit the campus and athletic facilities to make sure you have comfort level with them if the time comes and they do make you an offer.
11. Become more aggresive in contacting schools as they grow closer to a decision. 
12. If the unthinkable happens and you do not get a scholarship offer, keep in contact with the recruiters.  Events happen all the time that cause signed recruits to lose their scholarships before the season even starts.  It may be that you need to be in the right spot at the right time but not keeping in contact with recuiters will lesson your chance of being in the right spot. 
13. If you don't get a scholarship offer as a high school senior but you still want to play in college, consider colleges that may give you a scholarship as a walk-on.  Idealistically you will go to the college to continue your sports career but there is always that possibility that you could work your way into a scholarship offer.  It happens frequently.