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Tens of thousands of highly talented high school athletes end up putting their
sports dreams on hold when they go to college, assuming that they could never
be one of the elite that earns sports scholarships. As the Coach is about to show
you, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Learn the facts behind
the fiction by exploding the top three “myths” about winning athletic
scholarships.
Myth #1: College coaches are the ones who initiate contact with most high school
recruits.
Truth: Unless an athlete is an elite recruit—someone who has already gained
widespread state and national recognition—college coaches rarely make first
contact in the recruiting process.
Why is this so? It’s because typical college coaches—the ones we don’t
see coaching on television—lack the resources to scour the nation looking
for the best recruits. This is especially true at smaller colleges, which rarely
have the financial means to scout athletes outside of their local region. Non-revenue
producing sports at large universities (sports other than football and basketball),
usually suffer from a similar lack of resources.
In other words, it’s up to you! Despite what most people believe, it’s
the job of the enterprising student-athlete to recruit the coach, not the other
way around. Most athletes who land scholarships are those who initiate contact
with several coaches, market themselves well through written materials and highlight
videos, and keep those coaches updated on their progress throughout the year.
Remember, just because coaches aren’t knocking on your door doesn’t
mean you can’t knock on theirs!
Myth #2: To earn an athletic scholarship,
an individual must be a star athlete.
Truth: Most athletes who receive college scholarships are not the elite athletes
we often hear about in the media.
In 2001, nearly 200,000 students at the NCAA Division I and II levels received
athletic scholarships worth a combined $975,000,000. Of these, only roughly 5
percent of scholarship recipients were the “blue-chippers” that were
recruited on a national level. By our math, this leaves during any given year
about 190,000 scholarships for the talented, competent student-athletes who may
not be the standout stars. Furthermore, these figures don’t even consider
the thousands of student-athletes who receive scholarships from schools affiliated
with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or the National
Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). In addition, nearly 150,000 student-athletes
receive preferred admission and financial-aid packages at NCAA Division III or
Ivy League schools, which do not offer traditional athletic scholarships.
For those who go about the recruiting process correctly, there are plenty of opportunities
available for athletes who are talented, determined, marketable, and flexible
in what schools they would like to attend.
Myth #3: Most athletic scholarships
are “full ride” awards that cover the entire cost of college.
Truth: Outside of NCAA Division I football and basketball, most athletic grants
are partial scholarships covering only a portion of an athlete’s tuition,
books, and room and board.
The percentage of tuition and expenses covered by partial scholarships cover varies
on an individual basis and is determined by the university. An incoming freshman,
for example, an incoming freshman might have half of his tuition covered, but
receive no aid for books or room or board. A second athlete might have none of
his tuition covered, but receive free room and board.
Why is this the case? It’s because many coaches choose to divide their scholarships
among several athletes. A swimming coach, for instance, might divide his allotment
of 10 scholarships among 20 athletes by offering partial-tuition scholarships.
Many coaches use this strategy because they believe they can recruit a better
team with 20 half scholarships than with 10 full ones.
Exceptions to this rule are in sports such as football, for which only full scholarships
can be awarded, and basketball, in which teams rarely have more players than the
number of scholarships they can award, thus enabling them to offer each athlete
a full scholarship.
While everyone would love to earn a full ride, the good news about partial scholarships
is that greater numbers of athletes are getting substantial scholarship dollars
to pursue their educational and athletic goals.
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