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There is often a misconception in the college
search process that if you are not recruited or have not been
offered a scholarship you must not be very good. That view is
completely false. The fact is that most colleges just do not have
the finances available to offer every good swimmer a scholarship.
Another fact is that most colleges do not find out a
student-athlete is interested in their program until that student
has made "First Contact."
Many families assume that colleges are going to call them first.
The reality is that most collegiate swimming programs do not have
the manpower to search for athletes. Most coaches rely on meet
results from large meets such as Sectionals or High School State,
prospective student questionnaires, and through professional
recruiters (not sports agents) whom a student-athletes pay a fee to
have them send information to schools about them.
With the scholarship limits that are imposed by the NCAA, most
college coaches are going to be looking at a students academic
ability. The vast majority of swimming student athletes receive
financial aid through academic related scholarships, grants and
student loans, not through athletic scholarships.
Athletic Scholarship: An athletic scholarship is a
one-year contract between you and a Division I or Division II
institution. A school can reduce or cancel a scholarship of you
become ineligible for competition, fraudulently misrepresent
yourself, quit the team or engage in serious misconduct. During the
contract year, a coach cannot reduce or cancel your scholarship on
the basis of your athletic ability, performance, or injury. An
institution may choose to not renew a scholarship at the end of the
academic term provided they notify you in writing and provide you
an opportunity for a hearing.
Remember a coach cannot offer you a "four year full-ride
scholarship." They do not exist. Each student athlete award is
reviewed annually. It is important to ask current collegiate
swimmers if they are still on scholarship. Parents, it is not
uncommon for a college program to offer and renew an athletic
scholarship for the first 2-3 years of college and then ask the
student to pay full tuition for the remainder of their college
career.
National Letter of Intent: The National Letter of
Intent is administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association
(not the NCAA). When you sign the National Letter of Intent you
agree to attend the institution with which you signed for one
academic year in exchange for the institution awarding financial
aid, including athletics aid, for one academic year.
College Recruiting
Links
College Swimming 101
Five most important college recruiting
considerations
NCAA Prospective Student Athlete - Eligibility
Center
Guide
for the College-Bound Student-Athlete
- 2008/09
General Collegiate Swimming Information
NCAA - National Collegiate
Athletic Organization
NAIA - National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics
NJCAA - National Junior College Athletic
Association
CollegeSwimming.com
General College, Scholarship, and Financial
Aid Information
beRecruited
College MatchMaker
FinAid! - Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student
Loans
Savingforcollege.com - Funding College and 529
Plans
CollegeApps.com - Get
In To The College of Your Choice
FastWeb - Scholarships, Financial Aid and
Colleges
GoCollege
Scholarship Resource
Network Express
Degree Directory -
Colleges, Universities, Career Schools and Online Degree
Programs
Vault Education
Center
National
Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of Higher Education Loan
Programs
CampusTours - Virtual
College Tours
National Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities
US Department of
Education
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student
Aid
ACT, SAT, PSAT National Merit Scholar
Testing
College Board - SAT
Registration, College Admissions, Scholarships
ACT - Student Site for
ACT Test
Achievement Testing Study and Preparation
Links
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