COLLEGE INFORMATION
Why swim in college?
The NCAA presents the case - read the article HERE
RSC Guide to Swimming in College
TERMINOLOGY
College Visit - Campus visit to college of choice
* zero interaction with anyone from the athletic department
Unofficial Visit - Campus visit paid for by college-bound student-athlete or parents
* Start September 1 of Junior year
* Unlimited duration of stay
* Unlimited number of visits
* Can not meet with coach during the recruiting dead period
Official Visit (aka "Recruiting Trip") - Campus visit paid for by the college or university
* Expenses covered by the college or university: transportation, room, meals and reasonable entertainment
* Parents/Guardians may attend official visits (what gets paid for is dependent upon the college/university's budget)
* Start September 1 of Junior year
* Allowed a total of 5 official visits between Junior and Senior years
National Letter of Intent (NLI) - A legal document when signed, that states the college-bound student athlete agrees to attend the college/university for one academic year. In exchange, that college/university must provide athletics financial aid for one academic year.
* Pertains to scholarship athletes only
* This is a binding commitment
* Exception: Able to get out of the NLI if the head coach of the college/university you agreed to attend will no longer be there.
Verbal Commitment - a phrase used to describe a college-bound studend athlete's commitment to a school before he/she sign (or is able to sign) a National Letter of Intent.
* Pertains to scholarship AND walk-on athletes
* Can announce a verbal commitment at any time
* This is NOT a binding commitment for neither the college bound student athlete nor the college/university
Dead Period - A period of time in which a college/university coach may NOT, at any time, have in-person contact (on or off campus) with you or your parents.
* 4 days in November and April - during the week of signing period
PREPARATION FOR COLLEGE SWIMMING
9th Grade
- Create an account on collegeswimming.com
- Research what you are looking for in a college
* College coaches look at how a swimmer would perform in their conference meet. Looking at conference meet results is one of the best ways to see how well you will fit into the swimming program
- Take 1 or 2 unofficial visits
* Coordinate a campus tour with the college/university
* With the new NCAA legislation, coaches will not be able to meet with swimmers before 11th grade.
- Performance
* Establish good practice and race habits. Understand that your meets are a reflection of what you do/don't do in practice. The older you get, creating good habits only gets harder.
10th Grade
- Have a broad list of schools that you are intersted in
- Email college coaches
* Reach out once every 1-2 months to check in (out of sight, out of mind)
- Take 2-4 unofficial visits
* Coordinate a campus tour with the college/university
* With the new NCAA legislation, coaches will not be able to meet with swimmers before 11th grade.
- Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at elgibilitycenter.org
* If you plan on competing at an NCAA Division I or II school, you will need to be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center
* Must be registered to go on Official Visits (which start in 11th grade)
* Registration costs $80
- Performance
* This is the first of your two big performance years. Do your best to hit the goal times that you and your coach have come up with. Continue good racing and practice habits.
11th Grade
- Narrow down list of schools
- September 1st - Colleges can make calls to you AND you can start taking official visits (aka recruiting trip)
* You only get 5 official visits between your Junior and Senior years
- Performance
* This is the second of your two big performance years. Do your best to hit the goal times that you and your coach have come up with. Continue good racing and practice habits.
12th Grade
- Narrow down list of schools
- Fill out FAFSA - https://fafsa.ed.gov
- Take official visits
* Reminder - you only get 5 official visits between your Junior and Senior years
- Performance
* If you have not decided on a school, this is your last year to show what you can do in the pool. Once you have decided on a school, you need to fine tune the skills and habits that will be expected of you in college.
If you want to download the complete RSC Guide to Swimming in College
