If You’re Considering Playing Sports in College, Read This

The decision about whether to play sports in college is a big one. Perhaps you’ve played tennis throughout high school, but are you good enough to play in college? Maybe you play basketball, but you feel you definitely couldn’t commit to the intensity of a D1 team. Or, maybe you love volleyball, but will playing in college deter you from your studies? All of these are very normal questions to be asking yourself. The decision to play sports or not is a personal one, but here are some points to consider that could help.

1. There is a big difference in the levels of sports in college. Ranging from Division 1 all the way to Division 3, and then beyond to Club or Intramural Sports, there’s something for every student-athlete. If athletics are a big part of your life, chances are you want them to continue to be in college as well. Include all levels in your consideration.
2. Determine NCAA Eligibility. Go to the NCAA Eligibility Center and enter your information, including grades and test scores, to determine if you are eligible to play at the different levels in college.
3. Make an athletic resume and send to coaches. This previous blog post goes into good detail about what an athletic resume is and why you might want to make one.
4. Talk with coaches and friends. It doesn’t hurt anything to reach out to some coaches at different colleges and ask them questions about their team and expectations. You aren’t committing to anything by having a conversation. Friends and former college athletes are good people to talk with also. Ask what their student-athlete experiences were like.
5. Make a highlight reel and create your own YouTube channel. When you talk with coaches, ask what they are specifically looking for. And with some high school athletics not happening, you can’t film games or meets. You may be responsible for highlighting your own skills, best times, etc. Making a YouTube channel is easy and you can give that link to prospective coaches.

If you decide you definitely DO want to play sports in college, this previous blog post will be helpful to read. If you aren’t sure, start having those important conversations with high school coaches, college coaches, parents and your college counselor. We are happy to help!