<p>Ok here goes with my first post. Hope it's in the right place and right forum. No 1 son is a high school sophomore equivalent in the UK (Year 11 for us, he's 15 now, 16 in June, GCSE year) and is absolutely set on applying to a US college as a student athlete.
I've started the research but am a little unsure of whether to use a scouting service or not. I think if he wanted to contact a heap of D1 colleges and fill in the recruiting questionnaires etc we can handle that, plus we can easily set up a website for him with video.
My problem is about how to navigate through the D1, D2, D3, NAIA. How to tell if he has an 'offer' or not. At what point does an offer become 'serious' and can it be withdrawn. Also, as we are in the UK, we'd want to limit visits (obviously) so how do coaches and admissions handle that?
Sorry for all the questions, I have lots so I've tried to limit them and I really appreciate any advice you might have.
My thoughts were to use the free service at ncsa, also use berecruited, use the college questionnaires, use my linkedin contacts (I'm an athletics coach so I have a few dozen US contacts) and do some direct email. If we didn't feel we were making progress then fall back on someone like ncsa next year. Does this sound like a viable plan?</p>
<p>I don’t really have a point of reference since sports wasn’t a hook for either of my two. May I ask what sport your son is involved with ? And by " offer " do you mean acceptance or some type of scholarship ?</p>
<p>Hi lje62.
He’s a track sprinter, primarily 400m. I guess what I’m asking is when do you know you have a firm offer and can relax a bit?</p>
<p>Try posting your question here:</p>
<p>[Athletic</a> Recruits - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/]Athletic”>Athletic Recruits - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Hard to find, I know. That sub-forum is buried under the “specialty college admissions topics” heading inside the College Admissions Forum.</p>
<p>You also could ask the folks at [EducationUSA</a> | Center Profile - US-UK Fulbright Commission - Fulbright Advisory Service](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/Fulbright-UK]EducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.info/Fulbright-UK) if they know anything about athletic recruitment. If the people in the London office don’t have a clue, chances are that someone else within the EducationUSA network will.</p>
<p>One word of advice - “offer” isn’t the word used in the US. I’m from the UK so I obviously understand what you mean, but most often people will say “place”, because once you are accepted at a university it’s not conditional on your grades. You’re not “given an offer”, you’re “offered a place” or “accepted”. That might be why people are getting confused!</p>
<p>In the recruiting process, I think you relax when the coach asks your son sign a letter of intent and apply ED (for DI and maybe DII) - for DIII, there isn’t a letter of intent but the coach will ask the kid to apply ED so they can have that kid committed to their roster as early as possible.</p>
<p>Recruiting at a D1 or D2 level is different than the other divisions. Potential D1/D2 athletes should start by registering with what is commonly called the NCAA clearing house but is correctly called the eligibility center. <a href=“http://web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp[/URL]”>http://web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp</a></p>
<p>I don’t know if the process is different for a non-US athlete but I would guess the web site would tell you. </p>
<p>For D3, the process can be initiated by the student. Most athletic web sites have a potential recruit form that the athlete can complete and send to the coach. You might also want to try a free service such as BeRecruited. </p>
<p>Sports at D1 can be very intense! Give some thought to the level of commitment your child wants to make in college. My daughter initially thought she would compete D1, but as she started to better understand what that meant, she changed her mind. She is happily committed to her first choice D3 school.</p>
<p>Hey all. Thanks so much for all the advice. I will check all the links and information this weekend.</p>
<p>I would also go to the track portion of the websites of the schools your son is interested in to see how his times compare, keeping in mind that he is younger.</p>
<p>Thanks gloworm. We’re in a pretty good position from that score that he is thereabouts already. We’ve done a lot of research on whether he will be good enough or not and obviously it’s relatively easy with track compared to teamsports in that it is a number. His numbers are pretty good and should be good enough for most D1s by the end of the summer.</p>
<p>Congratulations on having a son with D1 talent. Does your son have a list of particular schools in mind? Is he looking to maximize his athletic talent and his chances of being on a championship caliber team and pick up an solid education along the way? Or is it the other way around - with academics the top consideration just so long as the track program is solid. There are a few schools where both are top-notch, Stanford being perhaps the most famous example.</p>
<p>If he has certain schools in mind it might be useful to express his interest by e-mailing the coaches directly and mentioning his honors won and especially his times. Most US colleges do not have the money to go scouting and recruiting in Europe, so if your son does the legwork of discovering him for them it might be very helpful in getting their attention.</p>
<p>One thing to consider is that unless your son is a superstar who can compete in multiple events he is unlikely to get offered a full-ride scholarship. The NCAA limits schools to only 12.5 scholarships, and a full squad has to field a team to compete in over 20 events. So a large majority of track stars on scholarship actually have only a partial scholarship that is shared among several athletes.</p>
<p>D1 schools (except Ivies) can offer athletic scholarships while other divisions won’t. Ivies offer only financial aid.</p>