Aspen High School’s Post-Secondary Counseling program provides all students with personalized guidance during the college search process. For student-athletes hoping to compete at the intercollegiate level, our coaches, and college counselors can help you navigate the recruiting process to find your college.

For specific questions about the college recruiting process for athletes, please contact Post-Secondary Counseling or Athletic Director.

Year-by-Year Overview
9th Grade

• Engage in your classes, seek support from your teachers. Grades count. College coaches want to recruit successful student-athletes, not just athletes.
• Work on your athletics skills and training. Research and locate summer camps, programs, etc. that will help you continue to develop athletically in your sport. Explore camps that take place on college campuses or are run by college coaches. Coaches are your best resource for appropriate club teams, tournaments, showcases, etc.
• Ask your coaches for an assessment of your abilities. What can you work on both physically and mentally to be a better player? What kind of team player are you? What is my potential for growth within my sport? Accept feedback as a means for growth.
• Seek advice from Post-Secondary Counseling if you have questions about NCAA course requirements.
• Keep track of your athletic stats, awards received, leadership positions, etc.
• Play multiple sports. Be active and engaged.

• Develop an academic plan (including standardized testing) for your Aspen experience.
• Continue to do your best in the classroom. If you have a goal to possibly compete in Division I or Division II, stay on course with the NCAA core course requirements. (Note: Aspen's graduation requirements more than fulfill the NCAA Division I/II core courses).
• Explore summer programs designed to help you address the areas of growth your coach has identified for you as an athlete. Go to camps/showcases. Again, coaches are your best resource when making summer plans.
• Begin to craft an athletic resume—see sample version here—which can be updated as needed and shared with coaches. Work with your coach on a highlight film (what is appropriate, how to send, etc.).
• With your parents, coaches and Post-Secondary Counseling, begin to explore colleges in which you might be interested for both academic and athletic reasons. Familiarize yourself with the admission requirements. Your AHS advisor, and college counseling can also help with your junior year course selections relative to NCAA requirements and the emerging list of schools expressing interest in you as an athlete.
• Should you need an unofficial transcript for interested coaches please contact the Registrar.
• Keep playing multiple sports.
• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the end of the year. Get a clearinghouse number.

• Make an appointment with your college counselor to calculate your NCAA Core GPA (different from Aspen High School GPA) and to finalize an individual standardized testing plan.
• Take the SAT/ACT (and TOEFL if appropriate). Make sure you send those scores to colleges and NCAA using code “9999.”
• Working with your college counselor, ask two teachers for letters of recommendation.
• Meet with your coach to discuss colleges you are interested in and others the coach would suggest. Work with your Aspen coach to create a plan for contacting those college coaches, to discuss getting a film or other supporting examples of your athletic abilities.
• Update your resume—see sample here—with new academic and athletic accomplishments. Make plans for unofficial visits as appropriate. Work on this list with your parents as well. Students own the process, but parents, counselors, and coaches are important members as well.
• Make sure you consult NCAA calendars for recruited athletes. Pay attention to rules and regulations!
• Finalize course selection for senior year with your Aspen advisor and college counselor.
• Coaches will most often ask recruited athletes to visit early, research, and apply Early Decision; please make sure you discuss this with both your coach and college counselor.
  • Understand that this is a binding agreement; if you are accepted, you are committed to attend.
  • Identifying what financial aid will be available to you is important prior to applying Early Decision - colleges can do an “early read” on what your financial aid package might look like. Net price calculators can be found on every institution’s website. These allow families to enter financial information from the previous two years and get an estimate of the financial aid package they can expect to receive based on need.
  • Please work with your college counselor on all financial issues.
• During the spring of junior year, meet with your college counselor and coach together to agree upon the best college search plan moving forward.

• Continue to work with your Aspen college counselor to execute your college search plan.
• Update athletics resume; send to any new schools you are considering. Update your highlight film.
• Schedule official visits as appropriate (visits to Division III schools are not considered official).
• Work on the Common Application or the school’s individual application if they are not CA members; review the application with your college counselor, including the essay.
• Complete and file any financial aid paperwork required by each college (FAFSA, CSS Profile, etc.)
• Beware of deadlines – they are not flexible!

Additional NCAA Resources
To read more from the NCAA about the college recruitment process, we recommend that you:

1. Download the Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete
2. Regularly consult the NCAA Eligibility Center, a website with numerous resources for future student-athletes.

• What are the admission requirements for an athlete?
• Do I need to have my application in early in order to be considered for a scholarship?
• If offered a scholarship, do I need to apply Early Decision/Early Action?
• Can the application fee be waived for athletes?
• Is there a recommended / minimum SAT/ACT  score and GPA that your school requires?

Academics
Academics are the most important part of the process. If the college coach does not share your academic goals then it might be time to look at other options. Here are some academic questions every recruit might want to ask:

• Will my specific major interfere with the athletic schedule?
• Is it recommended to take classes in the summer to lighten the load during competition season?
• Is it necessary for athletes to take classes in the summer because they conflicted with practice or are they able to practice at a different time if there is a conflict? (ie. science labs are 3 hours long)
• How many of your athletes attend summer school?
• What are some of the most popular majors for athletes on your team?
• Does your team have a full-time academic advisor? Are there mandatory tutoring/study hours?
• During competition season, how does it work when you have a conflict between a test and travel for competition? Does someone from the academic dept travel with the team to administer exams?
• What percentage of players graduate in four years?
• What is the current team’s GPA?

Athletics / Recruiting
An athletic evaluation will determine how heavily the coaching staff will be recruiting a prospect. Here are some “must ask” questions for recruits at any point in the process:

• Can you describe a typical week including practice, strength, conditioning, meetings, other activities?
• Has your coaching staff evaluated me? Do you have any specific feedback for me?
• Are there any additional skills I should acquire to make myself a better fit for your team?
• How many full ride and partial scholarships do you have available for my year? Do you also take walk-ons?
• Do the walk-on athletes receive academic benefits such as tutoring and the ability to travel with the team?
• Have you offered scholarships to others in my class? At my position?
• How many players will you be recruiting at my position?
• Where will you be recruiting this season / spring / summer? (in case you want to attend camps)
• What types of off-season activities are expected?
• What does the preseason training program consist of at your school?
• Is there a good time to come visit your school?

Scholarship
It is rarely appropriate for a recruit to ask if they will receive a scholarship in an initial phone conversation, however there are a few questions that will help you gauge your scholarship possibilities at that school:

• How many scholarships do you have available for my class? Partial scholarships? Walk-ons?
• Am I under consideration for a scholarship?
• What types of academic scholarships are available?
• What about other sorts of grants and aid?
• When and how are scholarships offered?
• Are athletes offered scholarships guaranteed admission? Is there a recommended / minimum SAT/ACT score that your school requires?
• What happens if I get injured?

College Life Questions

Every recruited athlete should make sure they are going to be happy on campus even when they are not with the team (or if they have a career ending injury). Make sure to ask about some of the following:

• What is the housing situation like? Do teammates typically live together?
• Do your athletes train at home or on campus during the summer?
• Is it possible to work part-time in addition to playing a sport and studying?
• What is a typical “day in the life” like for a member of your team during the season? What about during the off-season?
• Which holiday breaks are altered as an athlete (i.e.Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break?)
• Would I be happy at this school if the coach left/was fired? (don’t ask the coach this but students should think about this - it happens a lot!)

Important Final Questions
One goal should be to find out what comes next:

• What are the next steps in this process?  What is your recruiting timeline?
• When is the next time we can speak/meet?
• Is there anything I can provide you with that will help you further evaluate me?
• Are you hosting a camp that I could attend so that you can see my skills in person?