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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
Miscellaneous Information
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