<p>Just want to be sure I’m not missing anything. Obviously the “fit” of the school is #1, in case an athlete decided to quit his/her sport. What about the team’s record, coaches’ personalities, and “fit” with the teams’ abilities/talents? Money could be a factor, too. What else should we consider?</p>
<p>Academic support for student-athletes and also how they are viewed on campus. At some schools student-athletes will be appreciated more than at others.</p>
<p>Good point, beenthere. How would I find out this info?</p>
<p>Do you love the school - forget athletics
Do you like the team
The coach is very important but, they can change
If you want to know the general feeling of students and athletes on a particular campus, you have to ask them.
It is very tough to manage a D1 schedule if you’re not at least competitive on the team. I don’t believe anyone wants to grind through that just to ride the pine for 4 years…and everytime the coach looks at your kid they’re reminded of the terrible mistake they made. It is not good for either party. So, yes, make sure you’re competitive on the team.</p>
<p>To get a feel for how the athletes are perceived, check out the school website, the school paper, and talk with current athletes playing for the college, preferably in your sport.</p>
<p>To get a feel for how athletes are treated, focus on whether the university provides academic support to athletes, including tutoring, priority registration, academic counselors specific to athletes, academic fraternities/societies for athletes, and special alum networks for athletes.</p>
<p>Also, training facilities, study hall facilities/programs, athletic facilities, locker rooms, and travel issues should be considered.</p>
<p>But “fit” always comes first, because you never know if the athletic career will last all 4 or 5 years. If you’re comfortable with the school overall, and if you can manage tuition and room and board without athletic scholarship money, you will experience a lot less pressure on the athletic side. </p>
<p>Above all, always try to keep it fun and enjoy it. If you think you won’t have fun, don’t do it, because it’s too much effort if you’re not having fun.</p>
<p>First, you must choose the college for the college for the “just in case I get hurt and cannot play scenario”. Regarding the coach you do need to due a significant due diligence in this area. Most coaches are very good recruiters, however they may be a “a pain in the butt–always negative coach” in practice/games. Find out if any freshman play in year 1? Ask how the coach treats players who have injuries, does he/she treat you as you do not exist? What does it look like for playing time? Does Coach like big athletes, fast athletes, skilled athletes…they all like different types it really depends upon the coach. Ask the current players is the Coach positive and low key or always negative and a screamer? You must know what you are getting yourself into if playing a college sport is very high on your priority list for choosing a college.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. It sounds like my son will need to spend some time talking to the team members to get most of the “good” info.</p>
<p>Another thing: Find out access to medical treatment for athletes (big difference between schools). Is there special advising for athletes, review sessions, tutoring, or are all review sessions scheduled at times when athletes are practicing. Look at the course schedule and see how many classes are scheduled during practice times. Do faculty attend sport events? Also, keep in mind that coaches and most athletes will paint a rosy picture during recruiting visits, so try to verify what you are being told.</p>
<p>Can you reveal the sport?</p>
<p>Definitely find out what life is like for the kids who are not first string/varsity. Do they still compete? If so, do they do so at their own expense? And I agree that the campus attitude toward athletes is really important. Are they viewed as dumb jocks? Does the administration tolerate them as a necessary evil, or truly value them as important contributors to campus life?</p>
<p>The sport is cross country and track.</p>
<p>You also should check retention-what percent of the kids have been participating for more than a year or 2? That is really telling, I think.</p>
<p>In addition to trying to assess what the chances are of being one of the top runners who actually gets to compete, who is the team primarily competing against, i.e. who is in their league? Some teams are made up of older (?) long-distance runners from abroad, so perhaps look up the times at the league meets to see how they compare.</p>
<p>It sounds like a lot of detective work. We’ll have our work cut out for us!</p>