Athletic Scholarships For Dummies

Get insider tips on navigating the recruitment process Find the right school, the right program, the right coach, and the most money You're prepared for challenges on the athletic field. But are you prepared for the challenges of winning an athletic scholarship? Let this friendly guide be your coach. It explains what kind of scholarships are out there, how to promote yourself and deal with recruiters, and how to survive possible snags after you've won your scholarship. Discover how to * Get yourself noticed and recruited * Make the most of college visits * Negotiate a contract and make a commitment * Understand redshirting * Know when and how to transfer schools

Introduction 1 Part I: The World of College Sports 7 Chapter 1: Getting the Basics: Athletic Scholarships 101 9 Chapter 2: Defining a College Athletic Scholarship 19 Chapter 3: College Alphabet Soup: NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA 35 Chapter 4: Clearing the Clearinghouse 47 Part II: Getting Recruited 71 Chapter 5: Knowing What Colleges Are Looking For 73 Chapter 6: The Game Begins: Getting Noticed 83 Chapter 7: The Full-Court Press: Calls, Letters, and E-Mails from Coaches 105 Chapter 8: What to Do If You Don’t Get Noticed 125 Chapter 9: Recognizing College Recruiting Violations 139 Part III: Making College Visits 149 Chapter 10: The Play-by-Play of College Visits 151 Chapter 11: Taking Your Turn to Recruit 171 Chapter 12: Preparing for and Evaluating Each Visit 185 Part IV: Committing to a School 195 Chapter 13: Negotiating a Financial-Aid Agreement 197 Chapter 14: Making the Verbal Commitment 209 Chapter 15: Understanding the National Letter of Intent 219 Part V: When You’re in the Big Leagues: For Existing College Students 229 Chapter 16: Maintaining Your Eligibility 231 Chapter 17: Redshirting 249 Chapter 18: Transferring 259 Part VI: The Part of Tens 271 Chapter 19: Ten Things Not to Do during the Recruiting Process 273 Chapter 20: Ten Considerations When Choosing a School 279 Appendix A: College Scholarship Web Sites and Resources 287 Appendix B: Resources for College Recruiting and Selecting Colleges and Coaches 291 Index 299