College Recruiting - Athletic Scholarships Blog

The ACT and SAT are crucial to any student athlete trying to get recruited for college, because they play a huge role in the recruiting process. What do those letters mean? Why are the tests so important? How do they work? NCSA is here to help! Read on.

Why are the ACT and SAT important?
The NCAA uses a sliding scale to determine a student athlete’s eligibility to play sports in college. For example, if you have a 3.50 GPA, you only need a 420 on the SAT to be eligible. Click here to see the full sliding scale, or click here to learn more about the why they’re important.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve academic standards, the NCAA is increasing the standards for college sports eligibility as of 2015 – click here to see the new standards.

What are the ACT and SAT?
They’re standardized tests – almost every college bound high school student takes one or the other. Along with GPA – and, for athletes, achievements in your sport – they are one of the main factors in college admissions. You generally take each test in the spring of your junior year, although some students take them (or practice versions of them) as sophomores.

Both tests are timed down to the second. You take them in a large group and they are carefully administered by “test proctors” to make sure no one is cheating and the results are valid. Hint: make sure to bring at least two #2 pencils with you to the exam – you don’t want to flunk the most important test of your life because you broke your pencil and didn’t have a spare!

Both have the same general idea – testing students’ “general educational development” – but you’ll see there are some differences beneath the suface. Most colleges accept both, and it doesn’t hurt to take both to see which you do better on.

What’s up with the ACT?
The ACT has five sections, each with its own number of questions and time limit. They are:
English: 45 minutes, 40 questions
Math: 60 minutes, 60 questions
Reading: 35 minutes, 40 questions
Science: 35 minutes, 40 questions
Writing: short passage; optional, but many colleges want to see your writing sample

The test lasts 3 hours and 25 minutes from beginning to end.

Each section is scored on a scale of 1-36, and the average of your scores in the four scored sections (english, math, reading and science) is your composite score. For example, if you got a 22 in english, a 20 in math, a 18 in reading and a 20 in science, your “composite” score would be a 20 (a 36 is perfect – only a few students each year earn this score). Your “sum” score would be an 80.

There is no penalty for guessing on the ACT – if you don’t know a question, mark it and come back to it. If time is almost up, take your best guess on any questions you weren’t able to answer.

What’s up with the SAT?
The SAT has 3 sections: math, critical reading, and writing. Like the ACT, each section has its own time limit and number of questions, but unlike the ACT, each is broken into smaller pieces:
Critical Reading: two 25 minute Sections, one 20 minute section; 67 questions total
Math: two 25 minute sections, one 10 minute section; 54 questions total
Writing: one 25 minute section, one 10 minute section, one 25 minute essay; 49 questions plus the essay

There is also one “experimental” section that does not count towards your score and may be on any of the three topics above – it’s just used to test out new questions by the test-makers.

The test is 3 hours and 45 minutes from beginning to end. Unlike the ACT, the writing section in the SAT is mandatory, and it is scored – so the SAT may be a better choice if you’re a strong writer. A perfect score is a 2400.

What do ACT and SAT stand for?
They actually don’t stand for anything!

The SAT used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test, then was later changed to the Scholastic Assessment Test – but now it’s just an acronym that doesn’t stand for anything. ACT used to stand for American College Testing, but it is also an “empty acronym” today.

The acronyms may not mean anything, but your scores do! The better you do on these tests, the better your chance of getting into college, playing your sport, and realizing your dreams.

Just because the visit is “unofficial” doesn’t mean you should come unprepared; think of it as a preliminary job interview.  If you’re hoping for a scholarship offer from a school, why not take the time to prepare some thoughtful questions about the direction of the program, or about the school’s academic reputation, so that a coach understands you’re responsible and concerned about your future.

Dear Coach Taylor,

How binding is a verbal commitment from a student athlete? Can an athlete back out of a commitment?

Dear Coach Taylor,

How should I approach coaches when I am at their camp? Should I introduce myself?

After reading this, you will have a better grasp on the realities of playing at the D1 level, good and bad.  There are positives and negatives when it comes to playing at the highest level. What better way to find out than to talk to someone who recently went through the experience?

Kristin Dockery tells Charlie Adams about the Realities of D1

Kristen Dockery played Big Ten women’s basketball at the University Minnesota, graduating in 2011. The 6’4″ Dockery battled knee injuries because of years of wear and tear growing up, but when she was healthy, she was a valuable player for the Golden Gophers.  I asked her to share candid insights on the D1 experience.

“The positives are the camaraderie of having college teammates,” said Dockery. “They were literally like sisters. It is a bond that is hard to describe. You don’t get that with regular students. We would pick each other up. We would challenge one another during practice but still be close off the court. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

What about the challenges?

“It’s extremely serious,” said Dockery.  “You’re almost told where to be 24 hours a day. You have some time to be yourself but you usually are so tired, you want to go to your dorm. It is very structured. As a freshman, you have about 10 to 14 hours of study hall that are required. That gets lower as you prove you can handle your academics. There are constant team meetings, weight training, meetings with academic advisors. I liked it all though because I thrive off of that kind of commitment. I wouldn’t be satisfied if I wasn’t being challenged. I stayed busy and I was always focusing on trying to be the best I could be.” Read the rest of this entry »

With the recent firing of Petrino and the situation that Arkansas recruits and commits are now facing, now is a good time to address the issue of recruits choosing colleges for a name rather than an athletic and academic program.

Several recruits signed with Arkansas during Signing Day this February, and a few others were still thinking about signing – until Petrino was fired. Now, many of these athletes are wondering about the future of their athletic careers and what is going to happen to the Arkansas football program under the new head coach.

While we all know that choosing a school should be based on many different factors, a lot of student-athletes are still basing their decisions solely on the coach. This is a huge mistake! Don’t let big names such as Petrino or Paterno lure you in. You never know what could happen and if that coach will still be there throughout your four years of college.

Fitting in with the coaching staff and the athletic program is important, and making sure that the team is a good fit for you, not just that you’re a good fit for them, is also important. However, make sure you are taking other factors into account when choosing a school, such as: academic strength and program, size and location of the school, and what competition you are going to play against. Your top priorities might be different than others, and that’s ok, but don’t let uncertainty about the head coach make one of the biggest decisions of your life. Don’t forget – a college decision will not only affect the next four years of your life, but the next 40 years.

Connecting with the coaching staff before an unofficial visit is critical. The purpose of an unofficial visit is to allow the athlete to experience campus life and build a relationship with the staff.

But: if the coaches are not eager to host a student, they likely are not interested in recruiting that athlete.

Carmen Bucci
NCSA Speaker, former pro baseball player and scout

You are never going to be a star – read all the way through and leave your comments if you agree!

In sports, in recruiting, and in life, you end up with one of two things: A.) Results or B.) Reasons you didn’t get them.

Reasons require rationalization (excuses). Results can be left alone. They don’t need reasons. Do you want Results in the recruiting process or Reasons you didn’t get recruited? It is up to you. There is a mental game within recruiting. You will experience ups and downs just like in your sport. The recruiting process will test your commitment, your love for your sport and your confidence. This mental game can be enjoyable or stressful. You decide. You are in control.

“Recruiting is a Mental Game” will cover the mental side of recruiting, and how adopting the principles of BE-DO-HAVE will affect your results (Being recruited to compete in college). Remember, you are never going to be a star… you already are!

For more than a decade, I have spoken to and evaluated thousands of high school student-athletes that say they want to be a collegiate student-athlete. They and their families are looking for guidance and education on how to make it happen. My best advice is that in order to make it, you have to be committed. But I am not talking about going to practice every day, or doing the extra work, or giving it 110% – I mean being committed mentally. That means KNOWING in your mind that you are a collegiate student-athlete now. Not later. What you will be in the future is of no use to you today. You can’t think that “maybe” you’ll be a collegiate student-athlete “someday.” You have to know you are one now before you take on the journey. Once you commit to the thought of being a collegiate student-athlete, it is done. All you need to do is to get out of the way and let it happen.

I know what you are thinking. “Huh. What? Just sit back and it will happen?” No. You are going to do the things that a collegiate student-athlete does. And when you do, you’ll have the opportunity to be on a college team. But you need to get out of your way mentally.

If it sounds like self-confidence, or that you need to believe in yourself, let me stop you right there. Believing is not enough. You have to KNOW it. When you know something, you can’t un-know it. Need an example? Do you know that 2+2 =4? Of course. Is there anyone in the world that can change your mind? No. How confident do you feel answering that question? Now do you get it? Good. Know that you are good enough. Know that you are a collegiate student-athlete now. Then go out and do what that person would do. Allow success to emerge.

Call 866-495-7727 to talk to an NCSA College Scout and learn more about recruiting.

When I deliver “How to Connect your Athlete with Significant Scholarships and the Right Fit at the Next Level”, I often ask the parents and athletes how they are doing with video. It varies, but usually only about 25% of the audience has a winning highlight/skills video and full game video easily accessible for college coaches.

Speaker Charlie Adams has a passion for educating families on the recruiting process

While speaking for the NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network to football families this past weekend at a Schuman National Underclassmen Combine in the Detroit area, I shared what a wide receiver would have on a highlight tape that would lead a college coach to want to watch his full game tape:

* touchdown catches
* great fundamental catches
* catching with the hands (away from the body)
* sideline catch
* in traffic catch
* in stride catch
* tipped ball catch
* coming back to the ball catch
* route running (crisp routes, getting seperation)
* ball skills
* high pointing the ball
* body control
* adjusting to the ball
* running with the ball – proper technique
* breaking away
* yards after catch
* downfield stalk blocking
* crack blocks
* blocking downfield when ball is thrown to other side (spring the ball carrier)

Obviously, not every kid is going to have all those things on their highlight video, but I write this so that it helps you realize what makes a winning highlight/skills video compared to just a video. When a college coach watches 3 or 4 minutes of a well done video, it opens the door to other stages of recruiting. An assistant coach that watches a player making all kinds of impact plays on the field or court will go to the head coach and make sure that kid is on their recruiting list.

To give you a fresh example of the importance of having a hilite tape that grabs a coach right from the start, as I was writing this article this email came to me:

Two Observations as a Parent of a NCAA student-athlete…

My son Jack is wrapping up his freshman season as a student-athlete at Benedictine University near Chicago with exams this week. I will be writing more about his freshman experience soon, but I wanted to share 2 points that stood out this past year.

1) BEING A COLLEGE-ATHLETE OFTEN LEADS A STUDENT TO MAKE BETTER GRADES IN COLLEGE THAN IF THEY WERE A REGULAR STUDENT:

I have had conversations with thousands of parents while speaking on the recruiting process around the world. I know for a fact I have had at least 500 mothers saying something to the effect of, “We think our child should give up their sport in college and focus on academics because playing the sport would hurt their grades.”

My son has been making all A’s and B’s and a major reason why is because he is a college student-athlete. Every kid is different, but think twice before buying into the theory of being a college athlete means grades will suffer. My son has told me several times that being on the cross country and track teams have helped his time management considerably. He says he focuses on getting his academic work done and there is more pressure on student-athletes to achieve academically in order to stay eligible. He knows he has ‘x’ amount of time to get his studies in before practice, so he hops to it.

Once his exams are over, I am going to talk with him at length about that so that hopefully it gives you a perspective of why being a college athlete at a good school can actually help a young person academically.

2)  IF ONE DOESN’T PLAY THEIR SPORT IN COLLEGE, THEY MAY ALWAYS WONDER HOW GOOD THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN…

When my son was in high school, the best 5K time he posted was 17:28. He was a nice runner that worked hard and was voted a captain. What has happened in college is that he is seeing his potential as an athlete realized. At the Northern Athletics Conference championships this past weekend, he ran a 16:28 5K (3.1 miles). He won his heat and was part of the men’s track and field team that won a share of the conference.

It has been a combination of hard work, college coaching, supportive teammates, and the blessing of staying healthy. It has been incredible to watch his development.

I encourage all athletes to strongly consider participating in collegiate sports. I know for some kids it’s a lock that they want to play in college, but there’s a lot that rule it out without realizing what they will miss. It’s hard work, but the life memories you make will be treasured. Some kids take the approach of going to ol’ State U and maybe doing intramurals. There is nothing wrong with that, but you only have that short window in life of high school and college where you can play your sport at a high level. There will be decades and decades where you can work  in life. If you are a good athlete with a good attitude and work ethic, that means you have upside. Push yourself to be tested at the right level of college sports, whether it is some level of D1, D2, D3, NAIA or Junior College. Don’t be that athlete that sits in the office at age 45 and wonders how good they would have been as a college athlete. You might be good at slow pitch softball, but how good would you have been as a college athlete?

As I often tell good high school football players that are capable of playing at some level of college, “You have high school and possibly college football. After that, good luck getting 21 other guys in full pads for something that resembles a real football game.”

When I spoke at the Schuman NUC Combine this past week near Detroit, one of the workers of the combine was John Jergovich, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods, Michigan. I was in his office where I saw he had his jersey framed from his days at Adrian College. It still had grass stains on it. One of his helmets was by the frame. Every time he walks by those two things, he will have memories that come back and he will be able to know that he took on the challenge of college sports and reached his potential.

You have one shot. Test your potential. See if you have what it takes to be a true college student-athlete!

To Talk with a College Scout to see if you have the potential to play your sport at the collegiate level, click here

Charlie Adams

Dear Coach Taylor,

Should I be a walk on or accept a scholarship at another school?