SWIMMING IN COLLEGE 101

 

FRESHMAN YEAR

  • Go to practice - love the sport - keep getting faster.

  • Start dreaming of swimming in college.

 

SOPHOMORE YEAR

  • Attend a college information session at your high school.

  • Set up a premium Swimcloud account.

  • Register for the NCAA eligibility Center

  • Visit schools or start creating a list of schools to visit.

  • Fill out a questionnaire. Then follow up with email with Head Coach and Assistant Coach.D 1 end of year

 

JUNIOR YEAR

  • Fill out a questionnaire. Then follow up with an email with the Head Coach and Assistant Coach.

  • Visit schools.

  • Meet with your high school guidance counselor. Let them know that you want to swim in college.

  • Take the SAT/ACT - some colleges are test optional.

  • Have all your high school transcripts ready for pre reads.

  • Attend an Official Visit- Paid trip/ Costs Paid. 

  • Attend Unofficial Visit- Tour, Junior Days, Costs Not Paid. 

  • Letters of recommendations for Common App in Aug going into Senior year.

  • Aug leading into Senior you have tours and visited and communicated with your schools.

 

SENIOR YEAR

  • Beginning of senior year:  attend an official visit- paid trip/ costs paid 

  • Beginning of senior year: attend unofficial visit- tour, open houses, costs not paid. 

  • Apply through the Common App.

  • Commit:  2nd Wednesday in November: National Signing Day for D1,D2. In December D3 will do letters of commitment in conjunction with school signing days as early decision processes may come out by then. Financial signing is binding. Athletic Scholarships are now 4 year scholarships so they are guaranteed. Financial signing is binding.

  • Maintain grades.

  • Do not let up on practice.


 

STILL UNDECIDED AS A SENIOR

Options are limited but don’t panic. Be consistent, reach out to coaches. Especially boys. Do not be complacent!!! 



 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Questions to ask a Coach: 

  1. What is your timeline?

  2. Would I score on the team?

  3. Does the school offer merit/ academic scholarship?

  4. Will you do a preliminary read?

  5. What are my next steps? 

 

Questions to ask yourself as you research a school:

  1. Do your times in season and in the postseason fit with the school? 

  2. Do your times score in the conference your school competes in? 

  3. Do I see myself at this school if I am no longer a member of the swim team?

 

Key Points in choosing a school:

  1. Majors offered.

  2. Location.

  3. Price.

  4. School size.

 

Division 1: Schools cannot respond back until June 15th going into your Junior year. Schools cannot have face to face contact (meets/ campus ) until Aug 1. 

Thank you, notes/emails are great ways to stand out

Division 2: Schools can respond back until June 1 going into your Junior year. Schools cannot have face to face contact (meets/ campus ) until Aug 1.

Division 3: Can be in contact verbally and face to face, no dates or restrictions.

 

GOING FOR A VISIT?

The most important things to learn on a recruiting trip are how you feel about the coaches and the team. Do they value the same things you do (remember step one!) and do their goals align with what you want to do? Are you inspired or motivated by them? Remember it is people who will make the biggest impact on you!

 

After the visit, thank you, notes/emails are great ways to stand out.


 

FAQ

Q:  Is my swimmer fast enough to swim in college?

A:  There is a school/program for everyone.  Yes, your swimmer can swim in college.

 

Q:  Is division 3 less competitive then division 1 or 2?

A:  No, some D3 schools and D2 schools are faster than D1 schools.  

 

Q:  What do they look for in individual swimmers?

A:  A good fit with the team, times fit within the realm of the top 24 of the conference, grit & determination, time management, those who want to crush it academically & athletically equally. Finding student-athletes that fit the school/team is better than just finding fast swimmers. Coaches look for athletes who they know will fit well at their school.

 

Q:  What is the best forum for the athlete to be seen by college scouts? High school swim team vs club team or both?

A:  Both high school and club.   Coaches use championship meets (mostly USA swimming meets) and times databases to get an idea of swimmers that are coming through high school. They will also get information from club coaches they know who talk up their swimmers, and from students who reach out to the program for information. Coaches use these sources to create a “list” of recruitable athletes. 

 

Q:  What does a typical year/season look like?

A:  All teams are a little different and this is a great question to ask the coach.  In general, practices will start shortly after arriving at school.  Swimmers should expect 5-8 practices per week, with some being weight room (lift) sessions.  Competitions usually start in October.  A school’s mid-season meet will be either right before or right after Thanksgiving, some schools will go on a training trip in late December or early January and conference championships will be held in February.

 

 

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