Choosing a good academic and athletic fit for a high school student can be likened to a lateral thinking problem. You start out with a lot of potential answers to the problem, but ultimately with a fair degree of logic, and a touch of luck, you come to an overwhelmingly ideal solution. For most high school students and their families the process of identifying a college most commonly begins in the junior year. Earlier can be better in some cases, while delaying the process significantly into one’s senior year should be avoided.

In terms of information that a student and parents can research the World Wide Web is a great tool and helpful sites are suggested here. Of equal and greater importance is the kind of in person help from people experienced in the move from high school academics and athletics to college. High school counselors are invaluable in helping students determine the academic viability of application to schools and preparing applications. High school and club coaches often have background in the playing levels at various institutions. Older players and their parents will have very helpful insights on the process of finding a school, the realities of the first year experience as well perspectives on playing and studying in college.

There are of course a growing number of recruiting services. (Please note #1 below did receive some criticism from recruiting services when it was first posted). It is a simple fact that there is a huge range in quality in these services and the help they can provide, just as there is among the coaches and teachers that student interacts with. That said if a family decides to use a recruiting service they should shop around and try to get some endorsements for the service. Finding a good college fit may require significant expense in terms of travel, applications, test taking. These costs need to be weighed against the ultimate value of the expenditure. For example spending a lot of money to attend a camp may be better spent visiting selected colleges or using the time in the library to research academic and soccer programs. The basic rule of thumb would be to be pro active while determining how much groundwork you can and are willing to do for yourself before soliciting additional help.

The suggestions below are offered by way of bullet points and as you expand you research you will discover questions that are important to you, but also will likely find many of the answers too. For young players and their parents matching academic and athletic aspirations with the right college can be very difficult. The following list of ideas is designed to make that matchmaking process less stressful.

1. Recruiting Services
   While many of these can be very good, many are not. Before spending money on a service, make sure you have done as much as you can. Most families can navigate the entire process without paying someone to assist.
2. Find the Right Academic Fit
   Research which schools have the subjects you wish to study. Research schools that fit your academic capability. Look at the http://www.usnews.com education section.
3. Playing Level
   Understand the different levels of college play and what they mean. Research teams to see how competitive they are and how many players they have. Two excellent resources are listed below:
   http://www.soccerinfo.com
   http://www.nscaa.com
4. Size of School
   Be aware of the difference between the scale of a Big Ten School, maybe 25,000 undergraduates and a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference School, maybe 2000 undergraduates. Different students flourish in different environments and going either too big or too small can be folly.
5. Environment and Culture
   Be sure to consider the differences between attending a 'city' school as opposed to more of a 'campus' school. Many students do well in familiar environments close to home others like to get away. Studying in Mankato is different than studying in Miami.
6. Playing Time
   Determine how important college soccer truly is to you. Sometimes students compromise academically just to play varsity soccer. If you feel you have to play and be a 'star' you limit your choices both academically and athletically.
7. Money
   Understand how much you can afford. Pursue all forms of aid. Athletic aid is the least likely way for most students to fund their education.
8. NCAA Rules
   Acquaint yourself with NCAA rules and terms. Know what the 'NCAA Clearing House' is. Know what an'unofficial visit' as opposed to an 'official visit' is. Understand what you can do to get recruited (virtually anything) and what coaches can do (very restricted). http://www2.ncaa.org
9. Admissions and Athletics
   Contact admissions yourself. Get information on your schools. At the same time contact the coach with a letter, resume and schedule (do not worry about soccer videos too much).
10. References
    Be sure to include references for college coaches, such as club coach, high school coach, ODP coach. Ask coaches to be your reference so they know to expect calls about you.

Be proactive, be smart, be realistic and you can do well finding an academic and athletic fit for yourself. Do not believe all the stories you hear about the process, but instead educate yourself. There are no guarantees, but by being smart in your research you can greatly improve your chances of a great four, five years of college both academically and athletically.

Number of NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Programs in Division I, II and III:

Useful Links

Remember:
"Less than one percent of all high school athletes receive any form of scholarship at the NCAA Division I level."

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