College and Recruiting Information
The college recruiting process can be one of most enjoyable times of a high school career. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most confusing and stressful processes as well. Although nothing will ever take the place of being well informed, we would like to post some resources that may be helpful in the search for your future institution. These resources are only designed to help you begin the process and should not be a replacement for the knowledge you'll gain from talking to people experienced in these areas. You should have numerous conversations with your parents, coaches, guidance counselors, teachers, and even academic and financial advisors from prospective colleges.
Before you begin the process go in with a plan. Here is a checklist you can use to help keep you on track. If you don't like this layout, feel free to ask your coach or one of the coaches of the older Alley Cat teams for the form they use. Please give this one a few minutes to download when you open it. This site has some good recruiting tips to get you started.
Here are some very useful statistics to help with starting the college selection process. These sheets cover Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. The spreadsheets are broken down by selectivity on the tabs at the bottom of each page. The colleges are then listed in alphabetical order on each sheet. A huge thank you to Chuck Hargraves for putting together this information.
Virtual tours of many campuses can be viewed at the following websites. These two sites, College View and Campus Tours, will help show you around college campuses you may be curious about before you begin to plan visits.
These are the home pages for the three major collegiate athletic associations, the NCAA, the NAIA, and the NJCAA.
The NCAA and the individual recruiting restrictions of its different divisions are typically the most confusing to parents and students. High school freshman and sophomores should familiarize themselves with the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete. This book is the NCAA's publication that lays out the requirements that college recruits must meet in order to be eligible to participate in NCAA varsity athletics. Before the end of a student's junior year in high school, he/she must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to ensure they meets these requirements. Registration can be done online at the NCAA Eligibility Center website.
There are websites and companies that specialize in helping young athletes get recruited. Many people have very differing opinions on the effectiveness of these organizations. The Alley Cats neither promote nor discredit these organizations, but you should be aware that most of them charge significant sums of money for their services. You must do your own research to determine whether or not they will be beneficial to you as an individual. Here are a few sites that you may want to start with, Ultimate College Softball, Softball Showcase, the National Scouting Report, and the National Collegiate Scouting Association.
Just remember, nothing can be a substitute for the guidance that your parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and coaches can provide for you. Don't be afraid to ask for their help, and make sure you start the recruitment process early. Good luck in your search, and in your upcoming season!