Late Summer for Seniors
Seniors - wow yes you are now a senior. I'm sure the only people getting slapped in the face by that thought are the parents but it's true - senior year has arrived!
Priority #1 - If you have not already done so, please register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. If you do not register, you will not be eligible to play at an NCAA Division I or Division II school in your freshman year, take official visits during your senior year or receive Div. I or II athletic financial aid. You can register at www.eligibilitycenter.com - Be sure, when you register to take your ACT or SAT that you request that your test scores be sent to the Eligibility Center. The request code to enter is 9999. Please do this even if you are planning on attending a junior college - I can't get long winded and detailed in this post - just trust me you really need to do this, it's not a good path going through the process as a non qualifier - just as they say - "Just Do It".
I have been getting several calls and e-mails on the topic of official vs unofficial visits so I figure it's a good time to add it into this post. What has to be understood is that these rules vary widely from all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and the NJCAA. Remember, however, that these rules do not prohibit an athlete, even before their senior year, from initiating contact with college coaches or visiting the school on their own. One of the most effective ways to get on a coach's radar and to get an idea of whether the school is a good fit for you is to visit the school. NCAA schools at all levels are allowed to host athletes on both official and unofficial visits.
An Official Visit is one in which the school pays for the athlete to come and see the campus. The nature and extent of the visits and benefits is strictly controlled by the NCAA. In baseball, you can have one expense-paid (official) visit to a particular campus beginning on the opening day of classes of your senior year and may receive no more than five official visits. You can't have an official visit unless you have given the college your high-school (or college) academic transcript and a score from a PSAT, an SAT, a PACT Plus or an ACT.
During your official visit (which may not exceed 48 hours), you may receive round-trip transportation and you (and your parents) may receive meals, lodging and complimentary admissions to campus athletics events. In addition, a student host may help you (and your family) become acquainted with campus life. The host may spend $30 per day to cover all costs of entertaining you. An Unofficial Visit is one in which you visit the school at your own expense. The institution may provide complimentary admission to an on-campus athletic event. In DI and DII, a meal to the prospect in the school's on-campus dining facility while in DIII schools a meal can be provided if it is a normal policy to provide a meal to all prospective students. In DIII, the institution can provide housing to the prospect, provided such housing is available to all visiting prospective students. A player can take an unlimited number of unofficial visits to any campus and can make them anytime throughout high school. At NAIA institutions, no such restrictions are in place. An athlete can visit a school at any time, and can even practice with the college team during that visit.
SENIOR CHECKLIST
Every year talented young athletes who want to play college sports do not get the opportunity to get noticed and miss an experience of a life time! Many young athletes get caught up in the "name game" when picking a school which leaves them riding the bench for four years with no opportunity to showcase their skills. You may be a "star" athlete at your high school but that does not guarantee future collegiate success or exposure.
Once you have your consultation with me and identify your true academic and athletic abilities it's time to decide what level will give you the best chance of competing. You want to make sure you are targeting the right academic schools in the right athletic talent division. As a recent recruit once said, "Find the school that fits YOU. Don't worry about what school is 'cool' to go to. Go to the place where you'll be happy and where you'll be the most successful personally. That's the 'coolest' thing you can do” - Great advice from a former Fallon Sports college planning member.
Be sure to have the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse completed www.eligibilitycenter.com
Create Fall Baseball Schedule
Important events
Senior Fall Classic
Perfect game Upper Class
Schedule College visits
Plan Your Senior Year Testing Schedule
Register for Fall SAT www.collegeboard.com
Register for Fall ACT www.actstudent.org
Be sure to designate which colleges will receive your score and also select “9999” for the NCAA to automatically receive your score.
Colleges almost never specify a required test score for admission, but they often do for scholarships. Fifty points on the SAT or one point on the ACT can translate directly into cash. If your scores place you close to a scholarship cutoff, it may make sense to take the test one more time in January of February
Make a preliminary plan of which schools you will visit this fall/winter and which schools you will attend baseball camps at.
Schedule a consultation with Jeff Fallon
Take a serious look at which tests are required by each college. If you’ve added highly selective schools to your list, be sure you are prepared to take the SAT II’s
