News & Features

Nadim Naser, 2 December 2014

Special from WAM Sports

Around the college tennis community, you will hear much talk about "realistic and attainable scholarship opportunities" for student athletes these days. The fact is that while your athletic attributes will open doors for you, unless you find out which colleges are a good fit for you as a rounded individual, it does not matter how good of a tennis player you are or how adequately your results and rankings represent your talents. It is finding the program that fits your situation, which pays dividends to the student athlete in terms of academic and sporting success, career rewards, and happiness. The key to finding a college fit is knowing your strengths, and that's where a quality evaluation comes in.

Choosing a correct college program means finding an overall fit that will allow you to enjoy your college years. You should be comfortable that you've found a foundation to excel on the court, in the classroom, and with your teammates and friends. You should have a social life and grow as a person to find your place in society. That's a big goal, but at the end of the day, we go to college to better ourselves and not just our game. Some of us find a job right after school, others continue on toward advanced degrees. Few of us become tennis professionals who earn a living in the sport, and the great majority of career professionals do something other than tour as international players.

Odds are that what will lead you to a successful and rewarding life after college is the experiences you have as a student athlete rather than the sport alone that brings you there. Don't get me wrong, tennis can and should play an enormous role in your college life. The discipline and winning attitude that you bring to the court will benefit you in many aspects of your life, studies, and work. So, looking at yourself and your interests realistically, what's the best approach to finding your greatest college opportunities? You want to take yourself seriously as a whole person when researching your college tennis options, and you want sound advice when doing that.

At WAM Sports, we talk to players, parents, coaches of all levels and divisions, and former athletes about success for the student athlete every day. Often players and parents have one idea of the college they want - which is great, as far as it goes. It becomes a problem, however, when athletes and their mentors limit their vision to what they already know. When that happens, little time is spent exploring the full range of options.

It's easy to believe that NCAA Division I means the best of everything for a student athlete. Number 1 is number 1, no matter how you look at it. However, that is not the whole truth when it comes to college education and sports. You do not necessarily get a better education at Division I schools than anywhere else, you do not necessarily play at a higher level in Division I schools than anywhere else, and you certainly do not have only a handful of colleges from which to choose. The key to finding your best college fit is this: know your options; know that there are more opportunities out there than you are aware of; get with a trusted source to evaluate your academic and athletic scholarship chances and do so before you start looking for a college.

I bet that everyone who reads this article knows one or more people who have used the following phrases when talking about college selection (and maybe that person is yourself). "I want/need to:

• ".... attend a highly academic university..."
• ".... attend certain colleges only, otherwise I just won't play tennis in college ...."
• ".... go to a top ranked program..."
• ".... get to school on a full ride...."
• ".... play on a tennis team as an added bonus, but it's not a must...."

These are a few stereotypes which may or may not represent your thoughts. Have you noticed that not one of these phrases has anything to do with whether the individual student athlete fits into the schools they are considering? Some applicants are willing to give up tennis altogether, which they have sacrificed so much for during their junior years, just to go to a specific university. Most of the clients we start working with don't think in terms of options, but rather in terms of "musts." They only know a handful of universities and desire entrance to these, without knowing what's out there... or honestly, what's inside themselves.

Being from Europe originally, I understand why international students know only a handful of American colleges and why hearing "Division I" means a lot to them. International students are not in a position to appreciate the full range of American college opportunities. Counter-intuitively, it is international students who seem to be more open-minded when selecting a college or university. Most are delighted to find a university in the United States which offers them an opportunity to continue playing their sport as part of a strong team and to receive a solid university degree which they can leverage toward a career. Whether the school is Division I or not is a lesser concern.

Why should it be that American students have as little knowledge about the variety of college options as international students do, and less inclination to be flexible? If we do a little work, some careful research and introspection, we'll find our horizons broaden to the options available to student athletes. There are colleges and universities out there that might not be on your radar, but offer a sound education and a level of tennis that you won't obtain elsewhere. If young professionals access the full scope of these opportunities, not only will American tennis gain a great future but more players will find more remarkable opportunities in more places then they ever thought possible.

Nowadays, you see international players gaining admittance over their American counterparts - partly because of their tennis level but partly because of their open-minded and integrative approach to the different leagues and colleges out there. To use a metaphor, international students are playing on the whole court. If American student athletes did a better job of making themselves aware of the college programs that exist, and based their decisions more on facts and less on preconceived notions, American tennis programs would be stronger. Coaches know this.

All this boils down to one crucial step in the recruiting process: before you think you know where you want to go, find out where you really fit. Have a game plan of how to approach the recruiting process, know your advantages and your limitations. Be aware of the competition and expectations at an early age. Get a scholarship evaluation from a trusted source that knows what the recruiting rules are; what college coaches are looking for, and how to successfully navigate the recruiting process.

Today's coaches see value in junior players who are serious about getting the most out of college, not just getting into the biggest college. I spoke to two of the best college coaches working today, and both shared my estimation of why getting together with a trusted source is important. Here are their insights:

Getting the opinion of a trusted neutral party to evaluate where you will be a good fit and have a great college career is essential. It will save you time and money and give you a broader but more realistic choice and make the recruitment process smoother and a more enjoyable experience.
    - D-I A-Sun Conference Tennis Coach

Players and parents who are unfamiliar with the recruiting process, or find difficulty having their voices heard by college coaches, should use scholarship evaluations in navigating the recruiting process. These evaluations allow an insight into realistic and attainable opportunities at the college level and help eliminate the guess work of where one stands and what to expect in the process.
    - D-II Sunshine State Conference Tennis Coach

What are you waiting for? The problem is not that there are too few schools out there. There are a great variety of schools, the difficulty is finding out where you fit. So ask for help. Find out where you stand and get your detailed evaluation report today!

To learn more about evaluations and a Free Consultation, go to www.wamsports.com.

About Ethos School

We are excited to have Ethos School as the title sponsor of the Recruiting 101 series of articles at TennisRecruiting.net.

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One of the unique aspects of Ethos School is our commitment to providing a holistic educational experience. Our students participate in a live 1-hour video session with their teacher and peers each week. These sessions offer enriching activities, opportunities to ask questions, discuss coursework, and present projects.

We are thrilled to extend an exclusive offer to TRN recruits like you. If you decide to enroll your child at Ethos School, we will waive the $95 enrollment fee. Additionally, we will provide a complimentary Academic Counseling session with one of Ethos' Academic Deans to plan out your child's educational journey to ensure they are on the right path for college and beyond.

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