Michelle Lombana is committed to helping parents like her whose children want to swim in college by simplifying the recruiting process through http://www.collegeswimmingguide.com/. Check out her summary of NCAA Recruiting Rules and NCAA Calendar for helpful information.
Whether you have been certain you want to swim in college since you were young, or you’re still vacillating on the decision, the question always arises: when should I begin the research to swim in college?
It’s never too early to begin discussing colleges and swim programs with your parents and others at an overview level. Well, maybe elementary school is too early – at that point, most kids are still rooting for the hometown team and dreaming of competing there! By late middle school, it’s appropriate to think about different colleges and what you might want in a college – and to have casual conversations about it.
Freshman Year
As a freshman in high school, conversations should center on generalities, such as location, climate, programs of study, and distance from home. Even if you’re planning to swim in college, most freshmen cannot predict where they will fit into a program time-wise yet as many are still growing and getting faster.
If you’re on vacation out of town, try to swing by and see any college campuses that are nearby or on the way. This can help you see how you feel about a campus in the middle of a large city versus one in the middle of corn fields or a large campus versus, a small one. There are, of course, many options between these extremes!
Sophomore Year
As you enter sophomore year, it’s time to get more serious. General discussions are still important, as well as thinking about where you want to fit into a program in terms of being the fastest on the team and setting school records, not making the travel team your first year or somewhere in-between. Most kids have a pretty good idea about where they want to fit – you might find it exciting to see your name on the record board as a freshman or you might know you will not train your hardest without faster swimmers to push you during practice. This is a very individual decision that only you, the swimmer, can make.
It’s also a good time for you to begin reaching out to college coaches and introducing yourself. If you’re touring colleges, be sure to drop by the pool to see the facilities and to see if any coaches are around. Depending on the division, coaches may not be able to respond to emails or phone calls, but they can talk to you if you are visiting campus. Make sure you have a few questions in mind to ask if you do encounter a coach.
Junior Year
By junior year, the search becomes more intense. You should have a good idea of the type of college you prefer as well as some idea of academic interests. Many college students change their majors, sometimes multiple times, so don’t worry if you’re not sure what you want to study.
You can figure out where you fit in a particular program by looking at the times required to score in conference meets then looking at which schools are in that conference. This is where your feelings about being a big fish in a small pond and vice versa come into play. If you can already score in the A final at conference champs but you want to train with swimmers who are faster to push you, you should look at a faster conference. Conversely, if you want to be on the podium at conference champs, you should not be looking at conferences where you would place 49th with your current times.
During junior year, you should take as many college tours as possible to give you an idea of options. When you visit schools, be sure to check out the pool and see if you can meet with a coach.
Coaches may not be able to call swimmers, depending on the division, but all can return emails by junior year. You should be emailing back and forth with coaches at programs that interest you.
Senior Year
Senior year is usually filled with official recruiting visits (at schools that offer them), phone conversations with coaches, and further narrowing down which schools are a good fit.
When possible, it’s important for you to meet potential teammates at programs you’re considering to see if you click with the team.
Evaluating offers along with the academic programs at schools is the last step before making a final decision.
The process can seem overwhelming at times, but it can be accomplished by approaching it in an organized manner and allowing enough time to research colleges and swim programs.
About College Swimming Guide
College Swimming Guide simplifies the process of being recruited to swim in college by providing sample emails to coaches, lists of questions to ask coaches, and spreadsheets of colleges and conference championship times to see where you fit. We also have checklists to find the right fit to swim in college, NCAA Rules Summary, NCAA Calendar and more. We will walk you through the process and let you know what to do and when to do it.
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Swimming news courtesy of Michelle Lombana.