subject: How early should I start my college tennis scholarship search? [print this page] How early should I start my college tennis scholarship search?
The earlier you start the better. And if you want a better answer, I would say high school sophomore year.
You need to really sit down and and research the schools and what are your goals not only for tennis, but for the academics as well. Once you have your school picks, make sure you learn enough about it. This will really help you ease your conversations with the coach when you finally contact him/her.
Building a relationship with the coach and the team is really important. Just so you know you are allowed to call or email the coach at any point in time. So take advantage of this opportunity, and show your interest. It is always nice to have some help during your search, but this is really about you. Coaches are not only looking at your tennis skills and records, sometimes it comes down to personality and character.
If you are planning to make some unofficial visits, take the time to watch practice and see how the coach interacts with the team. Your chemistry with these people is really important, because you are going to spend most of your time with them on and off the court. Don't ever feel the rush to make a decision, this is why starting your search with time is so important.
Keep the coach up-to-date with your results. Let him know when you are playing a match around school. If you dont hear often from the coach, it doesnt mean him/her are not interested. Therefore, make sure you follow up, just like you would do if you were waiting to hear from a company you just interviewed with for a job.
Take it serious, just as if you were getting ready for a job interview.
Interested in getting a TENNIS SCHOLARSHIP in the USA? College Tennis Link is a social network designed with the purpose of bringing junior players and coaches together. We want to build the best source of information for players and parents that have questions about the recruiting process and college tennis in general. There is so much information about college tennis on the internet, let's bring it all to one place!
