All You Need To Know About Gaining Scholarships

The majority of parents, including my sister, believe that their children will enjoy excellent academic futures.  My sister believes that her nine-year-old daughter is so good at soccer that she will have a shot at a soccer scholarship later one in life.  Of course, how can a sensible woman like Jane possibly consider that her young daughter has a chance at obtaining an athletic scholarship when she becomes older?

Kate, Jane’s daughter, is a third-grader who was recently chosen to be on a top soccer team in her San Francisco neighborhood; and this is all the evidence my sister has to back up her argument.  While this does mean that Kate is good at playing soccer, there is so much misinformation regarding athletic scholarships that I decided to share seven factors regarding sports scholarships that parents and teenagers need to know.

1.  The Odds Of Getting One Are Remote

Currently, there are approximately 138,000 athletic scholarships available in the US for Division I and Division II sports.  While this may seem like a lot, it is not based on the number of people applying for these scholarships. For example, over one million boys play high school football; however, there are only approximately 20,000 football scholarships available.  Over 600,000 girls participate in track and field high school athletics, but there are only 4,500 scholarships available. As you can see, the odds of actually getting a scholarship are remote. You can see here how to get one and also evaluate your chances of a visa.

2.  The Money Is Not Great

The average athletic scholarship is worth approximately $10,500.  Currently, only four sports offer full scholarships to their students including football, male’s and female’s basketball, and female’s volleyball.  If you remove the male’s basketball and football, the average athletic scholarship drops to approximately $8,500.

3.  Scholarships Are Dissected

The NCAA determines the number of scholarships that can be awarded to each sport.  To squeeze the maximum benefit, a coach will typically split the rewards. For example, a Division I soccer coach will be offered ten athletic scholarships; however, she or he can separate this scholarship fund into smaller scholarships to recruit more athletes to the campus.  This practice is not beneficial, but it has led to more athletes on tiny scholarships.

4.  Do Not Wait To Be Discovered

Unless your child is a naturally talented superstar, college coaches will probably not be aware of her or his existence.  To gain any sort of recognition, it is recommended that teenagers send emails to coaches at different schools they feel they would like to attend introducing themselves.  The introduction email should include information about their positions, sports statistics, and current coach contact details.

5.  Using YouTube

Many athletes attempt to attract the attention of college coaches by creating a seven or eight-minute action video of their best moments and then posting it on YouTube.  Instead of sending CDs, it is recommended that you send coaches the link to this video as coaches prefer watching online videos rather than having to navigate a pile of CDs.

6.  Scholarships Are Not Guaranteed

If your teenager receives an athletic scholarship, do not assume that the scholarship will cover all four years of study.  Athletic scholarships need to be renewed annually and this is based on the coach’s decision.  The pressure to maintain a sports scholarship can often distract stressed students from what a college student’s primary goal should be – gaining a college degree.

7.  The Best Place For Money Can Be Division III

One of the best methods for athletes to gain scholarships is to apply to colleges that do not typically award athletic scholarships.  This doesn’t make sense, but then again it does.

Division III schools, which are most often the smaller private schools, will often present merit awards for student accomplishments and academics.  An average merit grant provided by private colleges may not be as status-building as an athletic scholarship; however, it can cut tuition fees by over 50%.