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What Should I Be Doing in My College Process if I Am a Rising Junior or Senior?
Use the highlighted Going To College articles as your guide.
As a new school year approaches, rising juniors and seniors are at various points in their recruiting process and hence will have varied action items to focus on. I thought it would be helpful to provide guidance, utilizing past Going To College (GTC) articles, to assist the rising juniors and seniors take an inventory of where they are at and provide the appropriate suggestions.
For the seniors (class of 2022) there are many scenarios you may find yourself in at this point. If you have committed to a specific university, then you’ll benefit from reading You Have Completed the College Placement Process—Now What? However, if you haven’t committed to a college and are still in search of your best-fit school, there are several things to ponder.
First, I’d ensure you have a couple of schools on your target list that you know you can be admitted to and that would meet your non-golf criteria in terms of education, location, and college environment. If you end up going to one of these schools and not earning a roster spot on the team, but still want to be engaged in golf, you’ll want to read What's The Story On Club Golf?
If playing college golf remains paramount to you, there is still time to identify a place to play, and the article, If playing college golf remains paramount to you, there is still time to identify a place to play, and the article, As a Rising Senior, Is It Too Late To Be Recruited? will detail your next steps. Additionally, this is also a great time to “qualify” where you are with each coach and golf program. Specifically, the GTC article, Do You Know Where You Stand in the Recruiting Process?, provides a terrific template in approaching these questions. Depending on the answers to these questions, and if you don’t have any strong possibilities, you’ll want to ensure you’re considering all options available and read the following GTC articles:
- What’s the Story on Division II and Division III Golf Programs?
- Are There Opportunities in the NAIA?
- Is a Walk-On Opportunity the “Best Fit” for Me?
- Repeating a Grade in High School or Pursuing a Post-Grad Year—Part 2.
In conclusion for the class of 2022, there is still time to find your best fit and path to play college golf. Everyone has to find what’s best for them and, as noted above, there are varying options available.
Class of 2023 graduates are now able to communicate with coaches via phone, text, and email. Additionally, as of August 1st, rising juniors can make unofficial and official visits to campus, as well as have off campus contact with coaches. Some of you may already be engaging in these college process action items, while others are wondering how to get started. For both the former and latter, it’s essential you do your homework and due diligence on each university and golf program of interest. Here are a couple great GTC articles to assist in this area:
- What Useful Information Can I Research on a Golf Team’s Website?
- How Do I Know Which Schools Are “Best Fits” for Me?
- When and How Should I Initiate a Phone Call to a College Coach?
As you continue to navigate your college process, ensure you are taking ownership and refer to the key action items in How Do I Remain Proactive in Identifying My “Best Fit”?
My hope is that each of you will take advantage of the suggested articles as you continue to navigate your journey towards college. The GTC article library is full of practical and useful information that I hope you’ll take full advantage of.
Keep swinging.
Coach Gleason
Road To College Golf