Assessment Defined
I use a generic assessment with each of the prospects I advise and I have to tell you, it works beautifully. The questions may be the same, but the answers are very different for each athlete and exciting for me to read. Simply defined, the assessment is a tool that should provide prospects and families with a broad aim to the direction their college quest will take.
As an advisor for athletes, my assessment questions are equally loaded on the academic and athletic side, with additional emphasis on the social and cultural component. Basically, I’m trying to get a feel about the college experience my boys and girls are currently aiming for based on academic strength, athletic level, geographic location and undergraduate makeup.
Assessment Questions
My initial assessment goal is simple: Get the kids “thinking for themselves.” Not only is this a necessary skill to determine potential college choices for my families, college coaches pick up on kids that have a grasp on the recruiting process. Remember, there are three (3) important qualities college coaches are looking for in a recruit; good students, strong athletes and self-aware individuals. Below are 10 questions I feel will “fuel the tank” and kick start the college search:
- Describe in two to three sentences how you envision the college experience best unfolding for you?
- Are you looking for a school environment that is Urban, Rural, or College Town?
- How far are you willing to travel from home to attend college?
- How important is the athletics “component” of the college experience? Are you looking for a true “student-athlete” experience?
- Are you looking for a college environment that will “push you” or allow you to “explore” independent options?
- Are you looking for a small, medium or large undergraduate population?
- What area of educational studies are you leaning toward?
- What excites you most about the college experience?
- What worries you most?
- Are you willing to take personal responsibility for every independent decision you make as part of the college experience?
Direction
The answers to the assessment questions should now provide the prospect and family with a general idea about the type of institution they are aiming toward. Now it’s time to draw up an initial list of colleges!
I use the Naviance network, which is an awesome tool that allows me, based on the assessment information the prospect filled in, to determine an initial grouping of schools that potentially match with the prospect. From here I simply plug pertinent college recruiting information (website, coaches contact information etc.) into an Excel spreadsheet for easy reference. Now the prospect is ready to accomplish 2 tasks: Investigate the college list and communicate directly with the college coaches.
Ebb and Flow
As families navigate the college recruiting process, it is natural to experience highs and lows, moments of exhilaration and frustration and everything in between. You learn to develop tough skin quickly!
Over time, prospects become more familiar with the recruiting process. As they begin to communicate more effectively with the college coaches and develop a resourceful educational base of information about the college search, the “ship's heading” will naturally change. Slightly at first, but it will surely change! A simple “road trip” to a college on your “C” list can become an eye opening experience where you connect strongly with the Coach, with the campus and begin to grow a greater appreciation for the overall experience. I believe we need to be open to each new opportunity in the college search and meet that opportunity head on.
Defining a “starting point” in the college search for athletes will not only initiate direction to the project, it gives it purpose. The initial assessment is a great way to assist in creating “lift-off.”
About the Author:
Tom Kovic is a former Division I college gymnastics coach and the current director of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he provides individual advisement for families on college recruiting. Tom is the author of “Reaching for Excellence”, an educational guide for college athletics recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com Copyright Victory Collegiate Consulting 2010. Used by permission.
Editor's Note: Publication of this article is not an endorsement of any recruiting service. Always check with the NCAA or your school's compliance officer for any questions regarding recruiting rules, the latest timelines, or other issues.