College Athlete Graduation Rates on the Rise

The NCAA released its latest Graduation Success Rates and the news is outstanding!

• 79 percent of Division I freshmen student-athletes who entered college in 2002 earned their degrees, matching last year’s rate. The average Graduation Success Rate for the last four graduating classes is 79 percent, one percentage point higher than last year.   Both rates are the highest ever for Division I student-athletes, said NCAA Interim President Jim Isch.

• The single-year Graduation Success Rate for men’s basketball student-athletes rose from 65 percent for student-athletes entering college in 2001 to 66 percent for those who entered in 2002. Even more dramatic was the long-term improvement – up from 56 percent for the entering class of 1995 (the first year of data collection).

• Division II’s latest Academic Success Rate results show that graduation rates for Division II student-athletes continue to significantly exceed those of the general student body.  Student-athletes in the entering class of 2002 posted a six-year graduation rate of 71 percent as calculated by the Academic Success Rate, far above the 55 percent using the federal graduation-rate methodology that does not take transfers or nonscholarship athletes into account.  The 71 percent rate is steady from last year and up from 69 percent for the 1999 and 2000 classes. The four-year aggregate is at 70 percent – 80 percent for female student-athletes and 63 percent for males.

Hats off to the Student-Athletes, coaches, administrators, coaches and the NCAA for their progress!

November 19th, 2009 - by Brian Davidson

What is Fourth and Goal Ballers?

The concept of Fourth and Goal Ballers began in early 2009. There was a high school football player, whom I never met, from my home town that was a very good player and no colleges were recruiting him. I did a little research and discovered that his coaches were not trying to assist him in playing football at the next level. I was disgusted. Here is a kid that has come to practice for a coach for the last several years, and good enough to play football on the college level, and his high school coach can't even make a phone call and ask a college coach to come and evaluate the kid? I knew the talent level in the town, even though small, and I knew that I had to do something.  I knew that we had gotten off to a late start, because college coaches begin identifying college prospects as early as their freshman year of high school and here we are at the end of the kids senior year of high school. However, I believed this kid could play and just deserved an opportunity to play. So, my video team made him a highlight video and we sent it off to several hundred college coaches. When I began to hear back from the coaches, I knew I was on to something. Even though many of the schools were out of scholarship money, the coaches were impressed with the kid's athletic ability. Finally, after several weeks of emailing and calling college coaches, he got his first scholarship offer from a NAIA school in Oklahoma. They offered to pay for his out of state tuition and with the money he received from Pell Grant, he was getting all of his education covered! 

I had graduated from my high school in 1991 and went on to play football at a Division II school my freshman year. One of my teammates and myself were the first players to sign football scholarships in many years in our town. However, our talent level had never changed and it still has not. We always had talented players, the difference was we finally had a coach who was an advocate for his players. The thought of playing football in college never even crossed my mind until he approached me midway through my senior year. He made some calls to a few schools and my recruiting process started. The following year, our high school had 3 Division I prospects. The year after that, they had the best defensive back in the state and a finalist for Mr. Football in Alabama. This kind of talent was coming from a small town with 3 traffic lights! I had taken for granted having high school coach who was proactive in  getting his players recruited. The years after he left, the number of players signing scholarships steadily declined. Until now, they have 4 major college prospects and several small college prospects. The difference now, is that the players are getting their highlight videos done and sent off to college coaches earlier in the process.

I had grown tired of hearing of countless high school athletes who never got the opportunity to play sports at the college level. As I began researching athletic services, I discovered that there are companies that charge exorbitant amounts of money and may or may not be good at achieving results. I  realized there was a real need for a quality, cost effective service that helps student athletes market themselves for college scholarship opportunities. I have always possessed a passion for football and helping others. I knew that many high school coaches don't know where to begin themselves when it comes to recruiting. I knew that contacting colleges and coaches can be extremely cumbersome. I knew that football was some of these students only means of getting an education. I knew that many of these kids had come from disadvantaged backgrounds. I knew that these kids would need mentoring throughout their college careers. I knew that these kids would need assistance with preparation of admission packets and financial aid forms. I knew that most parents don't understand all the in's and out's of the recruiting process. I knew that many of these kids were left to fend for themselves after their high school coaches had used up their eligibility. In football terminology, I knew it was "FOURTH DOWN AND GOAL TO GO!"

I put together a team of former college and profession players who shared my vision for seeing high school athletes continue playing at the next level and graduate from college.Our years of college and professional playing and coaching experience, knowledge of the recruiting process, and our personal and professional contacts with college coaches is what separates us from the other recruiting services. We take pride in working to hard to gain top sports scholarship offers for our student athletes. We don’t guarantee them scholarship offers. However, we ensure that hundreds of college coaches will view our athletes' profile and view their videos. As former college and professional athletes, we know exactly what coaches are looking for, and developed a database of every coach, in every sport, at the NCAA FBS and FCS Subdivisions, Division II, Division III, NCAAJC, and NAIA levels. We provide a full range of services that will guide our athletes throughout the entire recruiting process and maximize results. No other recruiting service in the country offers every thing we offer for the prices that we offer them. 

We are different from other sports recruiting services, in that, we are a non-profit organization. That means, when people use or support our service, they also help athletes who come from disadvantage backgrounds get to college and graduate from college. Our services will always be high quality, cost effective, and TAX DEDUCTIBLE. 

Division 3 Does Offer Scholarships, Just Not Athletic

NCAA Division III Athletics is the largest division consisting of 443 member institutions. Division III schools are not permitted per NCAA rules to give scholarships based on athletic ability, but that does not take away from the level of competition. Many D-3 programs offer tremendous environments for not only learning but also college athletics. For example, an ESPN poll ranks the rivalry between Hope College and Calvin College, both small liberal arts D3 schools in West Michigan, as the 4th best rivalry in all of college basketball. That says a lot about the environment those two teams compete in.

D-3 schools are typically small, private, Liberal Arts colleges. In many cases they are old schools with a storied history and beautiful little (secluded) campuses. While many have excellent academic curriculums, they are limited in their offerings - at least compared to the larger universities. If you are planning on a degree in restoration of historic churches, you probably don't want to go there.

On the other hand, if you are looking, for example, for a solid foundation for law or med school many of these schools have a lot to offer. Unfortunately, due to the fact these schools are private; they are forced to charge higher tuition. As mentioned above, these schools are forbidden by NCAA rules from offering athletic scholarships. On the other hand, they are perfectly capable of offering an academic scholarship to a high school athlete with a good GPA and/or a high ACT/SAT score. Because they are mostly private schools with rather high tuitions, these colleges recognize that they must offer some financial assistance to entice student interest. Many have this ability because they are older schools and are heavily endowed. In any case, if you are good student and a good, but not-necessarily-professional-caliber athlete, these schools may be just what you are looking for. Keep in mind that when these schools offer scholarship money for academics they also are looking for students who will give back to the school by participating in activities or playing a sport. As we said earlier on in this tutorial however, an athlete cannot make the decision in his or her senior year to go after aid based on academic achievement. This has to start with the freshman year in high school. One last interesting fact about D-3: by not offering college scholarships D-3 schools are able to offer more sports and teams. For example, a lot of D-3 schools will offer a JV team, which not only offers more athletes the option to play college sports, it also offers the ability to season yourself before making the jump to the Collegiate Varsity level.

If you think D3 might be the place for you it is important to examine all avenues to divert the cost. There are several services online that help students find money for school that they otherwise might not be aware of. For example, FastWeb Free Scholarship Search , a Monster company, offers a no cost searchable database with something like 600,000 searchable scholarships. It is certainly worth the time of signing up. The same goes for Scholarships Experts and many other free services that only require a couple minutes to sign up but could turn out to be worth a lot more.

Fourth and Goal Ballers Inc "Offers One Stop Shop" for College Sports Scholarship Recruiting

SERVICES

Athletic Resume

Our college sports recruiting service can help you gain the scholarship you desire. More than 600 colleges offer sports scholarships at the intercollegiate level. Today's coaches do not have the time or money to find you; it is up to you to find the coaches. To get recruited, and win a college sports scholarships you MUST make yourself known to the college coaches. It does not matter how good you are if no one knows about you and your athletic ability. This comes by creating an athletic resume or profile. There are no "secrets" in the recruiting process. It is innovative marketing and plain hard work. We do for you exactly what you could do for yourself if you had the experience, expertise, and the time. We know what coaches are looking for and will build your resume accordingly.

We want to know all about you and your sporting ability before you make any commitment to our recruiting service. You can fill out our athletic questionnaire online from our Contact Page or you can download the forms and fax or email them to us. This information will help us build your scholarship resume.  We will talk to you about your dreams and aspirations, and work hard to make them become a reality. We believe that your success is our success. Most importantly, we will provide an objective evaluation of your athletic ability.

Once your resume is finished you will be given the opportunity to read and amend it before it is sent to the individual colleges. We will then individually send your personalized resume to several hundred college coaches in your sport, giving you every possible recruitment opportunity.

Personal Web Sites

Our mission is to promote high school athletes and assist them in gaining exposure to college coaches. We have endured the recruiting process first hand and we know how powerful a tool the internet can be in getting and athlete noticed. One key component of what we do is person web page creation. Your personal web page will be devoted to promoting the individual athlete while still making this service affordable.

We will use one of four website templates to upload both your academic and athletic information. Along with these, you may also upload numerous pictures and videos that will help establish an identity with college coaches. We decided to use High School Recruitment in response to the abundance of recruitment websites that require monthly service fees, few options to upload pictures and videos, and numerous advertisements that take away from the real objective of promoting the athlete. After we create your site, you can upload as many pictures as you like and you can update your stats as often as you like. You may become featured on the website’s homepage in order to help bring more attention to their profiles.

We also provide custom web design with flash media, digital effects, graphics, and music for those that desire this service.

Highlight Videos

In today’s age of recruiting, it is essential to have an excellent, well planned film to show college coaches. We have put together a video team of former coaches who know exactly what the college coaches want to see. Other services take little time to put together a film, thus hurting their prospects chances of a college coach watching more than a few plays. Our video team grades each play, its strengths and weaknesses, then finishes the film by putting it in a certain order designed to show different strengths and to minimize any weaknesses. We feel this process is unmatched and the results speak for themselves. 

Videos produced by our video team for the Class of 2009 spawned offers for each of the 21 players in which they promoted to colleges across the country. Most of which had little to no interest from college coaches before using their services. 

Once the evaluation is complete the final product will include many extras such as Zooming in to focus on the player’s ability and slow motion of certain parts of a play that is meant to show a college coach one of the little things that is so important to coaches (example- use of hands…..field vision…backpedal…etc).  The high quality video will individualize each player and show his or her strength in their most accomplished aspects of the game. Finally, when a college coach asks for a full game film. We have the ability to give it to them in minutes. 
 

Your high quality highlight video will be uploaded to YouTube for the world to see. We will upload your video to multiple recruiting web sites. Also, your video will be placed in our Locker Room, which is a site that can only be accessed for viewing by college coaches and recruiters.

Recruiting

After we create your resume and highlight video, we electronically send your athletic profile and video to over 100 colleges and 300 coaches. Next, we provide you the necessary tools to correspond with the college coaches of your choice. Then, we walk you through the recruiting process one step at a time by working with you with NCAA rules, recruiting rules, and letting you know the Do’s and Don’ts when communicating with college coaches to gain maximum results. At this time, we provide you with a recruiting handbook and a database of college coach emails for you to personally contact and update with your statistics and or achievements.

After the college coaches receive your resume and video, it will be up to them to contact you. You will receive emails, phone calls, and recruiting questionnaires through the mail. YOU WILL FEEL LIKE A SUPERSTAR with the amount of attention you will be getting but don't let it all go to your head. You must remain focused on your task. At that time, it will be your responsibility talk to the coaches personally and decide which school and program best suits your academic and athletic skill set. This is the time that leverage becomes important!

We take pride in walking our student athletes throughout the entire process. We make sure that you have every possible opportunity to play on the next level. We have an excellent working relationship with athletes, parents, and college coaches. We are very proud of the service we provide and enjoy getting to know talented athletes and their families everyday. Remember that we were once in your same shoes and can identify with your dreams of playing a college sport. As we said from the beginning, the best way to dramatically improve your chances of being offered sports scholarships is to become known to the people that count THE COACHES. If they don't know you, they can not recruit you. It’s that simple.

Personal Training

If it is your goal to play sports on the next level, you must train like they train on the next level. At Fourth and Goal Ballers, everyone trains like a professional. Whether you are a professional athlete seeking to perfect your game, a determined competitor looking for that extra edge, or an active student intent on achieving peak performance in any competitive or recreational sport, we can help. Our dedicated professional instructors can assist you in optimizing your athletic performance before, during, and after the season. We train everyone from an athletes to individuals who simply want to be in better physical condition. Fourth and Goal Ballers, Inc began with individual training. However, we welcome teams, groups, and individuals to join our training programs. We also encourage inquiries from coaches and trainers interested in off-site group programs and instructional seminars.  

Why Fourth and Goal Ballers Training?

Fourth and Goal Ballers training programs are designed not only to develop an athlete's physical potential, but to provide a fitness education that can empower an athlete for a lifetime. We start by maintaining a low instructor-to-student ratio in order to ensure the highest quality training for every athlete. Then, our instructors work with the  athletes both individually and as a group to develop and maintain the proper technique for every exercise. In this way, athletes not only build strength and confidence, but gain knowledge that helps create the foundation of athletic success.  

One of the unfortunate myths regarding the training of young athletes is the notion that  resistance training is either unsafe or unhealthy for younger adolescent and pre-adolescent athletes. Even though, medical and scientific studies  have proven that a properly managed resistance training program is safe and has no negative impact on epiphyseal (growth) plate development. In fact, young athletes who participate in a regular, well-supervised strength training program generally experience fewer and less severe injuries on the field than athletes who train improperly or not at all. 

The myths surrounding young athletes and strength training are usually based on reports of injuries incurred in the course of training.  However, such injuries are most often the result of poor technique. For this reason, Dr. Avery Faigenbaum, a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of youth fitness, states that "Unsupervised youth resistance training programs (at home or at school) are not recommended under any circumstance because of the potential for serious injury." Indeed, the real danger facing most athletes is improper training and a lack of physical preparation. 

A Fourth and Goal Ballers training session follows a unique and carefully structured lesson plan that is designed to provide balanced development while maximizing results.  Athletes work together yet progress at their own rate, gaining strength and knowledge that not only helps them achieve their full potential in the sport of their choice, but invests them with fitness tools that will benefit them for a lifetime. 

CALL US TODAY TO START YOUR TRAINING!

Mentorship

First, Fourth and Goal Ballers, Inc seeks to equip young men to become lifelong servant leaders in their communities and in the world. We partner with families to pursue and nurture excellence in the spiritual, academic, physical, and social growth of our students. We strive to transform an athlete’s heart as well as his or her head.

We will assist your child in realizing his or her dream of playing college sports by placing him in an NCAA or NAIA qualified school. Our goal is to encourage them commit to their education. Fourth and Goal Ballers dedicated staff work toward realizing your son’s dreams by stressing self-discipline, hard work, and dedication to their goals. The impact of Fourth and Goal Ballers, Inc on athletes can be life defining, and our students, in turn, will graduate from college ready to impact others.

We were once college athletes. We understand the difficulties that student athletes face in transitioning from high school to college. We are always here to provide a listening ear and solutions or suggestions when needed.

Multiple Sport High School Athletic Recruiting Services Offered at No Cost to Schools

*Provide an objective evaluation of the players in any sport that you request: includes direction on how they can improve as a player, the suggested level on which they can play, and recommendation on how they can increase their scholarship opportunities

*Professional preparation of a 3-7 minute high-light video of your best players

*Submission of player’s profile-includes highlight video, transcript, and individual statistics/accomplishments-to national database of colleges and universities that match the player’s athletic and academic skill set

*Guide players and parents through the recruiting process from the first phone call through signing day

        *Annual recruiting seminar for your athletes and booster club.

Our presentation covers the following: NCAA rules, requirements for eligibility, clearinghouse issues, what it means to get recruited, strategies, and the use of leverage. We will discuss recruiting visits, home visits, and every facet of the recruiting process.

*Individual athlete plans are available for schools that do not have the budget for a community coach

*Saves time-It takes countless hours to prepare a highlight video, copy the DVD, and prepare packages for mailing

*Saves money-Postage costs alone can exceed $400 for one Division I caliber athlete

*Athletes perform better academically when they know they have an opportunity to play at a higher level earlier in their career

*Increase positive media exposure for your school when players sign scholarships

*Increase participation in sports programs. 

*Athletes in other districts will want to play for you

*Happy athletes, parents, and boosters means job security

*Team Highlight Video created for less than other companies

*No cost involved for the school!

LET US DO YOUR RECRUITING DIRTY WORK!

Former NFL Veteran Partners with Fourth and Goal Ballers Recruiting Service to Expand Athletic Scholarship Opportunities for New Jersey Youth

Fred Baxter, born in Brundidge Alabama, is a former NFL Tight End with a 12 year career span. He attended Pike County HS, where he led his team to the state championship his senior year. Off the field, he was the SGA President and graduated from the Advanced Program. Baxter attended Auburn University & was drafted by the New York Jets in the 5th round of the ’93 Draft. Baxter also played for the Bears and earned the coveted XXXVIII Super Bowl victory playing for the New England Patriots in the 2002-03 Season. 

Fred started the Fred Baxter Foundation in 2000 to empower and support the at-risk youth, families below poverty levels and strongly supports various churches. He is extremely active in supporting various charities & communities nationwide. He and his wife Lisa, currently lives in NJ, where he works as a mentor for the Camden School System covering the S. Jersey and Delaware Valley areas. Baxter will serve as a Talent Evaluator for Fourth and Goal Ballers, Inc. Every athlete that uses the Fourth and Goal Ballers, Inc highlight video and recruiting service package will receive an evaluation and personal letter of endorsement from Baxter. He is the proud father of two children Brittany and Kellan.

  

Off Season Conditioning

As I came up through the ranks of high school and college baseball, one luxury that I quickly learned to do without as soon as my freshman year of high school was a little something called “Spring Break.” While all of my friends were packing their suitcases for Panama City, Myrtle Beach and Cancun I was getting ready to perform at my peak potential. Spring Break in high school meant early morning indoor practices and in college at john Carroll University it was a week-long bus trip down to Florida to play our first ten games of the season. So what was it that drove me to sacrifice Spring Break after Spring Break while everyone else was out partying and traveling? Well, for a student-athlete, that answer is easy. I had been working tirelessly day in and day out for the past 9 months to get ready for my season and that was most important to me. I wanted to show off the speed, strength and skills I had sharpened in the off-season because in all reality, there is no such thing as an “off season” for the serious student-athlete.

As a baseball player, I technically had four seasons, not one of which could be considered the off-season. In the fall when I arrived on campus, I would immediately begin on-field workouts and scrimmages so that the coaching staff could evaluate the progress I’d made over the summer. Taking the summer lightly is not an option for those who are serious about playing at the next level.

Marc Thibeault, head coach at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, a perennial contender in the Ohio Athletic Conference, emphasizes the importance of a strong training regiment, especially for players early on in their career.

“My feeling is that proper training is vital to making an impact at an early stage of your career. Freshmen are competing with highly skilled veteran athletes at the college level. Having a solid training base upon arrival to campus in the fall can separate you from other freshmen and allow you the physical presence to compete with established players… Bottom line, we tell our freshman to come to camp in shape to compete for a starting position.”

Come October I started full-time lifting and conditioning, 5 days a week, in order to build up strength and endurance for the long grind of the baseball season. When it comes to these workouts, make sure that you are staying within yourself in terms of frame and ability. For you skinny guys, don’t be intimidated by the football guys you may be sharing a weight room with. Not only are your sports different, but you need to focus on being as strong as you can be, not emulating someone else who is beyond your capabilities. Safety is key, especially in the wake of the recent injury to University of Southern California running back Stafon Johnson.

During these lifting and conditioning sessions you also want to pepper in some sport-specific training as well to stay fresh once it comes time to get back in the swing of practices. Your first practice should not be the first time you’re swinging a bat, throwing the baseball or softball or running routes. Again, remembering Coach Thibeault’s words, be ready to compete for that starting job.

Once your official practices begin is when you can relax and show off your new strength and skills. We always began our indoor practices in February and couldn’t wait to step off that bus into the warm South Florida air to start our season. The regular season is the time to focus all of your hard work and dedication on winning and playing your best. Out-of-season workouts are meant to be difficult, painful and challenging so that when game time arrives, you are free to relax and have fun.

If you plan a strict regiment of off-season training that will help you not only build muscle and strength but also speed, quickness and stamina, there is no limit to how high your game can soar. Whether you are a fall, winter or spring athlete, there is always the “off-season” for you to build your athletic skills. The summer season is a great time for a healthy mix of sport specific workouts, lifting, conditioning and actual participation in your sport.

Brian Flanagan, a senior outfielder for Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina, had this to say about his dedication to off-season workouts.

“Off season workouts help maintain what you’ve built up and will undoubtedly make you stronger… the will to prepare goes hand and hand with the will to win in whatever you are trying to succeed in.”

The next time your friends are packing their suitcases to party and take trips, don’t hesitate to tell them what you’ll be doing while they’re away. They might laugh and some of them might even poke fun, but none of them know of the dedication and commitment it takes to play sports at the collegiate level and beyond. For that, you are already one step ahead.

October 1st, 2009 - by Dan Sabella

Eight Steps to Maximize Your Financial Package

The term “need-based” is most often applied to a student’s financial need, with the financial aid, grant, or scholarship being awarded based on the economic profile of the student-athlete’s family. Often times this is the easiest type of aid for families to understand since it usually correlates with their economic situation. 

However, parents and their student-athlete should consider that other “need-based” scholarships exist that do not always relate to their annual income.  These scholarships are awarded to a student-athlete based on the school’s need for the student.  A student-athlete attending a Division III school, for instance, cannot technically be awarded an athletic scholarship as the NCAA prohibits scholarships based solely on athletic ability at this level.  Colleges give out scholarships based on leadership, academic, or merit, as well as their desire to create a competitive grants-in-aid package to attract a student they need for t heir team and campus.

The hidden reality is that colleges have “pots” of money they can dip into for students that qualify (especially athletes).  These “pots” are not listed in the brochures, and therefore a lot of families do not realize they exist.  For example, some colleges have pots that the financial aid staff can dip into for students who are journalism majors from Wisconsin,” or for students who have a “3.77 GPA and 1100 SAT and want to major in physical therapy”

Whether you are looking to maximize your traditional “need based aid” or find the hidden money that exists at colleges, here are 8 steps to follow:

1. Know your family’s EFC:
EFC stands for Expected Family Contribution.  You can find the EFC calculator hereto determine an estimate of this number.  Whatever your family’s EFC turns out to be, will make a big difference in the amount you are expected to contribute to college. So think of the EFC as the amount of money you will be expected to come up with for school (to which academic/athletic scholarships will be added).

2.  Complete your FAFSA
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and can be found here.  The biggest mistake a lot of families make is not filling the FAFSA out because they think their family income is too high. This could not be further from the truth. Every family, regardless of income, has an EFC (estimated family contribution) number and the LOWER your EFC, the more aid you will receive. Even if you may not receive a significant amount of financial aid, you should still complete the FAFSA because it can act as an insurance policy for your son/daughter’s education. If there is a change or loss of income or an emergency in your family; you will not be eligible for college funds if you do not complete the FAFSA on an annual basis.

The first date you may submit the FAFSA is January 1 of senior year. Submit the FAFSA on this date or as soon after as possible! University financial aid budgets are limited and are awarded on a first come first serve basis, so the earlier you submit your FAFSA, the better your chances of receiving aid. Each college/university has a specific deadline and at a certain point, the money does run out.

3. Apply early:
Funds are given on a first-come first-serve basis.  If you can get your application in by the early date, that is ideal.  Most schools will automatically qualify you for merit-based aid just for applying.  From a recruiting standpoint, this is yet another reason to get started early and begin targeting the right schools and developing relationships with those coaches.

4. Ask the coach for an early financial aid read:
Most schools have their own financial aid forms you may fill out before the FAFSA is even turned in.  They would then submit the information to financial aid and give you an estimated dollar amount.  This gives you a starting point.

5. Know the school’s financial aid policy:
Most schools will list their scholarships on the website under “Financial Aid.”  Be sure to thoroughly check for merit-based scholarships you may qualify for.  Make sure to understand the right questions to ask the coach about types of financial aid you qualify for. 

6. Obtain outside scholarships:
Ask your high school guidance counselor, church, workplace, or anyone for that matter about scholarships they know of.  Third party sites like Fastweb offer a free, personalized and comprehensive list of scholarships that might fit your circumstances.

7.  Have leverage:
Leverage is a term typically reserved for the boardroom, but when it comes to recruiting, it can have a strong impact on the amount of money a recruit will receive.  The reality for recruits is that the more schools that are pursuing you, the more leverage you will have when negotiating your financial package.  While there are right and wrong ways to parlay your leverage into  proper negotiation strategies, the first step is to get as many of the right schools involved as possible.

8. Appeal your offer:
Calling or emailing the financial aid office to inform them of other offers or just to simply ask them for more money often yields great results.  You will never know if you don’t try.  Sometimes the coach is also able to offer you support during this process.  Ask a lot of questions and find out what the individual school policy is.    There are certain appeal techniques which can be used to maximize this portion which can save you thousands of dollars.

The financial aid process can be overwhelming and confusing.  There are many intricacies and nuances that prevent families from capitalizing on the amount of money they could receive to attend a particular college.  The good news is that even in a struggling economy, many colleges and universities are finding sources of money to make school more affordable.  The best advice for recruits is to start early, do your research, and surround yourself with experts to make sure you are taking all the right steps.

October 7th, 2009 - by Chris Krause