Nashville
FC Youth
“Perfection is the Goal… Excellence will be tolerated”
The College Process
General Questions
- Do I want to go to college?
- Do I want to go to a 2-year school or a 4-year school?
- How far do I want to go from home (an hour, 2 hours, 3, 4, very far, it doesn’t matter how far)?
- Do I want a state school or a private school?
- How much can I afford to spend on college?
- What collegiate environment do I want (city, campus, rural, suburban)?
- What size school do I want (very small, small, medium, large, very large)?
- What do I want to study?
- What type of academics do I want (strong, average, party school)?
- Do I want to play soccer in college?
- How important is playing soccer in college in my choice of colleges?
- Do I want to compete in NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, or JUCO?
- Have I applied to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse?
- What type of soccer program do I want (elite, competitive, decent, struggling)?
- What type of playing time should I expect (starting, key reserve, role player, practice player, none)?
- Will I be receiving any financial aid (athletics vs. academic)?
- What is the team like?
- What is the coach(es) like?
- If I get injured would I still like this school?
Questions to ask the coach
- What positions will I play on your team?
- Will I be redshirted my freshman year?
- What expectations do you have for training and conditioning?
- How would you best describe your coaching style?
- Are you planning on staying at this school for my four years?
- Is there any athletics grant-in-aid money available?
- Who else are you recruiting for my position?
- What happens if I want to transfer to another school?
- What is the team like?
- What is the typical year like?
Academic Questions
- How strong is my intended course of study at this school?
- What is the team’s grade point average?
- What type of academic support is there for student-athletes?
- What type of academic load should I take in-season vs. off-season?
- Will I have help in scheduling my classes around practice time?
- Is summer school available?
College Life Questions
- What is a typical day for a student-athlete?
- What are the residence halls like?
- Must students live on campus?
- Is this school a commuter school?
- Do the students support athletics?
Financial Aid Questions
- How much financial aid is available for both the academic year and for summer school?
- How long does my scholarship last?
- What are my opportunities for employment while I am a student?
- Exactly how much will the athletics scholarship be?
- What will and will not be covered?
- Am I eligible for any additional financial aid?
- Under what circumstances might my scholarship be reduced or cancelled?
- Are there academic criteria tied to maintaining my scholarship?
- What scholarship money is available after eligibility is exhausted to help me complete my degree?
- What scholarship money is available if I suffer an athletics career-ending injury?
- Will my scholarship be maintained if there is a change in coaches?
Critical Resources:
NCAA
NCAA Initial Eligibility Center
NCAA “Guide for the College-Bound student-athlete”
College Websites
U.S. News College Rankings