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August 2004 – Athlete’s Advisor Newsletter…in this edition                 

New Articles- Average Graduation Duration - National Athletic Testing - No Experience Necessary - College Admissions Factors - Paying for college - Financial Aid Resources - Links.

New Articles
Scholarships by Sport and Gender - How many are there really?
Nancy Clark Nutrition: Disordered Eating, When Food is Foe!
Dad Helps Son Get Football Scholarship - From last year but timeless.
Little League Elbow - Another year, another curveball controversy - see the facts.

The Average College Student (not student athlete) takes 4.8 years to graduate. According to an ESPN.com report, this was the reasoning behind the ACC proposing a 5th year of football eligibility for players and abolishing red-shirts.  The NCAA is scheduled to vote on this in April 2005.  An interesting fact:  70% of all college D-I football players red-shirt. If they abolish red-shirts, the argument that 5th year seniors would be too much of a mismatch against an 18 year old freshmen would no be valid.
    The ACC feels that more athletes would return to college to finish their degree, rather than trying to go professional (most fail at that)  if they had eligibility.

National Athletic Testing System - http://www.nats.us/ - The National Football Coaches Association (NFCA), in an effort to bring "recruiting testing" into a controlled environment where they do not feel players and parents are being overcharged, and to certify the testing results, the NFCA has just started its own testing program.  From a conversation I had with Mel Pulliam of the NFCA, I get the feeling that college coaches feel the recruiting process is a little out of hand as far as "services" and "combines" go and they also want a little piece of the action.  NATS only charges $49 per player - so money is not a major motive, unless sponsorships are sold.   The program is new so only was only available in a few states last summer.

Add/Drop - Colleges are constantly adding and dropping intercollegiate athletic teams. This is public information reported every week.  Navigate there by clicking in the following order.  Go to NCAA.org > News and Publications> The NCAA News> and then select Division I, II or III.
   Right now is a slow time for news, but check in regularly to see what might be happening at schools you are interested in.
 

No Experience Necessary...Amherst College (SAT 1422  ) junior Ashley Harmeling led NESCAC lacrosse players in goals, assists, and points and was named conference player of the year in the best D-III lacrosse conference in the country. It was her first year of college lacrosse!  (Sports Illustrated, Faces in the Crowd).  She is also an All-American Soccer player and the top Squash player at Amherst.  Ah, Division III!  Where else can you enjoy playing three sports? 

According to a survey cited in Us News & World Report (8/30/04, college rankings edition) there is a hierarchy to how admissions counselors grade you as an applicant (see below).  As a recruited student athlete who has indicated a strong likelihood of attending, you can factor that into the mix but it is still mitigated by how selective the school is and the quality of the recruiting class you are competing with.
 

Paying for College...I have read a few articles recently that speculate on the prudence of going to a college that will put a student  $20,000 - $50,000 in debt before they work a day in their life (it is being questioned as a sound business decision!)  Given the increased expenses for all colleges (state and private) paying for college is almost as big an issue as which college to go to, and which college to go to is often a product of the one you can afford. Luckily there are good resources out there for people of all income levels.  A few tips:

1.) Start Early - Long term strategic financial planning is very important. Consider a Licensed Financial Planner. 

2) Assume nothing - Assuming you are so poor that colleges will fund your need fully or assuming that you are too affluent to qualify or win awards are both dangerous assumptions.  Depending on the type of student you are or the "tip" (something that gives you a tip in the right direction of admissions compared to a similar student, for example - athletics, your parents went to that school, musical talent, science award winner, etc)) you have with admissions, you might be surprised what you can get. On the other hand, a recent Boston Globe article profiled several low to middle income families whose children were accepted, but had aid packages far too low to make attending possible.

3) Know your options  -Look locally as much as you look far and wide for scholarships and grants.  Local religious groups and community clubs such as Knights of Columbus, Rotary, Kiwanis and similar groups offer scholarships each year.  Parents, look into any scholarships you can apply for at  work, via professional trade association memberships or even that of a vendor you do business with.
   If you are lucky enough to win grants and scholarships, ask the college you are attending (or are thinking of attending) if it will count against the grant part of the financial aid package or the loan part of the package.  You want it to reduce the loan or work study portion of your package, not the grant!   Some schools will bend on this if they want you.  This is where you loop the recruiting coach into the process and ask for his or her full support.

4) Relationship Build - It always pays to make friends with people in high places. Find a contact person in financial aid, be friendly, and try to deal with them exclusively (unless referred elsewhere.)  The human touch can't hurt.  Become a name, not a number.

5) Utilize Resources to Educate: There are dozens of good financial aid and scholarship resources out there on the web, here are a few:

Finaid.org - Scholarship and financial aid information

Financialaid.com - Scholarship and financial aid information, loan provider

Fastweb.org - Scholarship and financial aid information

Fafsa.org - Free application for federal student aid.

Savingforcollege.com - Learn and compare different 529 plans from each state

estudentloan.com - Compare student loans and apply online, brokers loans

Pellgrantsonline.ed.gov - Information on Pell Grants

Mapping-your-future.org - Information on financial aid choices

Recommend other resources for our readers.  GO

Also, Chapter 3 of The Making of A Student Athlete has 17 pages of financial aid information

Chapter 3 – Financial Aid
Financial Aid Myths	76
Financial Aid Basics	79
Financial Aid Q & A	82
The Tools of Financial Aid	84
Saving for College	88
Non-Athletic Scholarships	91
Merit Scholarships	93

Links -
NCAA.com now links to www.ncaasports.com
NCAA.org  is their official business site - rules, publications, etc. Let's hope they make that site a little user friendly as well.
Campus Dirt - where college students tell you how they really feel! Need to register but it is free.
SAT/ACT Essay Scrutiny - informative article from YahooNews
NextStepMagazine - Life after High School, great for students and parents.

Recommended Services and Tools
College Coaches On-line - Directory of all college coaches. A must have to start your proactive college search.  Save $5 with code AA123
Collegiate Choice Walking Tours - an inexpensive way to see a campus!
estudentloan.com - the Lending Tree of student loans- comparison tool.
webball.com - baseball nuts will drool over this site!

Next Month - More on paying for college, good questions to ask the college coach, and hopefully some good interviews with a few college coaches

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