College Recruiting Procedure
Starting as early as possible after entering high school is recommended. As early as after your swimmers first high school state meet is preferred.
Establish swimmer profiles on recruiting sites on line. Many are free to use so look around. There are sites that will assist you with this process, but there are fees involved. Some can cost over a thousand dollars and will convince you that to be successfully recruited you need them. They will give you advice, help you with a recruiting performance video, and pursue schools and coaches for you. But you can do it on your own as well.
First step is to check out schools across America to see who has swimming programs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_swimming_and_diving_teams
Next, get registered with the NCAA Clearing House Eligibility Center. Everyone needs to do this! There are rules to follow so read up on the different rules for each Division School.
http://web3.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp
Popular sites to check out are:
http://www.collegeswimming.com/
http://www.athleticscholarships.net/swimmingscholarships.htm
I’m sure there’s more out there, but this is a good place to start. Once started, get as much information on your page as possible. Upload pictures and videos of your best performances. And keep updating!
When emails or letters start coming in, get back to the schools in a timely manner. This is usually within 5 days at the most. Schools that don’t hear back from you will move on.
And you don’t have to wait for coaches to contact you. If you are interested in a school, check out their athletics page. There is usually a swimmer survey to be filled out and emailed back to the school. This can be your first communication to a prospective coach.
Don’t be shy, promote yourself!! Always ask your swim coach if you have questions.
