Heads Up!
Help for teen athletes planning to take their
game to the next level.
By
Lynette Mathews
Today,
it takes more than athletic prowess to play NCAA sports after high
school. It takes careful planning. Parents and their teens can use this
NCAA checklist for success (think of it as a little bit of coaching
to help you bring your "A-game"):
• Register
with the NCAA Clearinghouse
Junior year in high school, teens should
go to
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net and
complete the online registration.
•
Fulfill the NCAA Core Class Requirements
On the NCAA Web site,
you’ll
find a list of approved courses, specific to your high school. Note: these
requirements differ from California State Graduation Requirements and UC/CSU
requirements.
• Complete the online NCAA Certificate of Amateurism
• Achieve strong grades and standardized test scores
The NCAA has stringent
requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, and college coaches want to know that
student players will be champions in the classroom as well as on the field.
•
Don’t assume that college coaches will come to you
Athletes need to be assertive (sometimes even aggressive) about
getting in front of key decision makers.
Lynette Mathews is an independent college
counselor for College
Connection in Folsom. You can e-mail her at lmathews@collegeconnect.org.
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