Tag: official visit

College Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

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Do you have any advice on how to deal with getting offers during official visits (particularly when you have more in the coming weeks/month)?

Just approach it the same way you would when you’re going on job interviews (which I get you might not have done a lot of yet if you’re only in high school) – say thanks, let them know where you’re at in the process with the other people you’re talking to, and find out when they would need an answer from you.

This past weekend was, for most teams, only the first or second weekend of official visits so if you got an offer then the coaches have to know, or at least assume, that you’ve got a few more scheduled in the coming weeks. I can’t imagine they’d push you for an answer right away but they’re probably hoping that by putting it out there before everyone else that that will help sway you a little bit. I’d keep that in mind, assuming it’s one of your top choices, but don’t let it influence your other visits. Collect as much info as you can from all the teams you visit/coaches you talk with and give yourself plenty of options so you can make the best decision possible.

College Recruiting: Official/Unofficial Visits + Recruiting Rules Recap

College High School Recruiting

College Recruiting: Official/Unofficial Visits + Recruiting Rules Recap

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Previously: Intro || The recruiting timeline + what to consider || What do coaches look at? || Contacting coaches, pt. 1 ||  Contacting coaches, pt. 2 || Contacting coaches, pt. 3 || Contacting coaches, pt. 4 || Highlight videos + the worst recruiting emails

There are three main rules regarding recruitment that you should be aware of, regardless of whether you’re looking at men’s teams or women’s teams.

1. Most athletic departments apply NCAA bylaws to all sports, including men’s crew even though it is NOT an NCAA sport due to Title IX.

2. Depending on what division the school/program competes in (Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3) the bylaws can/will differ. There may also be variances across different leagues (i.e. no “dead periods” for men’s rowing in the Ivy League).

3. Outside of providing general info, contact from the coach to the athlete isn’t allowed until July 1st following the completion of your junior year of high school. This means that coaches are not allowed to initiate contact or return phone calls to students who are not seniors. (You however, as has been mentioned many times before, can initiate contact.)

There’s a lot of comprehensive and limiting rules that govern the different types of permissible contact and evaluations during the recruiting process and while it’s good to be aware of the rules, it’s not imperative that you know all the nitty gritty details. (And trust me, after having to read the NCAA handbook (all 470+ pages of it) and take a test on it all last year, be thankful you don’t need to know a lot of this.)

Alright, so official and unofficial visits. I’ve talked about these before and given details on what each is, what they entail, etc. so since the majority of the info shared at camp is the same as what I’ve already written, I’ll link that post down below and you can check it out on your own.

Related: Official vs. Unofficial Visits

There were a lot of good questions that came up outside the general stuff, most of which had to do with unofficial visits. As long as the school isn’t paying any of your expenses, you can stay with friends on campus, sit in on classes with them, watch practice, etc. as many times as you want at any point during your high school career.

One thing that many of the coaches (and college athletes) said was that visiting when school is in session is your best opportunity to see what real student life is like and get a general sense for the pace of people’s daily routines. It also gives you another chance to meet the people who make up the overall community. As convenient as going over Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring, or summer break is, you won’t get to experience the same “energy” that you would if you went when classes were going on so it’s worth it to miss a day or two of school if you can make it happen.

Related: Can a coxswain back out of a verbal commitment? I want to tell a very good D1 school that I will commit to go there but my coach said I should wait until after HOCR because I might be able to go to a better school if I do well. What should I do? Can you still go on an official to another school if you verbally commit?

If/when you go on unofficial visits, reach out to the coaches to let them know you’re coming too. Do this at least a week or two in advance of your trip (the sooner the better) and try to look at the team’s schedule before contacting the coaches instead of sending an email asking “will you be around”. If they’ve got a race lined up for that weekend, bets are that Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun aren’t going to be ideal days to visit because the coaches will either be busy prepping or on the road. You can obviously still go on your trip if it’s something you already have scheduled but just know that you might not be able to do anything rowing-related while you’re there. (And if the coaches are able to make time for you, thank them.)

One of the athletes on the NRC panel who rows for the women’s team at Yale said that she sent a short email to each coach of the schools she “unofficially” visited that contained a brief intro (who she was, where she rowed, filled out questionnaire on [date]) and said that she’d be coming to visit campus on [date], would it be possible to meet up, see the boathouse, etc. From the coaches point of view, one (from the women’s team at Bates College) said that unofficial visits are a good opportunity for coaches to put faces with names and learn more about your interests in a slightly more low-key environment than an official visit provides (since they’re not just learning about you on that trip, they’re learning about 3-5 other people as well).

Related: What to wear on official visits, part one and part two

Something that was stressed by several of the coaches was that not being offered an official visit doesn’t necessarily mean they’re uninterested in you. Some teams can’t afford to bring kids out because they’ve either maxed out their budget or the money wasn’t there to begin with. I heard several stories from coaches who had to deal with situations like this during the recession when their budgets were cut. Keep in mind too that even though that was seven years ago, not all programs are back to the level of funding they were at before the downturn so if a coach tells you it’s not in the budget, don’t automatically assume that they’re just trying to soften the blow or feed you a line because it’s very likely they’re telling you the truth.

Related: What can I do during an official visit that will help my chances of being a recruit? I am one out of 35, and they choose about 10. Also, do you have any links for previous posts on this subject? Thanks!

At the end of your official visit(s), you should spend time talking with the coaches about where you stand, the role they feel you could play on the team, and the likelihood that you’ll be admitted and/or supported through the admissions process. Coaches should be up front and honest about this so don’t be afraid to straight up ask them these questions – just be respectful and casual about it. Coming off like an entitled douche is a great way for a coach to go from interested to uninterested really fast.

Next week: Recruiting without scholarships

Image via // @joseph_hollow

College Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

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I am going on an official visit in the next couple months. The only thing I’m worried about is my guide. I am a really shy person and I have heard of people being taken to parties and I really don’t want to end up in that situation.

Eh, just be up front and say you’re not really into partying, what other cool things around campus can they show you? If you get a weird vibe from whoever you’re staying with just because you said you don’t want to go out then that should probably tell you something about what the people on the team are like. The key though is to not be a prude about it, regardless of your personal feelings/upbringing, and act like you’re above going out or whatever. I and I’m sure plenty of other people would be totally cool with someone saying they don’t want to go to a party but if you act like you’re better than us just because you said no then that’s not exactly going to put you in a favorable light.

Bottom line, it’s up to you to speak up and say “no thanks” if you don’t want to do something. You’re a big kid now so use your words. Do some research ahead of time and see if there’s anything happening on campus or around town while you’re there that you could go check out. Then you can either suggest that immediately or propose it as an alternative if going to a party gets brought up first.

Personally, this is what I think: I’m not going to begrudge anyone who wants to go out and have a good time while they’re on campus (and away from their parents) but this official visit is your chance to see the school through the eyes of someone who actually goes there. You might as well take advantage of that while you can. There will be plenty of opportunities to drink shitty beer in dingy frat house basements once you’re actually in school.

What to wear: Official visits, pt. 2

College Recruiting

What to wear: Official visits, pt. 2

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Got a question this weekend about what to wear on official/unofficial visits when you’re going during the warmer months. The previous post I did on what to wear on official visits was from the fall but advice-wise, pretty much everything I said in that post applies to this one.

Between unofficial (when you’re going specifically to look at the school) and official visits (when you’re going specifically to visit the team) I don’t think there needs to be much, if any, difference in what you wear. On a scale of lounging on your couch in your underwear to an afternoon at the country club, both occasions probably warrant at least a 7ish. Unless you’re going to an open house or other semi-formal event at the school/boathouse, you’re totally fine wearing casual shorts and a t-shirt or button down.

Related: Hello! I am attending a “business casual” open house this weekend at a college that I am strongly considering. I want to make a strong impression, I was just wondering, as a coach, what do you think would be appropriate to wear? I want to look nice without looking silly or too glitzy. Thanks in advance!

Another thing for everyone to remember is to wear comfortable shoes/sandals. You’ll likely be doing a fair amount of walking so function takes precedence over form. Sunglasses and/or a hat wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Image via // @rowingblazers
What to wear: Official visits

College Recruiting

What to wear: Official visits

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When dressing for a college visit, you don’t have to get all dressed up like you’re going to a job interview but you shouldn’t look like you’re running to Wal-Mart either. You are here to make an impression, after all. It’s obviously not going to be the most important thing people care about but you would be surprised how often it gets brought up.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is to dress appropriately for the weather. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard we’ve been judging some of these recruits that show up in chinos, t-shirts, sandals, and a windbreaker and then spend the entire practice on the launch freezing their asses off because shocker they didn’t check the weather before they left home and didn’t know that temps were only supposed to be in the 50s. Factor in the fact that it’s cooler on the water, plus wind, rain, etc. and you’re setting yourself up to be pretty miserable. Of course the coaches will offer you survival suits and jackets but don’t expect that to do much for you if you aren’t wearing the appropriate clothes to begin with.

When packing, choose casual, nice clothes that you can wear around campus since you’ll likely be going to a few classes and to practice but avoid wearing stuff that’s going to be out of place, like a dress or jacket and tie.

So, what should you wear? Just keep it simple – jeans, a casual shirt or sweater, and close-toed shoes. Sperry’s are a universally good choice, regardless of the season. Avoid sandals if you’re going to a morning practice and/or it’s after mid-September otherwise your feet will freeze. Top wise, a sweater or pullover of some kind would be good because it’s always cooler on the water, so you’ll definitely want the extra layer of warmth. Even if you don’t wear it the whole time, having it available to throw on while you’re on the launch would be advisable. In addition to all of that, you can never go wrong with a hat or sunglasses. Don’t forget other obvious stuff like coats, rain jackets, gloves, etc. if necessary.

As far as what to wear when you’re not at practice or on campus, you’ll most likely be spending the rest of your time at the house of the athlete(s) you’re staying with so that’s up to you.

Image via //Men’s Journal

College Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

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Can a coxswain back out of a verbal commitment? I want to tell a very good D1 school that I will commit to go there but my coach said I should wait until after HOCR because I might be able to go to a better school if I do well. What should I do? Can you still go on an official to another school if you verbally commit?

The NCAA’s definition of a verbal commitment is this: “A college-bound student-athlete’s commitment to a school before he or she signs (or is able to sign) a National Letter of Intent. The college-bound student-athlete can announce a verbal commitment at any time. This commitment is NOT binding for either the college-bound student-athlete or the school. Only the signing of the National Letter of Intent accompanied by a financial aid agreement is binding of both parties.”

Verbal commitments are a tricky thing. They’re not binding but you’re expected to honor your word. It’s one of those unspoken, common sense things. If you say to a coach that you’re coming to XYZ University, they’re assuming that you are indeed coming to XYZ university, committing yourself to the team, and forgoing any other offers or applications. Depending on how big of a score you are for the program, the coach(es) might end up pulling verbal offers that they have made to other athletes. There are definitely repercussions but I think it’s more on their end than it is on yours because they could potentially lose out on more athletes than just you if you de-commit. It would also put you in an awkward situation because they’ve spent all this time, effort, money, etc. on recruiting you and you respond by changing your mind after previously saying “yes” to them. I wouldn’t blame them for being pissed.

Related: Official vs. unofficial visits

That’s not to say that de-commiting is the wrong thing to do though. It might be the right thing for you because you realize, for whatever reason, that the school or team isn’t the right fit for you. That’s fine and completely understandable, but the reasons that prompted you to come to that conclusion are all things you should have thought about way ahead of time. I can’t think of too many things that would suddenly pop up this far into the process that would cause you to back out of a commitment.

Unless you’ve signed an NIL, been accepted by the university, and have said “yes” to the coach, no one’s going to say you can’t go on another visit. This is actually called a “soft commitment”, which means you say yes but keep going on officials. I’ll warn you though, the other coaches will ask you where else you’re looking, where else you’ve gone or are planning to go on officials, and how interested you are in those other schools/programs. This isn’t to pressure you into saying that the school you’re at is your favorite but it is to gauge your level of interest across the board. If it’s obvious that you’re leaning towards another school, they’re probably going to back off and move on to the recruits who are still very much interested in their program. If you say you’ve already verbally committed to another program (they’ll find out anyways so it’s not worth lying about) they’ll, again, probably be annoyed that you’re kinda leading them on and wasting their resources by being there when they could have brought someone in that really wants to go there and hasn’t already said yes to someone else.

The best analogy I can think of is that it’s like you’re engaged to someone but are still going on dates with other people just to make sure you’re actually with the right person. The person you’re engaged to is probably thinking “WTF, seriously? After all this time, you’re still not sure?” and the people you’re going on dates with are thinking “Why did I just buy you an expensive dinner when you’re not even available?”

With regards to Head of the Charles … I get what your coach is saying but going to college still comes back to academics first, athletics second. Sure, the crew team might be better at Washington than at Cal but Cal might have the better academic program. You have to think long term and not just about the immediate future. I guess in theory if you do well enough then you might make yourself look like a better prospect to the higher end programs you’re looking at but I don’t think it would ultimately make that much of a difference. Regatta results, let alone results at one race, are only a small piece of the puzzle. Unless you’ve applied early decision to the school you want to commit to and have been accepted (which I don’t think any schools have even announced yet…), I wouldn’t give anyone a verbal, regardless of how well you do at HOCR.

Keep in mind that the potential for something to come up that causes you or the coach to change your/their mind is always there and you don’t want to get stuck in a bad spot because you’ve turned down other schools or didn’t apply anywhere else because you were set on going to this school. Just like you can rescind your verbal, so too can the coaches. Most people tend to forget that and then experience premature aging when they realize they don’t have a Plan B. Until you’ve been accepted by the university (the most important thing) and have signed on the dotted line, nothing is official.

Official vs. Unofficial Visits

College Recruiting

Official vs. Unofficial Visits

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I’ve gotten a lot of questions asking what the differences are between official and unofficial visits so that’s what today’s post is going to discuss. Official visits have a few rules that have to be followed whereas unofficial visits are a bit more relaxed. Below I’ve detailed some of the major points of each one but I really recommend that you do your own research so you understand what’s permitted and what isn’t.

The most noticeable difference between official and unofficial visits is that during official visits the university covers the expenses of the student-athletes. They’re allowed to pay for transportation to and from the university for you but not your parents, meaning they’ll have to pay their own way if they accompany you. If you stay off campus with your parents then the university can cover your hotel and up to three meals per day but if you stay on campus with a team member then the university will not pay for hotel and food for your parents.

In addition to transportation, hotels, and food, the university can also provide you with up to three tickets for home athletic events. If you can manage it, I highly recommend going during football or basketball season and seeing if you can get tickets to one of the big rivalry games. It’s a great way to see what the atmosphere on campus is like, in addition to having a chance to interact with the general student body in a more realistic setting.

When you go on official visits they’re limited to only 48 hours, which extends from the time you arrive on campus to the time you leave. If your stay is longer than 48 hours then the university can’t cover the cost of your travel home. During this time you’ll attend a few classes with your host and go out on the water to observe a practice, amongst other things.

Related: What can I do during an official visit that will help my chances of being a recruit? I am one out of 35, and they choose about 10. Also, do you have any links for previous posts on this subject? Thanks!

You’re allowed to take five total visits but you’re only allowed to make one official visit to each school you go to, meaning that of those five each one must be at a different school. You can visit as many times as you want but the university will only cover your expenses one time. Keep in mind that the number of visits is five combined, meaning you can go to three D1 schools and two D2 schools or five to D1 schools or five to D2 schools, but you can’t go to five D1 schools and five D2 schools.

Unofficial visits, like I said earlier, are much more lax in terms of rules. While you’re responsible for covering all of your expenses, you’re allowed to visit campus as many times as you want in addition to there being no limits on how many schools you can visit across all the divisions. You can also go at any time during your high school career. The last thing is that, like with official visits, you can’t visit campus during dead periods.

That covers just about all of it but for more info on recruiting and to see some questions other people have asked, be sure to check out the “recruiting” and “official visit” tags.

Image via // KUOW

College Coxing Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

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Hey Kayleigh! I was wondering about the general process of going to colleges when visiting about recruitment. I’ve already sent in my rowing resume, a recording, and school transcripts to the coach, and he said he’d like to meet and discuss the team when I visited campus. What goes on at these meetings and how does the topic of recruitment come up? I don’t want to be blunt about it when I’m there but I’m curious about admissions and when I’d know about whether or not I am a definite recruit. Also, do you know what kind of questions might be asked? Thanks!

The questions I got were mostly about my rowing background, what I was hoping to study, general questions about why I was looking at that university, why I chose to apply there, what attracted me to the major I was interested in, what my goals were with crew, etc. The questions they asked me revolved more about my education than anything else … the majority of the rowing related questions came from me. Most of the coaches straight up said that they wanted to make sure the recruits came to the university because of the education we’d be getting, not specifically for the rowing program, so they really touted the benefits of the school itself and the academic resources that were available to us through the athletic department.

As far as recruiting goes, you can still be on the team if you aren’t a recruit – you’re basically an experienced walk-on. There were several girls that did that when I was at Syracuse and they were always lumped in with the women who were recruited. The only difference between the two groups was that one group was pursued by the coaches (the recruits) and the other pursued the coaches (the experienced walk-ons). I think the best way to go about finding out your “status” is to just ask where you fall in terms of the coxswains they’re looking at and how serious they are about supporting your application.

Other than all of that, they’ll probably take you on a tour of the athletic facilities – their weight room, erg room, adviser’s offices, etc. – and then invite you down to check out the boathouse. One of the coaches I met with also gave me a tour of campus, which was nice. Basically any time you spend with them is an opportunity to ask any questions you think of (like the ones linked below) so use it wisely. You can always email them afterwards if you think of something after you leave but it’s always so much simpler to ask questions in person and get a response right away and typically with more detail than you would in an email.

Related: What questions should you ask coaches during the recruiting process?

I would also recommend, if you can, talking to some of the rowers who are currently on the team. That’d be a good way to go about getting info on team culture, training, balancing school and crew, etc. from an actual student’s perspective, which I tend to take a little more seriously than the coach’s simply because the rowers are living it and are dealing with the same circumstances that you potentially will be.

Whatever you do though, ask a lot of questions. The coaches will appreciate it because it shows you’re serious about being a part of the team and the university and it’ll be good for you because it’ll give you an idea of what the coach/program is like and how you’ll contribute to the team if you decide to go to that school. You want to be able to make an informed decision when you ultimately decide on what school to go to so get as much information as you possibly can when you go meet them. Oh, and be relaxed too. It’s not like you’re going into a high-stress, super serious meeting. All the meetings I had with coaches were pretty chill and easygoing, so don’t be nervous.

College Q&A Recruiting

Question of the Day

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What can I do during an official visit that will help my chances of being a recruit? I am one out of 35, and they choose about 10. Also, do you have any links for previous posts on this subject? Thanks!

Congrats! The most relevant thing I’ve written up to this point that I think might help you is the post linked below where I listed a ton of things that you could/should ask your prospective coaches during the recruiting process.

Related: What questions should you ask coaches during the recruiting process?

Outside of that, the top three things I can think of are as follows:

The best thing you can do is be yourself (obviously) and indicate a real interest in the school. The program, yes, but more so the school. Be able to talk about why you’re choosing that university, what attracted you to the major you’re interested in, where you hope it’ll take you in the future, etc. and then go on to discuss how rowing will be a part of all of that. I think that coaches want to see that the team will be a priority for you but they also want to see that rowing isn’t the only thing you’ve got going on. Your education is first and foremost – after all, that’s the entire reason you’re going to college.

Be honest with the coaches as to where they rank out of the schools you’re looking at. It’s OK if they’re not your number one school but don’t make it out like they are when they’re not. If they ask why they’re ranked here instead of there, have genuine reasons that you can provide. You don’t have to give all your reasons but it doesn’t hurt to give one or two.

Be personable and genuine in your interactions with the people you’ll be meeting with. Firm handshakes, look them in the eye, stand up tall, speak clearly, etc. Present yourself as someone that they’d be lucky to have on the team without being pompous or egotistical about it.

Check out the “recruiting” tag too, as well as “official visit” tag – you might find more tips in there that’ll help you out. Good luck!