Myth: If you are good enough, coaches will find you. Reality: Recruiting is now a global process and despite your skills or success in high school, it is extremely easy to be overlooked by college coaches who have thousands of athletes to scout and hundreds of potential venues to scout them at. College coaches don’t read your local town paper and they probably won’t attend your games. Truth is only 7 percent of athletes play sports in college, and only 1.8% play Division I.
Myth: Division I programs have big recruiting budgets. Reality: Some of the larger schools with top notch football and basketball programs do have large recruiting budgets, but most do not. There are very few college coaches that have the ability to fly around the country to recruit players and have an endless coaching staff they can send out to scout, especially when their team doesn't generate any money for their school.
Myth: Division III Schools are weaker athletically. Reality: In some cases yes, but in many cases no. Many Division III programs have very talented athletic programs with players who are there to get an education first and play athletics second. (Check out the golf teams at Methodist College or the swimming teams at Kenyon College; in the last 25 years they have about 40 NCAA championships under their belt and they recruit top players from all over the country, many of whom could play some form of Division I athletics had they chosen that route.)
Myth: All colleges offer athletic scholarships. Reality: Only Division I & II colleges can offer athletic scholarships (plus Junior Colleges and NAIA schools). Division III Programs can only offer financial aid and academic grant money for top students. While DI and DII colleges can offer athletic scholarships, after football and basketball, there are many programs that may only have one or two scholarships for their entire team that they will divide up among several players.
Myth: Most athletes get a full scholarship or no scholarship. Reality: Full scholarships are very rare and most coaches divide scholarship money up between several players. The only guaranteed full scholarships are for DI basketball and DI football. Each program is fully funded and offers the maximum amount of scholarships allowed by the NCAA. Every other sport and team divides scholarship money among many players and no other team or program is guaranteed to be fully funded. Please note: There are several sports called head-count sports in which money can only be allotted to a specific number of players.
Myth: Division I programs do not offer walk-on tryouts. Reality: While walking onto the Kansas or Kentucky basketball team will be pretty difficult, many coaches rely on walk-ons each year and will usually conduct tryouts to give as many players a chance as possible. It is better to find out what walk-on opportunities exist before you show up at tryouts. It certainly is not easy, but it is not impossible either.
Myth: I shouldn't go to a Division III School if I need scholarship money. Reality: Many DIII schools offer attractive financial aid programs. You should not overlook any school, even if they do not offer athletic scholarships. A strong academic background, coupled with athletics makes for an attractive student and recruit. Would you rather have $3,000 in athletic scholarship money at a DI school or $20,000 in academic scholarship money at a DIII school, while still getting the chance to play athletics at the college level?
Myth: College coaches will help me get into their school if I am on the bubble academically. Reality: While being recruited by a college coach can be an advantage over applicants that are not athletes, you need to be very close academically to what the school is looking for in a student. At the end of the day college admissions officers make decisions based on well-rounded students likely to succeed and boost college standing, not coach preference, and many students that thought they were a 'shoe-in' for admissions will get rejected.
Myth: All Division I & II programs have scholarships available. Reality: While the NCAA mandates how many scholarships a school can offer for a particular sport, it is up to the school whether or not they can, and will, offer the number of scholarships allotted to them.
Myth: If you receive a letter from a coach, you are being recruited. Reality: Coaches send out thousands of letters to high school athletes they may or may not have heard of and there are probably 500 kids tearing open the same exact letter you received. Receiving a letter means a coach knows your name and knows you play the sport they coach. Respond to the letter and follow-up with the coach. Until the coach calls you, invites you to the school and makes you a formal offer to join their program, you are not recruited.
Myth: College coaches only recruit top players. Reality: College coaches recruit anyone they think can play at their program and recruit anyone who shows an interest in their program. Just because you are not the star of your team does not mean you cannot play in college. There are many players that do not start because there are other talented players at their position(s), so realistically evaluate your playing potential.
Myth: High school coaches are qualified to determine if I am college athletic material. Reality: While many coaches are qualified, some are not and many never have played their sport in college. There are many factors that determine if you can play in college and your high school coach may have no idea what your potential may be.
Myth: College coaches can contact me anytime they want. Reality: There are strict rules when a coach can send you literature and how often they can contact you at the NCAA level, and the rules are less stringent at the Junior College and NAIA level. The good news is that you can contact college coaches at any time so long as you make the phone call!
Myth: Playing college athletics will not be much different than high school, aside of the skill level. Reality: Playing college athletics is an unbelievable commitment in time and dedication and will be nowhere close to your high school experience. In college you will play or practice for three seasons, in the fall, winter and in the spring, and be required to do lifting and running programs as well. You may also be practicing at 6AM, or midnight, or twice a day depending what facilities are available at your school.