FAQ: What is a likely letter?

A woman stands on a campus pathway holding books. A large sticky note says, "College FAQ: What is a likely letter Harvard?" in red text.

A “likely letter” is a letter from the college admissions office stating that you are likely to be admitted as long as nothing changes before the official admissions deadline. They are not formal offers of admissions–just notices that students are very “likely” to be admitted. Students receive likely letters a month or two before the … Read more

What Athletes Need to Know Before Starting the College Recruiting Process

Female athlete tying shoe representing the start the college recruiting process

This is a basic introduction to the college recruiting landscape. I’m sure there will be many who will read this and think, “you’ve got to be kidding-how could you not know this?” Yet, you would be surprised at how many families don’t know that D3 schools don’t offer athletic scholarships or that some rules will … Read more

5 Financial Mistakes that Can Limit Your Chance of Playing Your Sport at the College Level

A collection of sports balls, including a soccer ball, basketball, and football, arranged on grass against a clear blue sky, often used in athletic recruiting.

So far I’ve covered college recruiting mistakes concerning signs that you don’t understand the college athletic recruiting process and mistakes players and families make about their ability and what it means. Today, I’m going to cover mistakes related to finances when looking for athletic scholarships. If it’s really about using sports to help pay for college, you need to … Read more

What is a walk-on player in college sports?

sideline football players representing walk-on players

College athletes without a scholarship that play on a team that offers scholarships are generally referred to as “walk-ons.” Over time, the term has evolved such that now some people recognize three types of walk-ons. There are preferred walk-ons, recruited walk-ons, and just plain walk-ons. If you’re going to be a walk-on, “preferred” is definitely … Read more

15 Things Parents of High School Freshmen Must Know NOW About Preparing for College!

Mother and son representing what high school freshman need to know about paying for college

As the parents of college freshmen drove home from dropping their kids off at college, many had to be thinking about how they’ll do things differently next time knowing what they know now. Many were probably wishing, “if only someone had told me four years ago when we first started thinking about preparing for college … Read more

3 Types of Players that Don’t get Recruited by Colleges

player standing on base representing types of players that don't get recruited by colleges

There are a lot of athletes and their families that are expecting to play their sport in college. And far too many of them are actually counting on an athletic scholarship as part of their plan to pay for college. Yet, the truth is that most of these players won’t be recruited to play in college, … Read more

Why My Spreadsheets Don’t Include the Coaches’ Email Addresses

cat looking at laptop to find college coaches email addresses

My College Athletic Spreadsheets do not include any coaches’ information. No email addresses for baseball coaches or phone numbers for softball coaches. I occasionally get requests to include the coaches’ email addresses but I have no intention of doing so. Why? Because athletes serious about getting recruited to play in college aren’t going to spam every college coach in their sport.

Must Read for High School Baseball Players and their Parents

ball on field representing why some don't play college baseball

There is a post at the Next Level Baseball Player blog that all high school baseball players who want to play college baseball and their parents should read “A Raw Look Inside College Baseball Recruiting.” It’s an email from a coach at a D1 university responding to a father who asked why his kid isn’t … Read more

5 Ways to Get Smart About College Softball Recruiting

A college softball recruit in a navy and yellow uniform prepares to field a ball on a grassy field.

Looking for information on college softball recruiting is a frustrating experience. It seems that there are lot more websites out there interested in selling you their recruiting services than providing information. But such informative sites do exist and some of them are actually recruiting services. However, before you decide to hire a recruiting service, use the … Read more