The Importance Of Filling Out And Updating Recruiting Questionnaires
As the first step in the process, filling out a recruiting questionnaire can be exciting. But, after you’ve done it 10 or 20 times, it can be just plain exhausting. However, though it can be a pain, the recruiting questionnaire is still an important part of the recruiting process.
While most high school athletes receive recruiting questionnaires as freshmen or sophomores, it’s still important that you complete them, even if you have no idea what your future may hold. The thing to remember is filling out the questionnaire shows your interest in a school and gets you on a coach’s radar.
While being one of a thousand or more blips on a coach’s radar may seem insignificant, the data you provide is what coaches use to rate and track potential recruits, determine who they want to evaluate further, and establish mailing lists for camps and other events. If you don’t fill out the questionnaire, you don’t appear on any of that coach’s lists. In other words, being a blip now can pay off big time later.
The Details Matter
While it may vary depending on your sport, most recruiting questionnaires will ask you to share:
- Parent/family guardian information
- Any connections you may have to that school
- Your physical data such as height and weight
- Your current GPA and ACT/SAT scores
- A link to your highlight video and or online profile
- Your NCAA ID number or Eligibility Center certification (for Division I or II)
- A listing of the sports you’ve played in high school and your position for each
- Your career statistics and career highlights
- Links to your social media accounts (but read this first)
Updates Are Important Too
Once you’ve filled out a school’s questionnaire, it’s important to periodically update it. Your stats will change. Your grades and test score will change. Your height and weight can change. The link to your profile and highlight video can change. Your address and contact information might even change.
In addition, if there’s a coaching change at one of your target schools, check back to see if the questionnaire has changed or if you need to submit it again. Different coaches have different styles, so the information they want from a recruit may differ from their predecessor. Plus, updating your questionnaire is a good way to introduce yourself to the new coaching staff, show your interest in the program, and highlight your profile.
Don’t Ignore It And Don’t Put It Off
In the long run, the hassle of filling out a recruiting questionnaire will be nothing compared to the benefits it may reap later. Ignoring or delaying it will simply put you behind other recruits on that coach’s list. And, if you ignore or put off a questionnaire that a coach asked you to complete, you can probably forget any chance you’ll have of being considered by that school.
For almost every student-athlete, recruiting is a two-way street. If you want coaches to consider you as a recruit at all, you need to take the time to fill out their recruiting questionnaires. It can be a hassle, but in the end, going down that two-way street can put you on the road to a college scholarship.
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