college_sportsIf you play a sport in high school you may be thinking of playing that sport in college. Or you may even be thinking about playing a different sport in college.  How do you go about making sure that you can play a sport in college?

The first question you must ask yourself is how good are you at your sport and at what level might you like to play in college.  Typically, college students may participate at three levels of college sports: intramural, club, and intercollegiate.

Intramural play is the most common and involves students playing other students from the same college. Intramural sports allow students to compete at a variety of different levels of competition with a primary emphasis on enjoying the sport for personal fitness, relaxation, and fun. At almost all colleges, everyone can play an intramural sport even if you have never played that sport before.

Club sport teams are usually jointly sponsored by students and the college, and will often compete against other colleges’ club teams. Club teams vary in their competitiveness but most are more competitive than intramural teams because you are playing students from other colleges.  However, while there may be some competitiveness, club sports generally are played for fun and do not have the level of athletic commitment required for intercollegiate sports.

Intercollegiate athletics is the university equivalent of varsity-level sports. These programs are categorized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (commonly known as the NCAA) into three divisions of varying degrees of competition: Division I, Division II, and Division III.  Division I teams are typically the most competitive and these colleges offer the greatest number of athletic scholarships. Division II colleges also offer athletic scholarships but not as many as colleges in Division I. Finally, Division III colleges do not offer any athletic scholarships.

If you are considering playing a sport at the Division I or Division II level, you must register at the NCAA Eligibility Center.  The NCAA has a great resource to get you started in understanding what you need to know in their Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete.

If you plan on playing a sport in college at any level, contact the coaches at the schools to which you are considering applying to discuss if the college has athletic scholarships available and as well as your ability to participate in college sports.

If you believe that you may have the ability to play a sport at the Division I or Division II level and are interested in competing for an athletic scholarship, then I would recommend that you buy the book, “How to Win A Sports Scholarship” by Penny Hastings and Todd Caven.  Here is a recent review of the book that I did on this blog.

If you would like help finding the best college for you or your student, I offer a FREE 1/2 hour consultation to discuss your needs for college admissions counseling. Give me a call now at 952-449-5245 or drop me an email.