Which One is Right for You?
Where will you be going next fall? Although it is only September, it is never too early to begin thinking about your future. As you move through the college selection process, there are a number of different factors to consider. The information that follows will assist you as you begin the college search.
For many of you, sport has played an important part of your life. It has provided you with a group of friends, a chance to become a leader and to compete, and has given you an opportunity to learn a variety of different life skills. Now you need to decide if you would like sport participation to be part of your college experience. You might want to consider these questions:
Do you really have the ability to play college sport at any level?What would happen if you chose a college and then couldn't participate in your sport due to an injury?How would you feel if you couldn't play your sport in college?Are you willing to make sacrifices in friendships and your social life to meet the demands of college sport?Sport is certainly an important part of your decision, but it is NOT the only factor.
You also want to be happy when you are not on the playing field. If you attended a small high school, would you feel comfortable in a classroom with 100 other students? If you currently live in a rural town, would you be able to adjust to a university in a big city? During your campus tour or admissions interview, you may also want to ask questions such as:
What is the SAT/ACT requirement? How much is tuition? Do they have the major that you want? How far is it from home? Is academic support available? How do the residence halls look to you? How is the food? Are there campus activities that you can join? What percentage of students within your intended major obtains a job upon graduation? How is the social life? When ever possible, speak to a current student or even to a professor if
you are interested in a particular major. They can offer some valuable insights on campus life.
Finally, you may want to put together a College Scouting Form in order to keep track of all of this information. As you begin to make a final decision, you can use this form to rank order or score each of the colleges. Making a final selection is not always easy, but be sure that it seems like the best fit for you. Everything else will fall into place.
If you have specific questions on this topic, you can write to us at nffcenter@yahoo.com.
Information adapted from: Petitpas, A., Champagne, D., Chartrand, J., Danish, S., & Murphy, S. (1997). Athlete's Guide to Career Planning. Illinois: Human Kinetics.
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