So You Want To Be a Division 3 Swimmer?

By Reed Shimberg

MEDFORD, Massachusetts, April 20. I have been following swimming in the media for a long time, and rarely do I find anything about the recruiting process, especially at the NCAA Division 3 level. Therefore, as a swimmer who has gone through the process at Tufts University, I am writing this guide for high school swimmers who believe they may want to take the Division 3 route for their collegiate swimming experience. This is simply meant to serve as a rough timeline to help you successfully manage the recruiting process for a Division 3 school.

Freshman Year:
Take challenging classes that set you up to take the honors and AP classes your junior and senior years, because many Division 3 colleges and universities like to see that you have taken a tough curriculum. Make sure you do well in these classes!
Evaluate your club team: Make sure you are happy with your program and coach, and be confident that this program can help you reach your goals. Talk to your coach about what his or her plan is for you now and in the next few years and what swim meets you plan to use as your taper meets each year. Think to yourself, "Where do I want to be in 3-4 years?" and plot out the steps to get you there. Most importantly though, be flexible. If your plan changes a couple of years in, that's okay – just know you may have to reevaluate.

Sophomore Year:
At the end of your sophomore year start thinking about a list of schools you may be interested in attending based on academics and athletics. Do realize that the key to Division 3 schools is that you need to be accepted into the school academically; the coach can have some pull, but no miracles can be performed if your academics are subpar for the university. Keeping this in mind, don't set your sights too low. Maybe during your year, the coach at a certain university will be looking for a 200 breaststroker, and that's exactly what you are.

A good way to see if you are a fit for a school athletically is to look at the results of the team at conference and national meets. If you could score at conference for a particular school with your current times, then you are probably a good recruit for them. Keep in mind that dual meet results can be deceiving, since the team is usually not tapered and won't be swimming at their peak on a regular basis.

Also, start thinking about a potential major in college, because likely, you will be graduating and getting a job in something other than swimming. Look into each of the schools and see if they have programs or schools that entice you. Nothing would be worse than realizing a school doesn't have your major when you have already committed to going there.

Junior Year:
At the beginning of your junior year, you can start emailing coaches. Be sure that you yourself talk to the college coaches, not your parents or coach, because it looks better if you take the initiative to get the information and get your name out there. Most coaches have their e-mail addresses on the individual school's swimming web site, so find the coach's e-mail, and send him or her a note. Don't be shy. Sell yourself in this e-mail. If you were sick at your last championship meet, then let him or her know; if you just switched club teams and are having a hard time adjusting to your new coach, let him or her know. Make it appear that you have yourself together, have a clear view of how you can contribute to a team, and how this team can help you achieve your goals.

Be sure to respond to any mailings, emails, or phone calls that a college coach sends you – nothing looks worse to them than someone who does not respond.

Once you have made the initial contact with the coach, e-mail him or her every 1 or 2 months, just to give an update on how your academics and athletics are going. Do keep in mind the college swimming schedule when sending out your e-mails. Realize that if you e-mail a coach the week before conference or national meets or while they are at their respective meets, their response may be delayed.

An additional thing to keep in mind: There are several online recruiting and ranking services such as Swimming World's College Recruit Rankings (http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/tym/) that can help you get noticed. These services may allow swimmers to get noticed by teams they never thought possible.

In the spring of your junior year, plan to visit as many schools as possible. Make sure to take a tour of the school, try and meet the admissions officer, and set up a meeting with the swim coach to discuss the program and your individual situation. Remember that many D3 coaches aren't in their offices during the summer and you may not be able to meet with them if you go then. Every interaction you have with the university can be a positive experience and increase your chances of acceptance.
Keep in mind that D3 schools cannot give you any athletic scholarships, so be prepared to pay full tuition at all of those schools either out of pocket or via academic scholarships. Many individuals choose D1 schools over D3 for this reason, but you may find more athletic success at the D3 level. For some individuals, it can be more fun to go to the D3 national meet each year and be successful, as opposed to being a small fish in a big pond at the D1 level.

Senior Year:
By the beginning of your senior year, you should have a realistic list of 3-5 colleges you are seriously interested in for both academics and athletics. It is important to have been in contact with those coaches for about a year now and they should have a sense of who you are both academically and athletically. At this point, they may ask you to take a recruiting trip to their school for a night or two. Unlike Division 1 recruiting, where you have to register with the NCAA clearinghouse and are only allowed to go to 5 schools, Division 3 recruiting is more lenient and allows you as many visits as you can afford. Also, if you really want to take a trip to a school you weren't offered a trip to, ask the coach. Taking the initiative yourself may make you look better in the coach's eyes. For your trip, remember that you have to pay for the airfare.

While on recruiting trips, try to get a feeling for the university as a whole – not just the athletic side or the academic side. Attend classes that interest you and get a feel for the type of education you would receive, and spend time with the team to see the team dynamics. You will get an opportunity to meet with the coach, so talk about the program that he or she runs and how you would play a part in it. Compile a list of questions that you may have in advance, such as how the swim schedule affects your classes, and if you can be accepted into the school, and keep in mind things such as practice schedules, meet schedules, and winter training trip. At this point, the coach will be able to tell you if you are a qualified candidate to get into the school, so discuss that aspect of the process as well.

The secret to having the most success with the early decision process and recruiting is to find a school that wants you for your swimming ability and that you know you will be happy with. The more the swim coach wants you, the better your chance of acceptance will be, but make sure you fit academically. So, when it comes time to send in applications, keep in mind that the coach most likely has a lot more pull with the admissions office if you apply early decision. Also, the schools have not run out of their financial aid at that point, so a binding decision can set you up for the best possible financial aid package. When you decide to apply to a school for early decision, let the other coaches of your number 2 and 3 schools know. Tell them that you feel like this school is the best fit for you in your own opinion, but that their school is your number 2/3 and that if you are not accepted, you will still be very interested in their university.

If you are accepted to the university early decision, congratulations! Your college selection process is now over and you will be in that school's next freshman class. Still e-mail the coach every 1-2 months to update him or her on your season. Ask more questions stay in contact in terms of what expectations are for you that summer with lifting and swimming. Also, keep your senior grades up. The worst-case scenario is that you neglect your studies and have your acceptance revoked.

If you unfortunately were not accepted early decision, you should start e-mailing or calling your second or third choice schools and letting them know that you are now seriously interested. Ask the coaches more questions and try to make as good of an impression on them as possible, so they may pull some strings to improve your chance of acceptance with the admissions office. During this time, you can potentially take more recruiting trips to help you make a decision once regular decision acceptances come out by April.

The collegiate recruiting process is a tough game, even at the D3 level. If everything goes smoothly, you can end up very happy at the school of your choice, but if you do not set yourself up for success you may not end up where you really want to be.

However, don't get discouraged. Keep in mind that the college application process is tedious and unpredictable, so do your best at playing the game.

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