Trigger Warning: Mention of stress and harmful behavior
College recruitment for many athletes is a very stressful process that they have to endure. The process is about finding the perfect school for someone as a student and an athlete, and for some, these recruitments determine if they even attend college. Many students work tirelessly on performing their best in their sport and hope they can make the cut to play in college. So now you may be wondering, How does any of that make college recruitment stressful?
Athletic scholarships are offered to less than 2% of high school student-athletes planning to attend college. Athletic Scholarships are divided based on Division rankings. There are no scholarships for Division III athletes but other forms of financial aid are available. — Education Data Initiative
On the opposite side, some athletes get many offers from excellent schools. Now you may be thinking, Well, isn’t that a good thing?, however, it is just as stressful. Just imagine you got recruited by ten different schools, and they are very well-ranked schools, but now you are forced to pick just one school. This is tough because many people will be telling you many different opinions, which can make it very confusing and hard to make a decision.
With all of the stress on both sides of recruitment, it can cause some to turn to harmful coping strategies. Especially if you are an athlete deciding between multiple schools, getting caught up with harmful substances can seriously jeopardize your offers. It is not uncommon for colleges to revoke offers because they see certain behaviors posted on social media that do not represent them as a school, who they are, and what they believe. Not only do these harmful substances impact offers, but they also impact how the athlete performs on the field. Not only will those actions now get offers possibly taken away, but they will also decrease your performance overall.
College sports recruitment is an amazing opportunity that teaches athletes many lessons. These athletes are responsible for balancing their academics with practice, training, and games. Additionally, playing at the college level allows these athletes to compete at a higher level while not being punished for financial struggles. With all the stress that many endure throughout this process if one gets recruited, it is all worth it in the end.
Citation:
College costs & student loan research. Education Data Initiative. (2023, February 27). https://educationdata.org/