College Bound Athlete | Mundelein High School

THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT ATHLETE

The application path for the student athlete is often more complex than for a non student athlete. These young men and women will be completing college applications while also working with recruiters, talking to coaches, attending events and visits, and continuing to excel in their sport. The earlier that they let us know that this is a path of interest, the better we can assist them. Please read through College Board's College Planning Checklist for Student Athletes which lists what to do freshman through senior year to prepare for college athletics.

As a general guideline, students interested in participating in athletics at a Division I or II college or university are required to meet academic guidelines as established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an organization that governs and enforces rules on athletic eligibility, recruiting, and financial aid (NCAA Member Schools). Another governing association is the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). There are about 250 schools which have membership in the NAIA (NAIA Member Schools). These schools tend to have relatively small student enrollments. Most NAIA schools do offer some athletic scholarships. For students who plan to attend community college and are hoping to receive athletic scholarships, they will follow the guidelines set by the National Junior College Athletic Association(NJCAA). The NJCAA athletics differ by division in the same way as NCAA athletics, with schools who will fall into D1, D2 and D3 categories and may be able to offer full or partial scholarships (NJCAA Member Schools). More information can be found in the respective tabs for each of these organizations.

NCAA

The NCAA is a member-led organization dedicated to the well-being and lifelong success of college athletes. It has 1,117 member colleges and universities, 100 athletic conferences, and 40 affiliated sports organizations. Nearly half a million college athletes make up the 19,500 teams that send more than 52,500 participants to compete each year in the NCAA’s 90 championships in 24 sports across 3 divisions.

If you are interested in playing sports in college as a Division I, II, or III athlete, please visit the NCAA Eligibility Center to register, view academic eligibility requirements, information about sending test scores, and more. For more detailed information, check out the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete. For more specific questions speak with your coach, our college counselor, Mrs. Rusk, and the MHS Athletic Director, Troy Parola.

NCAA Presentations

NCAA Presentations Link

NCAA Core Course Worksheet

NCAA Core Course Worksheet

NAIA

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Eligibility website

NJCAA

The NJCAA is an association of intercollegiate athletics who participate for two years. They have great programs and provide a springboard to higher athletics for the final two years of college. There are three divisions Division I, II and III.
Junior college may prove to be the best option for you, reason being you are able to start your first year as a freshman and then complete two years at the junior college. Course grades will be transferable to a NCAA or NAIA after your two years. You also get to compete in an extremely competitive arena for your sport. After two years you will have an associate’s degree that will validate your time at junior college and may help you when applying for some jobs. If you transfer to an NCAA or NAIA school then you can complete your degree in a bachelor’s program over the last two years of school.

NJCAA Division I – These schools offer full and partial sports scholarships. The scholarship can include a variety of things.

NJCAA Division II – Only offer scholarships for books, tuition and fees. You will have to cover other expenses like food, room and board.

NJCAA Division III – These schools are not able to supply scholarships.

There are 15 men sports and 13 women sports. Every college does not have to offer all sports, so it is common to find some colleges without each sport. It is also easier to obtain a place at a Junior college, however, some junior college programs are very good and places will be limited.

Junior college does not differ from higher levels of athletics and still compete in national championships at the end of each season. If NCAA is not a viable option for you straight away, NJCAA will provide you with the foundation to progress in to an NCAA school after two years. Junior colleges are also affiliated with top organizations such as the U.S Olympic committee and USA Basketball. In the 2008 Olympics there were a number of junior college athletes that represented their home countries.

For more information please visit the NJCAA website: http://www.njcaa.org/

Sample Athletic Resume

Sample Athletic Resume

Sample Letter to Coach

Sample letter to coach