College athletic recruitment can be a nerve-wracking voyage. At the outset you're given this challenge: "Go find the place where you want to spend the best four years of your life...Oh yeah, it needs to be the right academic fit for you...And one more thing, you need to find a place where you can be a significant contributor to the team.

Not exactly an easy proposition.

To further complicate things, there are many pitfalls along the way. These are the most common challenges athletes encounter:

• NCAA Scholarships - Yes, college athletic scholarships can be very dangerous. Why? Because they can make smart people make bad decisions. As soon as a scholarship enters the athletic recruitment equation, reason goes out the door. So what should you do if you're offered a scholarship? Ask yourself this question: Would I still go to this college even if they weren't offering me a scholarship? If the answer is yes, then it's probably okay. If it's no, you need to look elsewhere.


• Spam from college coaches - It can be thrilling to get a letter from a college coach. It may mean that he saw you at a college recruiting event. But take a closer look at that letter. Is there anything personal about it? If it's clearly a mass mailing, no worries. But what that means is that you absolutely must reply immediately. That will take you from being just another player on the list, to one of the small percent who took the time to send a personal response.


• College recruiting camp requests - If you get a request from a college coach to come to his camp, give yourself a pat on the back. It means he wants to learn more about you. By the same token, there's a strong incentive for college coaches to invite as many players as they can. Why? Because camps are very lucrative. What you should do: select the camps that you go to very carefully. Choose those that you'll gain the most from in terms of athletic recruitment.


• College coaches who are evasive - If you can't get a college coach to give you a straight answer on where you stand, you should probably look elsewhere. If you're forthright and honest with the coach about your level of interest in his program, you deserve the same in return. Here's what to do: once a coach knows you fairly well, ask him straight up where you stand among his recruits.


• Over-promises - If a coach really wants you on his team, he might offer you the world: a scholarship, maybe even a starting position. Beware of offers of playing time. Why? Because the coach has never seen you play with his team. So how can he be sure that you'll get a starting spot? You should approach excessive promises like this with caution. That's part of what makes college sports recruitment difficult: you have to be both cautious and assertive.



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