3 tips on what to do during the summer before you go to college:

• Update the coach regularly throughout the summer before your freshman year


• Get fit!


• Maximize your chance to walk on if the coach has not already offered you a spot on the roster

Be conscientious about when you call coaches. Don't call on Friday at 5:00 PM or two hours before the team has a game. Mornings are often the best time to call coaches, because they're not in a rush to get to practice.

Since you're probably in school at this time, you need to develop a calling strategy. Find some time in between classes or during a free period to call coaches. If you need permission, get your college counselors to talk to your teachers. Learn more about contacting college coaches.

5 tips for communicating with college coaches:

• Write a cover letter and resume introducing yourself to college coaches


• Follow up on your cover letter and resume; don't be deterred if you don't hear back from coaches


• Send a schedule of your games and tournaments to college coaches


• Provide regular updates and progress reports -- maintain monthly contact with each coach
• Make a highlights video

There is much more to know about contacting college coaches.

5 tips for making your recruiting decisions:

• Decide which schools you're going to apply to


• Inform college coaches that you've applied to their schools


• Notify coaches when you've been accepted


• Weigh your options; compare and contrast the qualities of each school.


• Consider the different soccer scholarships you've been offered


• Make a commitment - in some cases a verbal commitment and/or a letter of intent

As you continue to correspond with college coaches, don't lose sight of the ultimate goal: you want to be identified as a high school athlete who's right for the college team.

It's important to have informal conversations with coaches, but don't dance around the central issue. At a certain point, you have to be straightforward and determine where you stand. Don't expect a coach to simply volunteer that you are one of his top recruits.

If he does, great. If not, you shouldn't think that you are out of luck. You must be assertive and find out how serious he is about you.

You should have these conversations once you are well into the self-recruiting process. Before you go asking for an assessment, give the coach plenty of time to review your cover letter and CaptainU profile, check your references, and see you play.

A thorough coach will want the full picture before he decides to bring you onto the team.

Once you are convinced that the coach has a thorough sense of you, call or email him. Phrase your questions in a genuine, non-confrontational fashion. The most important thing is that you actually bring up the subject of your standing. You're asking perfectly reasonable questions; there's no reason to be shy about this.