It's hard to imagine anyone with a resume as diverse as that of Aimee Mullins.

Here's a sampling: Georgetown University track star, Pentagon employee, actress, model, motivational speaker. It's the resume of someone who's incredibly accomplished.

But the resume doesn't tell the whole story. You see, Aimee Mullins is also a trailblazer who has broken down major barriers for amputees.

On this episode of Role Models, Aimee talks about what it was like to be one of the first amputees to be an NCAA Division I athlete, how important it is to develop and explore a wide range of interests, blending in when she was in high school and on the track, and how she can adjust her height up to 6'1".

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Who Do You Want to Hear Next?

Aimee's nominees for future episodes of Role Models are: Laila Ali - Boxer, Daughter of the Greatest; Gretchen Bleiler - Snowboard champion, environmental activist; and Donna de Varona - Gold Medal Swimmer, women's sports activist.

Listen to past episodes.

by Avi - I believe my exact words in the last newsletter were, "So what should you expect [on September 1st]? A flood of emails from college coaches? Not necessarily."

Okay, so I guess that's technically right. Just because it was September 1st -- the day college coaches were finally allowed by the NCAA to email juniors -- didn't mean that you would necessarily get an email.

That said, we were astounded by the incredible number of responses you did get from college coaches on September 1st. Way to go!

If you got a response, pat yourself on the back. It means that you're off to a great start, though there's still a lot that must be done. If, on the other hand, you didn't hear from a coach, don't worry. There's still plenty you can do.

How to take the next step

If you heard back from a college coach, the first thing to do is to send him a quick thank you email. This shouldn't be more than a few sentences. Just thank him for contacting you and tell him that you're really excited to move forward with his school.

There's a decent chance that the email you got was a form letter. Don't fret; it's nothing personal. It just means that you have to do more to get a personal response. Even if it was a form letter, you should send an enthusiastic response. A small fraction of athletes who get an email actually respond to it. By replying to the coach's email, you'll start to distinguish yourself from the rest of the athletes on his list.

No response? No worries

If you didn't hear from a coach on September 1st, don't worry. Take a deep breath and forget about it. You can still make a college team.

What you need to do is email the coach again. Tell him specifically why you think his school and his team are such a good fit. You may not get an immediate response, but if you show some persistence, you'll start to get some very positive responses from coaches.

It's what many talented players want to know: What are surefire ways to guarantee that I get a college baseball scholarship?

We can't tell you what works every time. Getting a college baseball scholarship is a complicated, challenging process. However, there are some essential steps you can take right now that will dramatically improve your chances at getting a scholarship to play college baseball.

• Market yourself with a great college baseball recruiting profile. Include pictures, video, key stats and notable experiences. Having a well-kept profile shows coaches that you mean business about your game.
• Register for the NCAA clearinghouse to secure your eligibility.
• List 7 to 10 of your top schools, and send an e-mail to each admissions department with a recent test score or writing sample. Showing that you're a good fit for the school academically as well as athletically is crucial to securing a scholarship.
• E-mail coaches to let them know about upcoming games, events and tournaments where they can see you play. Attending more than one of these events increases that chance that coaches see you at your best.

Remember, although getting a college baseball scholarship is hard, coaches have everything to gain by getting a talented and enthusiastic addition to their team. If you take the steps to show that you will do well, this will dramatically improve your chances of getting a baseball scholarship. Get started with a free profile, including access to expert advice and customized recruiting tools, from the experts at CaptainU.

by Avi - Today is September 1st. It's a big day in recruiting land. Especially for rising juniors, everything is about to change.

Why? At long last, college coaches are allowed to email you back!!

So what should you expect? A flood of emails from college coaches? Not necessarily. It's not like coaches have been composing hundreds of emails to juniors over the last few months, just to be ready to pound away on the send button at 12:01 on September 1st.

Instead, you need to ramp up your correspondence to coaches. You may not hear back from them immediately. In fact, it might take 2-3 emails to get a response.

Here's what you should say

To get a response, you have to include 1 thing in your emails: a "call to action." This is a specific request or question that you pose to a college coach that makes it ridiculously easy for him to respond.

Rather than having to think long and hard about what he should say to you, you want the coach to be able to press "Reply" without really thinking, and write you a quick response.

Here are some great calls to action:

• Are you going to Tournament X?


• Coach Y at Southern College has seen me play. Do you know him?


• Is there anything else I need to send you at this point?


• Can you please point me towards a player who I can ask a few questions about being a student there?

Even a one or two sentence email is something you should be fired up about getting back. A call to action in your email will dramatically increase the likelihood that you'll get a response.

How's this for a call to action? Sign in and email a coach in under 2 minutes.

by Preston - When it comes to visiting colleges, what really matters is that you're there, on campus, experiencing what it's like to be a student at that school. Whether the visit official or unofficial is almost irrelevant.

As a high school athlete, I never got invited on an official visit. Not once. And you know what? I still found my way onto a college team.

I knew that I could play baseball in college. But if coaches weren't going to come looking for me, I would have to put myself in front of them.

I remember being incredibly excited for my first unofficial visit. It seemed almost certain that I would love the college I was visiting.

Well, to say the least, I didn't love it. I stayed with two players from the team, with whom I didn't have great chemistry. Also, I got a lukewarm reception from the head baseball coach -- even though he had previously been very enthusiastic. To boot, it was also a dreary winter day.

The visit didn't go well. But on one level, it was a success. It taught me that that school wasn't right for me.

Consider, on the other hand, my visit to the University of Chicago. I called the coach a few days before I was planning to visit, and he promised to meet with me. I got to the gym, and he was already downstairs waiting for me, along with a few of his players. He then proceeded to give me a very thorough tour.

And as we walked around the campus, with the current baseball players involved in our conversation, I just got "that feeling" -- the one where a little voice inside of you is shouting, "THIS IS THE ONE!!"

Too many people pooh-pooh unofficial visits. The thinking goes something like this, "If a coach is really interested in me, he'll offer me an official visit."

The notion of "official visit or bust" misses out on the power of the unofficial visit. There are countless reasons a coach might not invite you on an official visit, such as: he doesn't know enough about you yet, his team doesn't have enough money, he's testing to see how serious you are about his school, and so on.

The unofficial visit is one of the most powerful self-marketing tools. It's a classic example of taking control of the recruiting process. Instead of waiting around for a coach to invite you to campus, you step up and say defiantly, "I'm really into this school. And I'm going to do whatever it takes to come visit."

Listen to the 5-minute radio show here:

Volleyball is a popular sport, and many schools have scholarships available for top volleyball recruits. You're probably here with a question that a lot of young athletes have: how can I get a volleyball scholarship at my dream program?

Unfortunately, this is not as easy as you might think. But with some smart planning and hard work, applying for college volleyball scholarships can be rewarding, and even... fun? Well, maybe not - but it can definitely be made easier.

Knowing the odds of getting a volleyball scholarship can be helpful. Although over a thousand American colleges award scholarships, many times these are limited to only a few per school (for both men's volleyball scholarships and women's volleyball scholarships.) These are often "partial" and not full ride sports scholarships - i.e., they won't pay your full tuition.

Among a field this competitive, it's hard to stand out. So what can you do to make yourself a better candidate for volleyball scholarships?

• Make a great volleyball recruiting profile. Ensure that it has all the vital information coaches love to see - your stats, some photos and video of you in action, and information on your academic history.
• Don't be shy - contact college volleyball coaches regularly to establish a good relationship. They can be your best partner in getting a volleyball scholarship, especially if they feel like you're a good fit for the team and for the school. Let coaches know if you're going to be on campus for a visit, or if you want to get the coach to see you play.
• Do quality research on scholarship availability. You should be asking coaches and admission boards about how to get the best scholarship available to you. Also, read up on the rules for NCAA volleyball scholarships. This will give you a better idea of the overall process.

These are just some starting tips. Try signing up for a free CaptainU profile and get access to powerful tools that will help you set up a volleyball recruiting profile, pick your target schools and communicate with volleyball coaches.

Imagine what college recruiting would be like if you were the Gatorade national player of the year. For starters, all the top programs in the country would make their way into your living room.

On this episode of Role Models, we hear from Kyle Martino about what it's like to have famous college coaches sitting on your couch, what kind of teammate David Beckham really is, and how Kyle made the difficult decision to leave college early to go pro.

Kyle also shares his insights about what it's really like to be a Division I athlete -- what the benefits are and also what sacrifices it entails. He talks us through his decision to go to UVa and shares his advice about picking the ideal college.

I was just daydreaming, looking out the window of our office, when the boys soccer team at the high school next door cruised by on a preseason run.

There are still a few weeks left before classes start, which means that you have a little time to get yourself set up for a hugely successful 2009/2010 recruiting year. Here are three things you should do before school starts:

1. Visit the website of each college on your list - While you're there, do two things. First, check out the school newspaper and learn a little about campus life. Second, visit the athletics site and read the latest news about the team.

2. Review your status - Go through the emails you've sent and received from college coaches, figure out which coaches have seen you play, and make a note on your Log of what you need to do next with each coach.

3. Write out your goals for 2009/2010 - Write a list of 3-5 goals that you have for this year. Take that list and convert it into an email that you can send to college coaches.

But before you do any of these three things, take a confident deep breath. Know that you can do this. Know that you can take control of recruiting. Know that you can make a college team.

When it comes to volleyball, college recruiting can be more difficult than returning a 70 mph serve. Getting noticed by the top volleyball recruiting programs can be a difficult task, and it's even harder to keep track of all the volleyball programs you've applied for (and perhaps even volleyball scholarship offers). But there are some steps you can take now that will make getting recruited for college volleyball a painless, and even fun, experience.

The first thing you need to do is make a great college volleyball recruiting profile. Some things you'll want to include are:

• A volleyball recruiting video with clips of you executing different kinds of skills.
• A complete listing of the teams and coaches you have played for.
• Information on your academic history, which will help the coach determine if you are a good fit for the school as well as for the team.

But the profile alone isn't enough. Think of it as the set - it won't score you points unless you "spike" it by making sure college volleyball coaches are seeing it and you. There are several ways to communicate with college coaches - emailing coaches and getting volleyball coaches to see you play are two popular options. And this is no time to be boring! There are easy ways to be creative and get noticed by volleyball coaches.

Finally, remember to be realistic about your school options. Plan a clear strategy for volleyball recruiting that outlines your dream schools, target schools and safety schools. To get recruited at the best volleyball program for you, know yourself and communicate with coaches to learn more about the teams and schools you are applying for.