Successfully Navigating the College Planning Process as a Student-Athlete

For students interested in pursuing a collegiate athletic career, the college search and application process add layers of complexity.

Balancing academic and athletic commitments requires foresight, careful planning, and a strategic approach. Friends Select’s director of college planning Tracy Matthews and associate director of college planning Rachael Polton leverage their expertise to support Friends Select student-athletes through the challenges and opportunities they might encounter as they navigate a path to college.

The school’s office of college planning works in tandem with athletic director Bill Klose P’21, ’25 as early as a student’s freshman year to begin tailoring the college search process to their athletic aspirations. “In supporting Friends Select student-athletes throughout their college search and application process, I emphasize the crucial interplay of academics and athletics,” said Bill. “Academic eligibility is a prerequisite for pursuing collegiate sports.” Bill creates opportunities for student-athletes, such as scheduled study halls, that foster both academic excellence and team-building.

Once a student’s pathway to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is established, Tracy and Rachael assist in curriculum management to ensure students are taking courses approved by the clearinghouse, and eventually, register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. The counselors help students ensure their GPA meets the minimum requirements, as well as work with students to forward transcripts. 

Additionally, the college planning team works with student-athletes to ensure they’re displaying academic accomplishments alongside athletic achievements, supporting them with their applications, personal statements, academic resumes, and letters of recommendation. “Friends Select emphasizes the importance of being scholar-athletes, and that they are involved outside the realm of athletics,” explained Tracy. “They have many different talents and abilities that we strive to help them highlight when applying to college. Our students truly fit the school motto, ‘The Whole of Life.’” 
    
For students continuing their athletic journey at the collegiate level, recruitment is a crucial step. Friends Select’s coaching and athletic staff and college counselors work together to guide student-athletes through these steps, offering valuable advice on how to present themselves effectively to college coaches. Bill works with each student during the recruitment process to help connect them with college coaches and provide insights into the recruitment timeline.     

Paired with highlighting academic accomplishments, recruitment often involves creating highlight reels and participating in showcase events. “It’s necessary for students to be proactive in the recruitment process and to remember college coaches are talking to a lot of students,” explained Rachael. “We encourage students to attend showcases and to fill out recruitment profiles on school websites to get on coaches’ radars. And it’s vital they create a searchable presence for coaches to find them on the internet or social media.”      

Quaye Agoyo ’22 attends Swarthmore College, where he is also a member of the basketball team. From his experience, he thinks current student-athletes should be attentive to their own recruitment. “Send out film, initiate conversations with coaches, and take the time to respond to any coaches who reach out, even if it’s a school you don’t see yourself at,” he said. “What helped me was doing everything I could to set myself up for success and not worrying about the things I couldn’t control. Continuing the hard work and staying consistent no matter the situation is important.”

Princeton University fencer and Olympic athlete Maia Weintraub ’21 recommends student-athletes broaden their college search to ensure a range of options. “Don’t be afraid to reach out and email many schools individually because it’s important to have a variety of options,” she shared. “I’ve heard horror stories of fencers committing and applying to one school only for there to be problems with admissions, and they end up being rejected and having to scramble to apply to other schools.”

Friends Select college counselors play a pivotal role in guiding student-athletes in helping them to identify a variety of colleges and universities that not only match their academic interests but also provide opportunities for athletic growth and development. “Friends Select pushed me to be ambitious in choosing an academically good school. Swarthmore wasn’t originally very high on my list, but Tracy encouraged me to look into it, which had a huge impact because it’s where I ended up going,” said Quaye. “Students should also make sure they like a school outside of their athletic programming. Outside of basketball, there are a lot of things I love about Swarthmore.”