RowCollege

A Worthy Place to Visit.

Progressing through this recruiting year an observation has come up—many recruits seem to be putting themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to their financial aid prospects.

I've noticed frequently, and have heard the same from coaches at other schools, that many applicants are hesitant about visiting the Financial Aid office on campus.

I am not sure why—maybe they are worried about the message they might receive, or because it is not a glamor stop on their campus tour, but not visiting could be a mistake.

The Financial Aid office at an institution has a mission—to help students and families successfully navigate the process of paying for a college education. The office is a place that a prospective student, and the parents or guardians, should visit, and do so well before the deadline of financial-aid forms.

In fact, visiting the office in the junior year of high school is not a bad idea. The worst that could come out of visiting early is a dose of reality that might impact your decision about that institution (in other words, how much it might cost). 

And what if you do go to the office and don't like how you are treated or if they are not helpful? Well, if you will be getting financial aid you will be working with that office for your tenure at that school, and maybe many years after. If you don't like the way they treat you as an applicant that might be an indication that the school is not a smart choice for you.

Make a visit. You might find it worth your while in more ways than one.

Photo credit: Jenn Jenn

A Simple Question . . .

Time for a simple question . . .

     Would you want to row for these coaches?

Coaches under fire after teams of 8-year-olds brawl on ice

Know who will be coaching you.

It is important.

YOU Need to Get Your Name Out There!

Staring at the phone, hoping it will ring?

Waiting for a some college rowing coach to discover you?

Bummed because you're not getting emails, letters, and text messages from schools wanting to have you come row for them?

Get over it—and get to work.

If you are interested in rowing in college, and possibly get recognized for your abilities—maybe even receive athletic-related aid, you need to work at it. Unless you've got talent galore, are setting the rowing world on fire, or have a high school coach who is promoting the heck out of you, more than likely few if any collegiate coaches know about you. So you need to do some work and get your name out there.

How?

First off, college rowing coaches do recruit. They recruit a lot, and the bigger the program, the more recruiting they do. I cannot speak for other coaches, but from my experiences most, if not all, of those coaches will be receptive to getting a name of an interested rower.

How can you do that—get your name in front of that coach? Here are two things you can do to help yourself:

• Enlist the aid of your high school coach. He or she may be able to open doors for you (but once the door is open it will be up to you to shine).
• Send an email directly to the coach at your school of interest. Email addresses can be found easily on the web. A simple email is best. Here is an example.

Second, if you've never rowed before, don't let that stop you:

• a very significant number of collegiate rowers have never rowed before college (meaning  they are walk-ons)
• the competition for most teams is intense, and a lot of that intensity comes from rowers who just learned in college.

It boils down to this . . . if you want to row in college, help yourself out, and approach the program at the school you are interested in. It is not hard to do.

It is admirable that you want to row in college, but you need to be wholeheartedly involved in the process, or else you might not be pleased with the results.

Related posts:

• Does it Matter What They Row?
• When to Tell a Coach, No Thanks, Not Interested
• Should You Care What Drives the Rowing Program You Are Considering?
• Flavors of Rowing-Pick Yours

Thanksgiving Break (Redux)

I was very remiss in the last post. I didn't note that one of the most important things you can do during your upcoming break is to study! Probably the best activity you can do to help you get into the school you want  . . .

Brought to my attention by a teacher, who also is a coach. Good eyes, thanks.

Use Thanksgiving Break to Your Advantage

If you're like most high school seniors, school will be getting out this Tuesday . . .  possibly Wednesday, and then you've got four or five days off until school starts up again. Maybe you'll be traveling, visiting relatives, or having friends and family over during the break.

Great. Enjoy the time off from school. Some of it that is—but not all. It is time to do some work, and this would be a great opportunity to dedicate time to your college search.

If you're reading this, you want to row in college. Super. Finding the right place for you is going to take focus, time, and energy. It won't just happen, you will need to make it happen.

Yes, I know, often an athlete will go off to some college having put less time into the selection process than he would in picking his mySpace theme. And that person will love the coach, team, school, and will live happily ever after. Ya, ya, ya. That happens once in a blue moon (which if you didn't know, doesn't happen very often).

More likely the experienced high-school rower who is loving her college rowing experience worked hard to make it happen. And if you want to increase the chance of you living happily ever after in the collegiate rowing world, you need to work at it. So be productive during this break time.

How? A few suggestions:

• email a college coach
• research on the web a collegiate team you are considering
• make a master list of form deadlines, such as applications, financial aid, NCAA forms (if this applies to you)
  
• plan your college visits, picking dates that work for you and your family
• go over your Spring calendar, putting in your races, breaks, and college interviews
• sort that huge pile of correspondence, brochures, and letters from colleges (that is probably sitting on your bed room floor)

This break might also be a convenient time to talk to your parents about your search, and compare thoughts.

Don't let this time slip away. Eat some food and have some fun. But do focus on your search It will be a good investment.

Equipment. Does it Matter What They Row?

During the past few weeks of recruiting I've been asked several times what type of rowing equipment we use in our program. That certainly is a reasonable question, and I think that it should be asked by someone who is considering investing four years of their time rowing with us.

However, the question does not go far enough.

Asking this question, most people are thinking only about shells and boats. I can understand why . . . there certainly are preconceived ideas many people have about which shells are better/faster—just like there are about cars. But is the answer to "What equipment do you use" really going to be a deal breaker for you?

I  suggest you find out more. Dig deeper with a question like this . . . "I'd like to know what type of shells and oars your team uses, and could you also tell me:

• how many ergometers you have and if they are in good shape,
• is your trailer very old,
• does the team have access to workout equipment such as weights and tanks,
• and, do team members have access to an Athletic Trainer?"

Seem odd to be asking these? Why?

They are all things that will play importantly in your rowing at one time or another. Shouldn't you know the answer before you sign up.

Remember, rowing is a very equipment intensive sport. Only some of that equipment is shells and oars.

When to Tell a Coach, "No Thanks, Not Interested."

If you've been in the game of looking at college rowing programs for while, chances are you've accumulated a hefty pile of admissions materials. And it is also a fair bet that one if not more college rowing coaches have contacted you.

So what should you do when you've decided that a school is not right for you—that you are no longer considering going there?

You need to contact the coach as soon as you have made that decision and tell him/her that you are not interested. And do it asap. Yes, I know that you don't want to read that. Of course you are too busy for this hassle . . . And it is going to be an uncomfortable phone call to make, or email to write. Get over it—it is what needs to be done.

And here are three reasons why . . .

First, rowing is a very small community, and coaches talk to each other all the time. Leaving a coach with a positive image may just come back to help you some day. It might not, but it just might. [More than once I have helped a rower who decided not to come to my school in the process of getting into the top school of her choice.]

Second, when a coach knows you are not interested he will tell the Admissions Office. That will stop the mailings and phone calls from the school. That will help you focus on the schools of interest to you.

Third, as we all learned in kindergarten, "Treat others as you want others to treat you." You would expect a coach to tell you immediately if she was no longer interested in you, or didn't think you could row at her school. Well, coaches expect the same from folks they are recruiting.

We often don't get that, but I can tell you that when a thank you note comes in expressing:

Dear Coach, thanks for your interest in me. It was an honor to be considered for the rowing program at Your College. However, after consideration, I feel that my education would be better served by going to Another College

I put that person on my list to cheer for when she is racing. Even when it is against my team.

Should You Apply Early Decision?

Many colleges today have a variable application system—meaning that they usually have three categories of applications.

1. Early Decision
2. Early Action
3. Regular Admission

Not all schools use these categories of applications, but a great many do. And as you might guess by their names, one of the important trait of each of these is the application deadline date.

Early Decision applications are usually due in November or early December (although there are schools that are earlier, and some that are later). Often you are informed within a month if you have been accepted by the school. Early Action applications usually follow about a month after Early Decision, and Regular Admission follow along after that.

I have to say, it can be enough to drive you crazy in determining which application to submit. For many schools the deadline for Early Decision is fast approaching. So the question of the hour is, "Should you apply Early Decision?" Is it the right choice for you?

I think that the answer to that question boils down to this, if you think that the school is the right choice for you, and if you were accepted you would enroll, then Early Decision is probably the way to go.

A major benefit of Early Decision is that your college selection process could be done early (if you get in—if you don't, you keep on looking) and your Spring semester could be a lot less stressful. Additionally, at some schools going Early Decision may positively affect any financial aid awards. A downside is that you are obligated to then attend the school (financial issues aside); however, that really won't matter if this is the school you want.

The clock is ticking if you might be interested in Early Decision. An option you may want to consider.

Ever Chucked A Pumpkin?

Have you ever thrown a pumpkin as far as you can? Have you ever watched people spend tons of money to launch a pumpkin almost the length of a 2k race course?

And what does this have to do with selecting a college rowing program?

Just yesterday I took my kids to the World Championship Punkin Chunking Contest. There teams from around the world assembled to . . . well, to see who can chunk a pumpkin the longest distance. The picture above is one of the team's cannons. They launched their pumpkin almost 2000 meters.

What this has to do with you—as you look for the school and rowing program best for you—is all about what is going on in the area surrounding the school. Is the area vibrant, with interesting and fun things to do? Is there life outside of your college's boundary?

You might think that all you are going to do is study and row. Well, maybe. But when you get bored, or need a break, wouldn't you want to see someone launch a pumpkin into space? How about an ergometer?