Students from over 36 Countries and 22 States Upper School - Boarding begins in 9th Grade Approximately 465 Boys and Girls in Upper School 200 Residential and 265 Day / Local Students 100% Placement to respected Universities World-wide 22 Advance Placement Classes / University Prep

Curriculum Over 80 Student Leadership Positions and Clubs Athletic Teams – Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer,

Lacrosse, Swimming, Track, and three Sports Academies Diverse Fine Arts Offerings

Visit us at www.darlingtonschool.org

College Experience & PromotionOver 225 different College Campuses Visited in

8 yearsBuilds relationships with admission and college

coaches Experience variety of colleges & train with or play

college teams College Promotion Methods College Planning Meetings with Staff Player profiles, Highlight Videos Guidance with NCAA Rules College Visits Attended by Staff Phone Calls – Staff/Player/College Roster Inserts at Events and Emails

Alumni - College PlacementsFall 2014 will have over 95

College Players2 professional MLS players10’ Class-9 Div. I, 2 Div. II11’ Class-10 Div. I, 2 Div. II and

1 Div. III12’ Class 10 NCAA Div. I – 2

NCAA Div. II (over $1.5)13’ Clas –10 NCAA Div. I, 2 –Div.

II over $2.6 in Scholarships 14’ Class – 8 NCAA Div. I – Cal-

Poly, Georgia Southern..

Start the Process Early9th grade academic performances are on

permanent records – Do not sacrifice any time!Imperative your academics start strongNo “correct or incorrect” time-line for the

recruiting process… You just have to constantly be working…

Top level programs work 2-3 years in advance of graduation (always put Graduation Year)

Recruiting calendar for girls is advanced by 6 -12 months than boys’ recruiting time-line

Start identifying attributes you will be looking for in a college

Location – near beach or mountains? Near home/ relatives. Pick 6 states to live in…

Academic reputation and offerings – “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Size – Small where professors know you? Or large, city-like universities of 10,000++

Social – Greek Life?.. Suitcase College?.. Close to Urban Entertainment, Big College Football etc..

Reputation for Job Placement and/or Post-Graduate opportunities (to be competitive in today’s job-market a masters degree is a plus)

Student Population – “Girls to Guys Ratio”, Undergrad v Grad., Commuters? Culture?

Leadership and Extra-curricular activities and opportunities Facilities – Academic, Residential, and Athletic Athletics- Conference / Schedule & Coaching Staff (note-last

on list)

Communication

Basics NCAA in NO way governs a player or a

parent on how or when they communicate with college coaches

BE PROFESSIONAL and OVER COMMUNICATE!!

PLAYERS – can Call and EMAIL college coaches as often as they need

Per NCAA rules, coaches cannot call parents or players back unless they are seniors or you are “requesting information about camp”

Emails• Cc: coaches and parents (so everyone knows how much your are

working through the process)• Attach your player profile, make sure coaches’ emails and youtube

videos are active links• Research the college’s website for “recent news”, names of players,

recent results/stories • Use specific “business or law school name” to show extra levels of

investigation into the school… dig deeper into website• Make triple sure to use the correct coaches’ name and school names

throughout the email• Subject Line – “Joe Smith, Grad. 2012 GK at Darlington Soccer

Academy” Jersey #1• EMAIL a minimum of 10 -15 coaches prior to events to give them your

schedule, jersey # etc.. Make schedules an active Google Calendar link

• In emails, you can request a time and number for you to contact the coach(s)

Player Profile Page• Include Graduation year, NCAA Eligibility

Number, academics (SAT / ACT / GPA), contact information, jersey # and position, leadership, and soccer accomplishments/events

• Two photos - player head shot and an action picture on profile

• Display upcoming tournaments and events (use hyperlinks/logos for events) with schedules

• Use logos for ODP, US Club, Events – to draw the coach’s attention to major areas

2010 Cameron Rohani Player Profile.pdf

College Visits• Visit a wide variety of schools that fit your criteria (unlimited “un-official visits”)

• Understand the Admissions Officers’ impression is just as important! Take advantage of School Fairs and time with them

• An “Official Visit” is anytime the school pays for travel expenses (airfare, food, hotel). After first day of senior year so, these usually occur after you have committed

• You can take up to 5 “Official Visits” and they have to occur after the 1st day of Senior Year

• Be on time. Dress neatly. Be attentive and prepared with questions. – FIRST IMPRESSIONS!!

• Know facts about the university – Program History, Players, Mascot, Names of Buildings

• Ask current players “if you had it to do all over again, would you come here?”, “How is Coach?”

• Send Coaches and Admissions Officer!! a hand-written thank you note for their time, call them routinely, communicate!

Coaches Watching You Play at Events• College coaches can watch/evaluate prospective student

seven times during academic calendar• Evaluations are unlimited during summer and winter

breaks in the academic calendar• Coaches are not allowed to hold a conversation with you or

your parents at tournaments. They will be cordial, but short with you.

• Your professionalism is being evaluated the moment you arrive at the fields, warm-ups etc., to the moment you depart from the fields (sportsmanship)

• Make sure you show physical play, competitiveness, and technical / pure speed.

• Send a thank you note to the coach if you see them at your game. How many kids do that?

Collect Information and use Technology• www.collegesearch.com www.collegechoice.com

www.naviance.com for criteria searches• www.thesportsource.com www.soccerincollege.com

www.captainu.com online presence• www.ncaa.org for NCAA registration (senior year),

resources, eligibility center, and recruiting rules• www.facebook.com – Great way to find current

students and alumni• Publications: The College Board’s College Handbook,

Peterson’s Competitive Colleges, Newsweek..