Now is the time of year that you should be visiting college campuses and meeting college coaches. But most people skip out on this most important aspect of their college search and selection process.

I have heard all the reasons why people do not go on campus visits many times over. Although they may have merit, they will certainly compromise your opportunities. Here they are, the-

Top 10 reasons why people do not go on college visits and meet coaches:

# 10   they are too busy with everyday life to make time for it

# 9     they do not think about it until it is too late

# 8     they do not think their child is committed to play college sports 

# 7     they do not think they need to meet coaches

# 6     they think it is too early to think about college

# 5     they do not have any coaches to meet

# 4     they do not think ahead enough to plan for it

# 3     they do not want to miss a day of school nor a day of work

# 2     they are not permitted to miss a practice 

And the # 1 reason why most people do not go on college visits and meet coaches?          

They do not know when or how to go about arranging for them.   

“Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal.” The point is that all 10 of those reasons lend themselves to mere circumstances that could cause you to lose sight of your goal.

A common mistake made by many parents, year after year, by the thousands:

“I need to wait until I see a greater commitment from my son. Right now he has too many distractions.”

Of course they have distractions; that is the life of a mid-age teenager. They are busy in school, with all types of activities, interests, and peer pressures. But that should not deter the college search.

The question is- what do you, the parents, want out of college for your son or daughter? If it includes an opportunity to play college sports, then you cannot wait until your child shows you the maturity for such.

College is a life’s opportunity that you are very aware of. For most families absorbed in the daily tasks of life, it is challenging to have to look years in advance. Do not expect your son or daughter to be thinking that far ahead all the time.  But you need to. You are the adult. You are the facilitator. You have the vested interest.

Although I understand that you want to see maturity from your son or daughter before you commit your time and resources to the college cause, waiting for this can only waste valuable time and will generally lead to disappointing results.
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Money Matters — the money, it matters to everyone and it factors in at all levels.  To begin with, the money factors in with each family; it factors in with each coach; and it factors in with each athletic department. And we all know, where there is serious money in play, the stakes are high and the emotions run deep.
To the family that is looking at annual tuition bills ranging from $20,000 to $50,000, the value of a scholarship might determine their ability to afford college; that is a lot at stake, both for money and for life opportunity.

To the college coach that is looking to assemble a competitive sports team, the way he or she manages the scholarship budget will affect their opportunities to recruit every year; that is a lot at stake, both for competitive game purposes and for career opportunity.

To the athletic department and its Athletic Director, who is looking to maintain a culture of college sports and provide a quality sporting opportunity for its student-athletes, the way they distribute their budget will determine which sport teams are retained and what resources are allotted for each; that is a lot at stake, both for the college culture and for
the college experience of many trusting student athletes.

There is a lot more to college sports than just wins and loses. Careers, life opportunites, and substantial sums of money are all at play.