To evaluate your chances of a scholarship, we need an accurate picture of your level. A complete, honest profile opens the right doors; an inflated one wastes your time and the coaches' time.
Present your level like a résumé
When you contact Athletics Partner, give us all the athletic information that reflects your level, as if you were writing a résumé:
- your latest results, with the date and level of each competition;
- your record: titles, selections, podiums;
- your best performances: times, marks, rankings;
- your role on the team in a team sport: starter or not, level of the league, playing time;
- articles about you, on websites or in the press;
- a recent video, short, that shows your real level.
- and anything else that makes your profile stand out: a selection camp, an award, a recommendation from your coach.
Add your academic information: grades, English level, high school graduation year. For a coach, sport and studies go together.
Don't exaggerate: everything can be checked
Your athletic level matches your performances, right? Then don't try to inflate it. Athletics Partner has databases to check your ranking, your performances, or whether you start for your team. American coaches have their own tools too.
In many sports, results are public: national rankings, competition results, match sheets, game footage. A coach who is interested in you will look them up.
Don't exaggerate your physical qualities, your ranking or the level you play at. It would be a mistake and a waste of time: for you, for us, and for American coaches. You can be sure they will find out your real level very quickly.
Your video: the real thing, not a misleading highlight reel
Video is often a coach's first contact with your game. It must be recent and representative. A few spectacular plays picked from dozens of games give a false picture, and the coach will notice as soon as they watch a full game. Put your best sequences first, but add full-game footage, or a whole race in an individual sport. Give the date and level of the competition.
Why trust is decisive
Coaches work with Athletics Partner because the profiles we present match reality. In this field, trust is the first quality coaches look for.
It is in your interest too. An accurate profile lets you aim for the colleges where you will really have a place:
- a team where you will play, rather than a seat on the bench in a program that is too strong;
- an academic level that fits your record;
- a scholarship in line with what you bring to the team.
An athlete recruited on an inflated profile quickly struggles once on campus. An athlete recruited for who they really are can improve, play and succeed in their studies.
Good surprises, and less good ones
An honest evaluation sometimes brings good surprises: a level that opens more doors than expected, a division you hadn't thought of. Sometimes less good ones too. It is better to know early: there is still time to improve, aim for another division or adjust your plan.
NCAA divisions, the NAIA and the NJCAA are not at the same level. A profile that doesn't fit a Division I program can be in high demand elsewhere. To find your way, read our page on the college divisions.
Key takeaways
- Present your level like a résumé: results, record, performances, video.
- Add your academic record: for a coach, it counts as much as your sport.
- Don't exaggerate anything: coaches check, and they will find out quickly.
- An accurate profile points you to the colleges where you will really have a place.
To take stock of your real level and the colleges that could suit you, start with the free evaluation.
