10: The Play-by-Play of College Visits in .NET

Encode Code128 in .NET 10: The Play-by-Play of College Visits

Perhaps one of the best-loved athletes of all time was basketball sensation Michael Jordon He was a marketing director s dream, a coach s fantasy, and a teammate s best friend He was humble, sincere, hard-working, and honest While you re being recruited, all the hype can be overwhelming Instead of believing the hype, stay focused on the job at hand closing the deal with the school you want to attend and the team you want to join You re visiting the school to be part of a team not a standout

As soon as you ve returned home, send a thank-you note to the coach and athletic director Whether you send an e-mail or a personal note, this is a great way to recap your meeting and remind people of who you are and how appreciative you are of their efforts You can be sure that not all the prospects will take the time to say thanks writing a thank-you note gives you another way to show everyone how special you are

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Looking at the success rate of your school Researching your favorite programs Checking references Turning the tables: Interviewing the schools of your choice

hat is college Parties, independence, money, a road to success in business, a means to play upper-level sports, and oh, yeah education Although we hope that education is first and foremost in your mind, everyone is driven by his or her own desire Whatever your motivation and drive, understanding what you re getting into is vital and that understanding will come only when you ask questions Many questions Remember: This is your turn to recruit the college of your choice MIT graduate and CEO Cristina Dolan believes wholly in research, particularly before any interviews A standout in the world of technology, and president and CEO of WordStream, Dolan always turned the tables during job interviews on her way to the top Her philosophy has always been to interview the company rather than the other way around to see if she wanted to work for them She always asked potential employers two important questions: Why would I want to work for you and What do you have to offer me You should be asking such questions of the schools you re considering attending: Why should I attend this school and play for your team and What do you have to offer me It shouldn t be enough for you that a particular college has great colors or a cute mascot Take time to analyze what the college experience means to you and what you hope to gain from attending a school Then research, research, research In this chapter, we show you how

What if, since you were 10 years old, you ve known that you wanted to play for a certain school You love everything about that school: its traditions, its colors, its dedication to your sport You love the students, the location, and even the mascot Everything is perfect about that school Why should you even bother looking around when you know this is what you want Wouldn t researching other schools, taking notes, and thinking hard about the best choice just be a waste of time Don t fall into the same trap so many high school athletes do by assuming that your acceptance to your dream school is a sure thing Researching and applying to other schools is the only way to avoid ending up empty handed But let s assume that you re one of the few college-bound student-athletes whose acceptance to your dream school is a lock Why should you continue to do research when you already know where you re going First of all, you still need to make a good impression with the faculty, admissions counselors, and coach/athletic-department staff of your college You get only one chance to make a good first impression And that first impression will stay with these people people who have some degree of control over your life for your entire collegiate career So it s important to research your school to prepare for your entrance interviews But there are other important, longrange reasons to do research Here are some of them: Research opens doors, allowing you to make more contacts and talk to new people Research will help you better understand the academic world Research will help you better understand athletic scholarships and prevent you from making very costly mistakes Research will allow you to have more intelligent, thoughtful conversations with coaches, faculty members, admissions officers, and directors Research will open your eyes to new ideas and new traditions at schools other than the one you ve loved since you were 10 Research will help you in making decisions Research will give you confidence Research allows you to be more open-minded Research helps you think strategically