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I'm looking at applying to a Div. III school for the academics, but I would also like to see if I could play soccer there. I know I need to contact the coach, but what should I say in my e-mail? I'm so overwhelmed...

By Spookysculder (Spookysculder) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 07:58 pm: Edit

bump bump bump

By Chim_Chim (Chim_Chim) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 11:12 pm: Edit

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Since D3 doesn't give out athletic scholarships, you should at least be able to make the team if you're talented at all.

By Spartan858585 (Spartan858585) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 01:24 am: Edit

A good Division 3 school with great academics is UCSD

By Olpsoccer7 (Olpsoccer7) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:04 pm: Edit

Hey-

I just finished up going through basically the same situation as you. I've played competitive soccer since I was a little kid, and I didn't want that to come to an end when I went off to college. At the same time, I didn't want to jeopardize my education just to pursue the sport I loved. So, I set up a list of schools that met my academic and athletic requirements (mostly D3 schools). I sent about twenty coaches e-mails explaining my basic situation and goals for the future as well as offering basic information and statistics for my athletic and academic accomplishments. Obviously, you want to include contact information too. It might be useful for you to create an "athletic resume" of sorts.

It's also important to persevere. I only heard back from about half of the coaches I contacted, and many of them met my contact with lukewarm interest at best. However, I was fortunate enough to have four coaches express some serious interest. From there, I was able to arrange a campus visit during which I stayed with a soccer player and basically followed him around campus for a couple days to get an idea of life there, doing everything from attending classes and partying to watching practices.

Once you find a coach to express some interest, it's up to you to market yourself as best you can. Try to play in showcase tournaments or attend camps over the summer (Capital Cup is a good example in my area, which is were most of the coaches saw me play). After they've seen you play, they'll be able to give you a better idea of where you'll fit in with their program. If you're lucky, they may be able to offer you some assistance in the admissions process. Personally, I was lucky enough to go through this process and gain acceptance into Swarthmore, where I'll hopefully be playing next year.

Feel free to contact me with any questions.