COLLEGE
​PREPARATION
College Preparation
Divers should begin preparing at the beginning of their Junior year of high school for their search of the collegiate diving program that will best fit them. There is such a wide array of schools across the country that there is sure to be a fit for you. It does not matter if you are on our JO Elite or Gold Team. The successes of our club carry with it a great reputation of excellence with many college coaches around the country.
Initial College Questions to Consider
1. What type of location are you looking for? Will you be comfortable in a urban or rural environment? How large do you want the campus to be? (Students, Acreage)
2. How do you feel about diving outside/inside?
3. Will you make the travel team? How do your abilities match with what the college team is looking for? How will this university help you meet your career goals?
4. What types of opportunities are available during summer months?
5. Are you looking for a combined or single gender team environment? Does this matter? How does this effect what’s important to you? How does this impact your day-to-day experience?
6. What type of academic environment are you looking for? What type of academic prestige and reputation is associated with the university?
7. Are divers improving? What type of team culture will allow you to excel?
8. What conference does a school compete in? What level of competition will you be diving against? Does the team go on a training trip?
9. What coaching style are you looking for? What type of relationships are you looking for with your college coaches?
10. What type of academic support is available to student-athletes?
11. What is the team chemistry like? Have you seen the team for yourself in a competition? So you think you’d fit in?
12. What do you do for fun at the campus?
13. How close do you want to be home? Is it important for your family to be able to watch you compete?
Divemeets.com is a great resource to look up what current dive team members are competing. This will allow you to see if the dives you are competing would be competitive on the team.
1. What type of location are you looking for? Will you be comfortable in a urban or rural environment? How large do you want the campus to be? (Students, Acreage)
2. How do you feel about diving outside/inside?
3. Will you make the travel team? How do your abilities match with what the college team is looking for? How will this university help you meet your career goals?
4. What types of opportunities are available during summer months?
5. Are you looking for a combined or single gender team environment? Does this matter? How does this effect what’s important to you? How does this impact your day-to-day experience?
6. What type of academic environment are you looking for? What type of academic prestige and reputation is associated with the university?
7. Are divers improving? What type of team culture will allow you to excel?
8. What conference does a school compete in? What level of competition will you be diving against? Does the team go on a training trip?
9. What coaching style are you looking for? What type of relationships are you looking for with your college coaches?
10. What type of academic support is available to student-athletes?
11. What is the team chemistry like? Have you seen the team for yourself in a competition? So you think you’d fit in?
12. What do you do for fun at the campus?
13. How close do you want to be home? Is it important for your family to be able to watch you compete?
Divemeets.com is a great resource to look up what current dive team members are competing. This will allow you to see if the dives you are competing would be competitive on the team.
College questions - once you start the recruiting process
University information:
1. Does this university have my major? Or something I may be interested in studying?
2. How many students are at this university?
3. Is it in a part of the country that I want to spend four or five years in?
Scholarship information: to ask coach
1. What diver qualifications do I need to have to be considered for a scholarship? Are there other sources of financial aid I should be looking into?
2. With a partial scholarship what are my out of pocket expenses?
3. If I don’t get a scholarship for my freshman year what are the chances that I might be awarded one for my sophomore year? How do I improve my chances?
4. What is the process for annual scholarship renewal (they cannot “guarantee” a 4 or 5 year scholarship)? What is needed to get 5th year aid? How can a scholarship be taken away?
5. Can the amount of my scholarship be increased or decreased through my years at this school?
6. What happens if I am offered a non-athletic scholarship as well?
7. What kinds of grants, etc. are available and how do you get the information on them?
Team and Practice information: to ask coach
1. How many divers are on the team? How many divers travel to meets?
2. Is the team Co-ed? If so, do men and women train together? If not, what is the relationship between the teams? Do they travel together? Are the conference meets together? How many coaches are there? What coach will I be working mostly with?
3. What is the training like during all phases of the season?
4. What is the practice schedule for a typical week, including water and dryland (strength training) workouts? How many hours a week?
5. How long is the season?
6. What are the attendance requirements? Are they different for scholarship and non-scholarship swimmers?
7. What events do you see me diving in meets?
8. Will I be traveling with the team? What is the travel schedule, how many days of school will be missed?
9. How does the team travel to away meets? Who drives?
10. Does my dive list fit into to the team? Are you recruiting others with similar dive lists?
11. Is there a Christmas training trip? Am I required to go? How is paid for? How
much? Do you train over Thanksgiving?
12. Is there a strength training coach that works specifically with the dive team?
13. Is there a trainer assigned to the dive team like the basketball team or is
there a different one at every meet?
14. Do you have a spring training program? How much time do I have off after my
last meet and spring training? What are summer training expectations? How
many stay on campus to take classes and train over the summer months?
15. Is there any possibility that the dive team will be dropped from the athletic
department? (It has happened!) Of what value is the dive program to the
athletic department?
Academic information: Ask coach
1. Do you practice or compete during final exams?
2. Are there tutors available for both scholarship and non-scholarship athletes?
3. Is there an Athletic Academic Counseling department? What is my access to it?
4. What is the team’s GPA and graduation rate? What is the graduation rate for the whole school and for the whole athletic department?
5. Is there a study hall available or is it required? Required hours?
6. Can I contact any of the current members of the team?
Academic information: Ask academic counseling
1. Are there professors that a student-athlete should avoid?
2. How can I take advantage of your counseling?
3. Can I come to you with non-academic problems?
4. How many credits do you recommend that I take?
Academic information: Ask department of study
1. What are the program requirements?
2. What type of course work will I be doing?
3. Are there other student-athletes in this program?
4. What is the policy for taking tests when I am gone on team travel?
5. How can I get notes of missed classes?
6. Does this university have a graduate program to fit my interest?
7. Do I have to graduate in four years?
8. Can I do this course of study and swim? When are most of the classes?
9. When do I have to declare a major?
Team information: Ask divers on the team
1. Is the coach consistent and fair? (Ask upper class man for this)
2. Does the coach play favorites?
3. Does the coaching staff work well together?
4. Is there an alcohol problem on this team?
5. What parts of town should I stay away from?
6. Do you like it on the team? Do the divers get along?
Questions to ask yourself:
1. If the coach left, would I stay?
2. Would you choose this school if you were not a diver?
3. Are you choosing the appropriate level for yourself as far as athletics and
academics are concerned?
4. Do you think the staff and program fits your needs?
5. Do you socially fit in with this group of swimmers? Look particularly at the
freshmen and sophomores.
6. Are you looking for a metropolitan area or smaller area for your college?
7. If the program is dropped what would I do?
8. How do you tell a coach that you aren’t interested? Let the coach know as
soon as you have made a decision.
University information:
1. Does this university have my major? Or something I may be interested in studying?
2. How many students are at this university?
3. Is it in a part of the country that I want to spend four or five years in?
Scholarship information: to ask coach
1. What diver qualifications do I need to have to be considered for a scholarship? Are there other sources of financial aid I should be looking into?
2. With a partial scholarship what are my out of pocket expenses?
3. If I don’t get a scholarship for my freshman year what are the chances that I might be awarded one for my sophomore year? How do I improve my chances?
4. What is the process for annual scholarship renewal (they cannot “guarantee” a 4 or 5 year scholarship)? What is needed to get 5th year aid? How can a scholarship be taken away?
5. Can the amount of my scholarship be increased or decreased through my years at this school?
6. What happens if I am offered a non-athletic scholarship as well?
7. What kinds of grants, etc. are available and how do you get the information on them?
Team and Practice information: to ask coach
1. How many divers are on the team? How many divers travel to meets?
2. Is the team Co-ed? If so, do men and women train together? If not, what is the relationship between the teams? Do they travel together? Are the conference meets together? How many coaches are there? What coach will I be working mostly with?
3. What is the training like during all phases of the season?
4. What is the practice schedule for a typical week, including water and dryland (strength training) workouts? How many hours a week?
5. How long is the season?
6. What are the attendance requirements? Are they different for scholarship and non-scholarship swimmers?
7. What events do you see me diving in meets?
8. Will I be traveling with the team? What is the travel schedule, how many days of school will be missed?
9. How does the team travel to away meets? Who drives?
10. Does my dive list fit into to the team? Are you recruiting others with similar dive lists?
11. Is there a Christmas training trip? Am I required to go? How is paid for? How
much? Do you train over Thanksgiving?
12. Is there a strength training coach that works specifically with the dive team?
13. Is there a trainer assigned to the dive team like the basketball team or is
there a different one at every meet?
14. Do you have a spring training program? How much time do I have off after my
last meet and spring training? What are summer training expectations? How
many stay on campus to take classes and train over the summer months?
15. Is there any possibility that the dive team will be dropped from the athletic
department? (It has happened!) Of what value is the dive program to the
athletic department?
Academic information: Ask coach
1. Do you practice or compete during final exams?
2. Are there tutors available for both scholarship and non-scholarship athletes?
3. Is there an Athletic Academic Counseling department? What is my access to it?
4. What is the team’s GPA and graduation rate? What is the graduation rate for the whole school and for the whole athletic department?
5. Is there a study hall available or is it required? Required hours?
6. Can I contact any of the current members of the team?
Academic information: Ask academic counseling
1. Are there professors that a student-athlete should avoid?
2. How can I take advantage of your counseling?
3. Can I come to you with non-academic problems?
4. How many credits do you recommend that I take?
Academic information: Ask department of study
1. What are the program requirements?
2. What type of course work will I be doing?
3. Are there other student-athletes in this program?
4. What is the policy for taking tests when I am gone on team travel?
5. How can I get notes of missed classes?
6. Does this university have a graduate program to fit my interest?
7. Do I have to graduate in four years?
8. Can I do this course of study and swim? When are most of the classes?
9. When do I have to declare a major?
Team information: Ask divers on the team
1. Is the coach consistent and fair? (Ask upper class man for this)
2. Does the coach play favorites?
3. Does the coaching staff work well together?
4. Is there an alcohol problem on this team?
5. What parts of town should I stay away from?
6. Do you like it on the team? Do the divers get along?
Questions to ask yourself:
1. If the coach left, would I stay?
2. Would you choose this school if you were not a diver?
3. Are you choosing the appropriate level for yourself as far as athletics and
academics are concerned?
4. Do you think the staff and program fits your needs?
5. Do you socially fit in with this group of swimmers? Look particularly at the
freshmen and sophomores.
6. Are you looking for a metropolitan area or smaller area for your college?
7. If the program is dropped what would I do?
8. How do you tell a coach that you aren’t interested? Let the coach know as
soon as you have made a decision.
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