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© 2011 Ashley Meunier


The college recruitment process can be a very stressful time in an athlete's and parent’s life and is frequently made worse by not having a good understanding of how to best proceed. Take comfort in the fact that if you love the sport and are willing to work hard then there is most likely an opportunity to play at a school that fits you.


There are as many high school athletes who expect to play at a level that is too competitive and time consuming for them as there are athletes who do not recognize that they could play at a more competitive level if they desire. There is value in all levels of collegiate athletics, the challenge is finding the right fit for you.


How do you figure out what level you can play? And how do you figure out what level you want to play? Unless you have an older sibling who played in college or parents who are very familiar with collegiate field hockey, you are not likely to be able to do this all by yourself.


For the majority of athletes, it takes a little work, organization and some outside guidance to assess what level you are


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capable of playing. Developing a plan is a great place to start. Begin early (preferably during your sophomore year if you want to play Division I) by familiarizing yourself with NCAA rules and putting together a list of 10-20 schools/field hockey programs that interest you. This list needs to include a couple reach schools and a couple safety schools.


Look at Division I compared to Division III, is the school public or private, what kind of grades and SAT scores are required at each school, how much does it cost, how much time will you be expected to dedicate to hockey, etc. This will take some time but developing a targeted approach will result in saving time in the long run by not chasing programs that were never viable options in the first place.


You will need to find someone who knows collegiate field hockey well and who will look at your list to give you an honest assessment of your ability to play at each school. This person may be your club coach, your Futures coach or some- one who is current in field hockey and has seen you play numerous times. Chances are, you might not hear what you thought you would. If it's better than expected, that's great. If


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