So you want to jump in college

Here's a few things you should know and were afraid to ask.

• All perspective student athletes, who intend to compete at a NCAA Division I, II or III institution, must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse.  The Clearinghouse reviews the academic records to determine eligibility to compete in college.
• Sign -up for the NCAA Clearinghouse prior to taking the ACT/SAT your Jr. year.  This allows you to check the box on the SAT/ACT test to send your scores to the clearinghouse, otherwise you will pay an additional fee to have your test scores sent to the Clearinghouse.
• NCAA Academic eligibility is determined by SAT/ACT test scores and GPA in the "core" curriculum on a sliding scale.  The higher the GPA the lower the allowable SAT/ACT score or the Higher the SAT/ACT score the lower the GPA.
• NCAA no longer takes the highest test score. If you take it more then once it averages the two scores.
• The NCAA has a must read document that covers these rules called The Guide for the college bound student-athlete
• National letter of Intent.  Once you sign it you're committed.
• Division I schools have a maximum of 11 full athletics scholarships ( Many schools have fewer then the maximum ) for Track & Field that cover the 20 plus events. Division II has less and Division III schools have none.  This means you will need to secure student aid via student loans and grants.
• Fill-out the FAFSA before March of your senior year.
• Make first contact - Unless you're an elite nationally ranked athlete you need to contact the coach's at perspective schools.  Go to the school's web site take names, phone numbers and email addresses.  Fill out the schools recruiting questionnaire.