The College Advisory page provides Cal Odyssey players with information and resources to better help them prepare to be student-athletes at the collegiate level.

*STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE - PREPARING FOR COLLEGE SOCCER:

1. During your Freshman and Sophmore year, begin considering what schools you’d like to attend.
2. Take the PSATs prior to your Junior year to better prepare for the SATs.
3. Create (and keep current) a “college profile” resume that documents the following:
   • Who you are
   • Current and past club teams
   • Tournaments you’ve played in
   • Accomplishments (team and individual)
   • Academic interests
   • Academic record
4. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center:
   • >>> Visit the Eligibility Center’s website at http://web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp for specific information on registering and the documents you will need to supply for the Center to determine your eligibility.
   • >>> Click to download the NCAA Eligibility Quick Reference Guide. This Guide contains information on what the NCAA looks at in order to deem eligible for college athletics- this includes core courses, test scores and GPA.
   • IMPORTANT: You cannot make an “official” visit to a campus unless you have been cleared by the Eligibility Center.
5. During the your Junior year, begin contacting the coaches of the schools in which you’re interested. Include the following:
   • Your one-page "college profile" resume
   • Your current team tournament schedule
6. Stay in contact with coaches. 1 e-mail every 2 weeks is advisable.
7. E-mail the coach about upcoming tournaments. Include: your team’s name, shirt color, your shirt #, match schedule, field locations.
8. Follow-up with another e-mail to the coach after every tournament.
9. Take the SATs/ACTs during the spring of your junior year. While you might not do as well then as you will later, you can use the results as benchmarks of your academic progress. Consider taking an SAT prep course if you think your results are not where you want them to be.
10. Re-double your emphasis on your schoolwork. DO NOT let anything slide.
11. In the summer between your junior and senior years, make arrangements to visit the schools that are on your list. Call or e-mail the coach to let him know when you will be there. Try to arrange to visit her/him (or an assistant coach if the head coach isn’t in or can’t talk with you).
12. Find out if any of the coaches of the schools on your list run soccer camps in the summer for older players. Most of the bigger DI and DII schools run summer camps; some of the DIII schools do as well. For the one or two school(s) in which you are most interested, sign up for the soccer camp. Try to arrange to have lunch with the coach sometime during the week. (If the coach of the school in which you are most interested does not run his or her own camp, it’s likely that he/she will be a staff coach at other soccer camps. Find out which ones and sign-up for that camp.) Since the cost to attend such camps is typically $500 to $600 and up plus travel expenses, you should consider doing this only for the top one or two schools on your list or if it is the only way that the coach of the school(s) in which you are most interested would be able to see you play.
13. Continue the routine of e-mailing coaches regarding your interest, your profile, and your tournament schedule.
14. You can take the SATs/ACTs as many times as you want. Most students take them once late in their junior year and again late in the Fall of their senior year. If the results you’re getting do not square with what you want or what you need for the schools on your list, seriously consider an SAT prep course, especially if you’re “on the bubble” of good results for a particular school regarding academic financial aid. (Many schools have a “threshold” SAT/ACT score that qualifies a student for academic financial aid. Sometimes the threshold is combined with your GPA and/or your class rank. If your SAT/ACT scores are close but not quite there, a prep course could get you over the hump.) If you are considering a DI or DII school, make sure that you are also sending your test results to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
15. Begin completing and sending the applications to the schools on your list as early as you can. Pay close attention to the application calendars of these schools. Make sure that you have the application and whatever other documentation the school requires submitted on time. Some programs at some schools may have additional requirements (e.g., interview, auditions, tests, portfolios, etc.) beyond those of the general application itself. Make sure you know what they are if any of them apply to you. If you are looking for an early admissions decision, you will have to pay very close attention to the requirements for it.
16. Wait for the good news! Some schools having rolling admissions so you might hear about your acceptance soon after you apply. More selective schools generally don’t send out their acceptances until mid-April.
17. Continue to maintain contact with the coaches. E-mail them to let them know that you have submitted your application. They can help you track down the status of your application.

College Fit Finder - A Free Service Provided Cal Odyssey Soccer Club Through Elite Scouting Network

 

 

The California Odyssey Earthquakes Soccer Club (COESC) are excited to announce a partnership with Elite Scouting Network©, the nation’s Premier College recruiting firm.

 

The COESC staff is focused on development and helping our athletes to reach their full soccer potential.  We have long recognized the importance of a college education.  And though many of our players throughout the years have found success both collegiately and on the national scene, we at COESC recognize that nowadays, the ever changing college recruiting process requires more than just good grades and playing ability, it requires a well thought out plan and exposure and persistence, among other things.

 

Beginning in the 2013-2014 playing season, COESC will provide the College Fit Finder ™ to each and every High School aged competitive team member, at no additional cost.

 

Greg Allen, Owner and CEO of ESN said, “A typical student-athlete beginning the recruitment process has a very vague and unclear picture of what they are looking for in a college experience.  They tend to have very few concrete preferences and usually get caught up in the “Name Game” of where they want to go.  Elite Scouting Network dissected the recruiting process of student-athlete and designed a comprehensive “do-it-yourself” tool to combat the issues faced during this difficult and daunting time.  A player can now research schools, find appropriate matches, save favorites, track and organize communication with college coaches, and get assistance in logically selecting a school that matches their needs.  “

For more information about the College Fit Finder or Elite Scouting Network and its other available services click on the link below.

 

College Fit Finder:  http://www.collegefitfinder.com/our-story/

 

Elite Scouting Network:  https://elitescoutnet.com/