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Be realistic with colleges and picking the right one

The first thing a student-athlete has to consider when looking at college choices is to be “Realistic”. This can be done by assessing yourself, many sports in college are a year round commitment. Students have to understand this will limited their time and will affect your college lifestyle.
You have to make sure you are being realistic about your athletic ability and level of commitment. Ask your high school/club/regional coach to provide assessments and recommend colleges matching both your academic and athletic needs. Be honest with college coaches and about your athletic abilities, academic standing, accomplishments and personal goals.

The first step with choosing a college is deciding where to apply. With over 3000 institutions in the USA this is a very hard decision. Below are a few suggests that could help:

Location

American is a massive country, with a diverse climate and landscape, so location is another important factor to consider when making college choices. Do you want to be in the East or West, North or South? Year-round sun or knee-deep snow? Small town where everyone knows your name, or big city where you can get lost in the crowd? Remember to consider travel from home – colleges in rural locations are often far from international airports, and may be virtually inaccessible without a car.

Type of colleges

There are three types of universities/colleges:

Comprehensive Schools

These are largely operated by states with geographical. These schools typically focus on undergraduate education, often, these offer great value and work best for budget conscious students.

Liberal Arts Colleges

These focus on strong undergraduate education operated by both the state and private systems. Many of these schools, offer elite education, but the private ones tend to be very costly.

Community/Junior Colleges

These largely focus on the first two years of post secondary education and grant associate’s degrees. Often, they are utilized as stepping-stones to the universities, but they do offer worthwhile stand alone programs.

Academics

At most American universities, you do not need to choose your major until after your first year, but you must consider academic offerings before you apply. If you have a particular major in mind, then check that the colleges on your list offer that subject. If you are still not sure what you want to study then ensure that the colleges on your shortlist offer majors in all your possible fields of interest. Most universities also require you to complete some sort of core curriculum – be sure to check these requirements carefully.

The above suggests are only a starting point to your lengthy applying process, good luck.