Visits

Although a video is a great way for initial contact and introductions, campus visits are an essential – and required – part of your search process.

Some schools offer on-line virtual tours and/or CDs with virtual tours. This may help further narrow your search as to where you might want to attend, plus it carries with it the added benefit of [virtually] visiting a school without the associated travel costs and time commitment.

Notwithstanding the convenience of a virtual tour, a personal campus visit allows you to get a feel for the environment, campus layout, lifestyle, coach, and team members. Don’t commit to a school, coach, or tennis program without first knowing if it’s the right fit for you. “Chemistry” between the coach, players, and you is essential since this is where you are going to spend the next few years of your life.

Visits are broken into two categories: Unofficial and Official; the biggest difference between the two is (1) who pays (2) how many visits you can accomplish.

Unofficial Visits: (1) You pay all costs (2) There is no limit to how many you can accomplish. These visits will be useful in helping you further narrow your list of potential schools. You can accomplish these anytime, but combined with tournaments or other trips, they should be considered as opportune stops in order to keep cost low. If time allows, contact the tennis coach and admission’s office to advise them of your intentions to visit to see if a tour can be arranged. If the trip coincides with a big sporting event (football, basketball, or a tennis match), then all the better since it will allow you to gauge the college atmosphere, or see the tennis team and coaching staff in action.

Official Visits: (1) School pays all costs (2) Limited to a maximum of five total visits per the NCAA guidelines. The coaching staff will coordinate with you to determine the best time for a visit dependant on your and the team schedule or home game sporting events. They will make all travel and lodging arrangements and all you have to do is show up at your appointed date and time. If you’re more interested in seeing a football or basketball game or a team tennis match (or practice), let the coach know. Seeing a football or basketball home game is a lot of fun and will allow you to gauge the school’s and student body atmosphere. Conversely, seeing a team match or practice has many benefits too. Visits will likely entail staying with a team member, a one-on-one meeting with the coaching staff, and maybe even a verbal offer for a spot on the team.

Note that under NCAA regulations, and dependant on the time of year, coaches are limited in the number of times they may contact you. Normally, they are restricted to once per week, and at other times, they may not contact you at all. However you, your parents, and coaches can contact coaches (e-mail, phone, and text messaging) limitless times. Keep the lines of communication open and ask as many questions as you can!

College Considerations:

  • Majors programs / academics
  • Career preparation (Summer/Master’s program, etc.)
  • Social/college lifestyle
  • Campus size
  • Teacher-student ratio
  • Cost (scholarships and financial aid)
  • Public/private
  • Religious affiliation
  • Clubs
  • Laundry service
  • Dining (normal/after hours; on/off campus)
  • Off-campus activities
  • Region/distance from home
  • Weather
  • Living arrangements (freshmen yr/follow-on yrs)
  • Car (some schools do not allow underclassmen to have cars)
  • Tennis opportunities
  • Fitness/training facilities and programs
  • Tennis (number of courts, on/off campus; lit/unlit; indoor/outdoor; both)
  • Student-athlete tutor’s program
  • Chemistry with coach and players

Questions to ask: You should try to ask the coach and players the same questions to ensure both agree. Sometimes the way the coach sees things may differ in how the players see things.

  • Training/tennis philosophy (hard charging / easy going / somewhere in between)
  • Hours of practice per week (on court / gym time)
  • Private lesson availability
  • GPA requirements to remain on team
  • GPA requirements to get out of mandatory study hall (most schools have study hall requirements for student athletes falling below a requisite GPA; freshmen will be required to have study hall their 1st semester)
  • Academic philosophy (skip practice to study for big exam?)
  • Normal travel schedule
  • Indoor / outdoor availability (are the courts lit?)
  • Athletic scholarship amount (if you are attending an out of state school and offered a percentage scholarship, the “percentage” is likely based on in-state tuition)
  • Books included in scholarship or separate?