How Do You Plan An Unofficial Visit?
During the recruiting process, your main goal is to figure out which school is the best fit for you. One of the best ways to do this is to take a tour of the university. You can tour the campus on either an official or unofficial visit. If you opt to take an unofficial visit to a school, there are some things you should plan ahead of time to have a successful visit.
To plan an unofficial visit, you should do some research and decide which schools you want to see. Reach out to the college coaches to schedule your unofficial visit when you can meet with them and tour their athletic facilities. If the coach cannot provide a tour of campus, sign up for your own with the admission department. Do note, the NCAA doesn’t allow for Division I coaches to meet with recruits until after August 1 of their junior year.
When planning unofficial visits, try to plan each visit close together if possible. For example, if you have to travel a few hours away to tour a school, try and schedule any visits to nearby schools that you’ve wanted to see as well. Stay away from busy weekends such as homecoming. Coaches will be less available during these weekends, and you may have more trouble finding accommodations when the campus is packed. If you have any questions about what dates to go or any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to your high school or club coach. Your current coach can help you prepare for an unofficial visit and coordinate some of the details.
How To Communicate With A Coach About A Visit
It can be nerve-wracking to think about contacting a college coach out of the blue to ask them to meet with you. However, college coaches are used to student-athletes reaching out to them and are always looking for their next top recruit. There are a few things you should keep in mind as you reach out to college coaches about attending an unofficial visit.
Gain Exposure: There are two main goals for an unofficial visit. You’ll want to be able to get a feel for the campus to see if it’s one of your top schools, and gain some exposure to the coaches. Connecting with the coach in person helps build your relationship and gives you a better chance of being recruited.
Email And Call: To set up an unofficial visit with a coach, start by sending an email to coordinate dates and availability. Hopefully, you will have already submitted an introductory email and made it on the coach’s radar. You can follow up your email with a phone call if you don’t hear back from the coach about the best times for a visit.
No matter how you communicate with a college coach, be sure to be polite and respectful. Coaches are evaluating your personality and character as well as your athletic skills. They want to see that you are interested in their program and have the confidence necessary to play college athletics.
What Do You Do On An Unofficial Visit
On an unofficial visit, you and your family will be responsible for paying for the trip, versus an official visit, where the school pays for everything. An official visit is planned out in advance by the school, while you will have to do more of the preparation for an unofficial visit. You have more freedom to explore on an unofficial visit and prioritize touring parts of campus that are important to you.
Before The Visit: Before planning an unofficial visit to a school, make sure you’ve established a relationship with the coach. If you have a strong relationship with the coach, you’ll be able to move forward in the recruiting process much quicker. Do your best to make sure that the coach knows who you are, has seen your highlight video and has verified your academic requirements before you go on an unofficial visit.
Talk With The Coach: Most college coaches will set some time aside to talk with you and your parents about the school and their team. Be sure to ask any questions you might have about their coaching style, the recruiting process and academic requirements. Your goal is to make a good impression on the coach, so prepare your questions beforehand.
Meet The Team: It’s important to know what the team dynamic is like and whether or not you will fit with the team. When you talk with the coach, ask if they can connect you with any team members. Sometimes, the team will organize a workout without the coach present so that recruits can practice with the team.
Tour Athletic Facilities: Coaches might also take you on a tour of the athletic facilities at the school if they have time. Take note of the athletic resources available to you and compare it with other schools that you’ve visited.
Tour Campus: On an unofficial visit, you’ll need to set up a tour of campus with the admissions department. A student tour guide will usually hit all the major spots on campus, including libraries, class halls and dining halls. After your tour is over, you can get a feel for the school on your own by hanging out on campus, checking out the housing options or eating in the dining hall.
Meet With An Academic Advisor: You might also set up an appointment with an academic advisor to talk about any academic requirements you might need to complete to be admitted. They can help you navigate requirements specific to the schools and more general guidelines established by the NCAA.
What To Wear: You should bring some workout clothes along with you, just in case you’re invited to practice with the team. Otherwise, you should wear a more formal outfit to make a good impression on the coach and staff.
Throughout the entire visit, it’s essential to take notes. Write things you like and don’t like about the school and any questions that come up during the tour. After the visit, you can go through your notes and compare them to other universities that you’ve visited. The goal of an unofficial visit is to evaluate how well you will fit in at the school. Can you picture yourself on campus and playing with the team? The more information you have about the school, the easier it will be to answer that question.
Can You Get An Offer On An Unofficial Visit?
An unofficial visit is often thought of as the less formal version of an official visit. On official visits, recruits get the VIP treatment and sit down with a coach to talk recruiting and offers. It’s common for coaches to make offers on official visits. However, unofficial visits are also necessary to boost your chances of getting an offer.
Meet In Person: Getting face to face time with a college coach is rare, with their busy schedules and a wide range of priorities. Maximize this time by asking insightful questions and confidently sharing your personality. Before the coach can make you an offer, they need to know if you will be a good fit for their program.
Go Early: If you are targeting Division II schools, unofficial visits are one of the only times college coaches can meet with underclassmen in person during the recruiting process. If you go on an unofficial visit when you’re early on in your high school athletic career, you put yourself on the coach’s radar for your recruiting class from the beginning. Reaching out to plan unofficial visits is also an excellent way to gauge interest from coaches early on.
While it’s less likely to receive an offer from a college coach on an unofficial visit, these visits are still relevant. Unofficial visits help you decide if you can envision yourself on campus, and whether or not you can be successful there. Thinking about what you want from your college experience will help you ask better questions and be more prepared about what you will say if you do get an offer from a college coach.
Things To Keep In Mind
NCAA Restrictions: To prevent early recruiting for Division I schools, the NCAA restricts student-athletes from arranging unofficial visits with college coaches until after the beginning of their junior year. Recruits can plan unofficial visits with college coaches for schools in other divisions at any time. Student-athletes can still attend unofficial visits of the campus before this date, but they just can’t coordinate with the college coach.
Unlimited: Student-athletes can go on as many unofficial visits as they want. The NCAA only restricts the number of official visits that student-athletes can take. Take advantage of unofficial visits to explore as many of your university options as possible.
Parents: It is common for parents to attend unofficial visits with their student-athletes. Parents are often influential in the decision-making process during recruiting, so they should visit schools, too. Most college coaches prefer parents to let the student-athlete speak up and ask questions on an unofficial visit. By giving them the lead, recruits can showcase their confidence and personality.