What Is An Official Visit?
You have likely been on a college campus before your senior year of high school; whether it be for a sporting event, an academic conference, or to tour. But these more casual visits are much different than what you may hear people call an “official visit.” If you have been invited by a coach to go on an official visit this is a very good sign that you are near the top of their recruiting list. Thus, it is important to take these visits seriously and understand what the trip entails.
A visit is deemed official anytime the university finances part or all of the student’s trip. They can last up to 48 hours and typically consist of a tour of the college campus and athletic facilities, a meeting with an academic advisor, and a chance for you to meet the college’s current team and coaching staff either in a workout or after a game. The descriptions in this article are quite typical of most official visits and will help you to understand what to expect.
An official visit is one of the most exciting parts of the college recruiting process. It means that a coach wants to take the time to meet you and show you their school and program. But you might be feeling nervous about what your visit will be like. This article will hopefully help ease your nerves and prepare you for an official college visit.
How Does An Official Visit Work?
It is important to start off by differentiating between an official and unofficial visit. The main aspect that differentiates the two is whether the college is paying for part of your visit or not. A college may pay for either or all of your transportation to the college, your hotel room, or meals. A coach should make it explicit in their message to you whether it is an official visit, but if not, you know it is so if they are offering to compensate you. An unofficial visit is when a coach invites you to the college to view a game or match and to meet with them without offering any compensation besides a ticket to the event.
Getting Invited To An Official Visit: A coach will let you know if they would like for you to come for an official visit by communicating with you via letter, email, or phone. You should not contact coaches asking to take an official visit as these are by invitation only.
Official Visit Limits: According to NCAA rules you can only take one official visit per school. This means that while you are allowed to visit the college campus multiple times, the school can only compensate you for one of those trips. Thus, it is important to take each official visit very seriously and try to picture what it would be like to attend that college. You are also only allowed to take 5 official visits to Division 1 colleges. Division 2 and Division 3 colleges do not have restrictions on how many official visits you are allowed to take. Thus, if you are recruiting Division 1, you should choose wisely which colleges you decide to take official visits to.
Eligibility Requirements: In order to be eligible for an official visit, you need to send your official transcript and SAT or ACT scores to the university as well as register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. These guidelines are set by the NCAA to regulate official visits. You can go on your first official visit for all sports except football and basketball as soon as you start your junior year of high school, but there are some “no contact” or “dead” periods depending on the sport in which you may not visit.
Official visits are a critical step in the recruiting process. That is why the NCAA creates rules and regulations around these visits. Many coaches may even end the official visit by extending you an offer. Thus, before you go on the trip make sure you anticipate what you may say if you are given an offer, whether it be accepting or asking for more time to decide.
What To Expect On Your Official Visit
Each college has different procedures when it comes to official visits and no two will be the same. However, there are some common themes in official visit itineraries as well as best practices that are standard across colleges.
Your Official Visit Itinerary: Your itinerary, or how you will spend your time at the college, will be the aspect of your visit that varies the most. But standard activities include meetings with the head coach and their coaching staff, a tour of the academic campus, a tour of the athletic facilities, a meeting with an academic advisor, a meal at one of the campus dining halls, and a chance to go to an athletic game or match. The coach will definitely fill your time with different activities and meetings so be prepared to have a busy day.
Be On Your “A” Game: It is important to remember that as soon as you step foot on the college campus until you leave you will be evaluated. This can seem extremely daunting, but if you stay confident, respectful, polite, and professional you will likely make a good impression. It is also important to show genuine interest and enthusiasm about the college and its athletic programs. This will let the coach know that you are actually interested in accepting an offer.
Be Up For Anything: Without a doubt your day and a half will be quite busy. You likely won’t know all that your visit entails until the day of so you must be open to anything. You will also likely be talking to a lot of different individuals from coaches, to current players, to faculty members and be placed in a lot of different environments. So prepare to keep your energy and stamina up and expect the unexpected.
It is important to remember that some programs have different budgets regarding how much they can spend on athletes for official visits as well as different activities they have planned. Thus, don’t compare between colleges based on the things you do at the official visit but on whether you can picture yourself at that college and see the coach and team as a good fit for you.
How To Prepare For An Official Visit
Once you have decided to go on an official visit, you may be wondering what steps you should take before you arrive. You should prepare for your official visit like you would a class presentation or an interview and follow the guidelines outlined below.
Do Your Research: Before you step foot on the college campus, make sure that you have done some research on the college, the athletic team, and the coach. This will help you prepare for any questions you receive as well as show that you have a genuine interest and curiosity to learn more about the college.
Prepare Questions: While there is no way to prepare entirely for your official visit as you might not know your itinerary until the day of, it is a good idea to prepare some questions that you may have about the college and the athletic team. This shows the coach that you are thoughtfully considering your options and are prioritizing finding a good fit.
It is very important to be polite, respectful, and confident the entire time you are on your official visit. Thus, make sure that you prepare to act in a courteous manner and show your interest and enthusiasm.
Things To Keep In Mind
Coaches Have Quotas Too: While you are only allowed to visit five official Division 1 colleges, coaches are likewise only allowed to host a certain number of athletes for official visits. Thus, if you are invited you should take this very seriously as a coach is showing great interest in you. You are also likely on their short list for potential scholarship offers. These official visits can sometimes be the deciding point in whether a coach offers you a scholarship or not.
Should My Parent Come?: Parents are allowed to go to official visits, but they should take a step back and let their child do most if not all of the talking. Coaches are not allowed to pay for parents travel to the college unless it is in the same car as the recruit, but they can pay for their meals and tickets to a game.
Be Honest: Coaches are likely to ask you about other colleges you are looking at and whether you have a tough decision to make. It may seem like a trick question, but you should be honest and tell the coach exactly what other schools you have visited or hope to visit. The coach will appreciate your sincere response and it will allow you to talk to them in an open dialogue about what their school can offer you compared to others.