What To Bring On An Official College Visit?
Official visits are one of the most exciting elements of the recruiting process. It’s an opportunity for you to get a real sense of the environment on campus, the experience of the athletic program, and the necessary information to move forward. However, you’ll want to be prepared for this big moment, and part of this preparation is knowing what to bring on your official visit.
When you go on an official visit, you’ll want to have appropriate clothing, a list of prepared questions to ask coaches and players, and the right mindset and attitude. In addition, you might want to consider bringing the documentation you’ll need to send ahead of your visit in case everything isn’t squared aware when you arrive.
Preparing for an official visit is a combination between knowing what you’ll need to have with you and understanding the attitude and enthusiasm to bring so that you can make the best of the opportunity. We recommend that you check out our advice for what to bring on your official visit.
Paperwork To Complete And Bring
Before you go on your official visit, there’s a few logistical steps that need to be met, and this will require you to send some documents to the school or bring certain items with you on the visit.
NCAA Eligibility Center: If you’re taking a visit to a Division I or Division II school, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility center before you arrive on campus. This can be done on the NCAA Website. This step allows you to create a certification account, send important academic documents to the school, and receive an NCAA ID number. Having this is a necessity for you to actually be allowed to go on the official visit.
Coaches will usually ask for your NCAA ID number before the visit, but it’s helpful to bring a copy of this and other documents from your NCAA account so you have them if needed while on campus.
Institutional Request List: After completing your account with the NCAA Eligibility Center, you should make sure that the coach adds you to the Institutional Request List, which will allow your Eligibility Account to get cleared through the NCAA and the institution.
Again, you might want to bring any necessary documents from this process on your official visit so you’ll have them with you in case you need them at any point at the request of coaches, the NCAA, or the school’s admissions center.
Necessary Items To Bring
Aside from the formal documents above, there are various items that you might also want to bring on your official visit so that you’re prepared for different activities and situations that might take place on campus.
What To Wear: Deciding what to wear on an official visit is a common dilemma. You don’t want to underdress and look too casual or careless, but you also don’t want to go overboard and seem too intense. Our best advice would be to wear something nice like khakis and a collared shirt if you’re a boy, and if you’re a girl an adequate outfit could similarly be slacks or nice jeans with a collared shirt or nice top. When in doubt, lean on the side of overdressing, and really try to avoid wearing things like hats, sweatpants, hoodies, and things of that nature.
Other Clothes To Bring: An official visit can be filled with a number of different activities, so you should pack a few different outfits accordingly. You may be invited to some kind of workout or training exercise, so you should bring athletic clothing to be prepared for this. Additionally, many coaches bring recruits to nice dinners on official visits, so you may want to pack a proper outfit for a steakhouse or a fancy restaurant. Lastly, you will likely have some free time to socialize and hang out during your visit, so we recommend bringing some comfortable/casual clothes to wear during down time.
Money: This might seem obvious, but schools do pay for a majority of expenses when hosting recruits, so you might think you don’t need to bring any money on your visit. However, there could be other activities or circumstances that require you to spend money, so it’s smart to plan for that.
Team Apparel: A great way to show interest and enthusiasm on your visit is by wearing some of the school’s logos around campus. This will help show the coach that you’re proud to be there and excited about the opportunity, but it is not a necessity by any means.
School Work: Official visits usually take up a whole weekend, so it can be helpful to bring some school work with you so you don’t fall behind in your high school courses. You can potentially use your travel time or different patches of free time to stay on top of work and also demonstrate your serious attitude towards academics.
Sleeping Supplies: Sleeping situations can vary on different visits, but you’ll most likely be sleeping in a dorm, so it can be comforting to bring your own pillow and blanket so you’re prepared for any arrangement, whether it be a floor, a couch, or a bed.
Knowledge And Questions To Ask
Besides physical items and documents, it’s important that you arrive to campus with a positive attitude, knowledge and research of the school and athletic program, and a handful of questions to ask the coaches and players. The more research you do and the more questions you have prepared, the more the coach will be able to sense your genuine interest in the opportunity.
There are tons of questions that you might want to ask regarding the athletics, academics, and overall school environment, so these examples might be a helpful starting point for preparation.
Questions For The Coaches:
How do you see my skill set and playing style fitting in with the team? How can I improve or change my game to be a better fit? What would be your expectations for me in terms of performance and contribution level throughout my career? What are your greatest values as a team? What kind of philosophy do you take as a coach and how do the players adapt to it? What is the practice and workout schedule like? What’s the daily and weekly routine for the team in general? What’s the typical travel commitment? How do most players manage to balance academics while playing on the team? What resources are available to help with this? What kinds of majors and academic disciplines are offered at the school? Would I be able to major in ______ while playing on the team? What are your goals for the team in the future? What types of scholarships (academic or athletic) or financial aid are available?
Questions For The Players:
How do you like the coaching staff? Do you feel like they build a positive environment and treat players fairly? What do you do personally to improve and try to increase your contribution to the team? How is the team culture? Do most players get along and embrace the program’s values? How do you manage the athletic commitment and academic responsibility? What made you choose to play here over other schools that recruited you? Do you have any advice for me?
Again, these are just some example questions to get you thinking about the right topics to cover when you’re talking to coaches and players. You want to ask a lot of questions because it shows that you’re engaged in the opportunity, and more importantly it will give you a better sense of whether or not the school is the best fit for you.
We recommend that you write a handful of questions down and bring them with you on your visit, that way you won’t forget what to ask when it does come time to have conversations with different members of the program.
Things To Keep In Mind
Formal Documents: Remember that there are some formal steps that need to be taken before you go on your visit, such as registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center and reminding the coach to add you to the IRL. You should bring any documents related to these processes because it’s always safe to have them while you’re on campus and meeting with various members of the athletic program and academic offices.
Helpful Items To Have: There are certain physical items that can be helpful to bring on your visit so you’re best prepared for different activities and situations on your visit. Remember to bring outfits for various purposes, money, sleeping supplies, team apparel if you have it, and some things to occupy your free time like school work.
Ask Questions And Bring A Positive Attitude: Some of the most important aspects of your visit are the conversations that you’ll have with coaches, players, and academic staff. Be sure to have questions prepared that allow you to really get a sense of the school environment and the details of the team culture and commitment. Lastly, always bring a positive and open mind on your visit – take in the experience and get all the information you can, and demonstrate that you’re grateful and enthusiastic for the opportunity while doing so.