How do I make a list of my TOP SCHOOLS?

The more specific your target is, the better chance you have of hitting it. Now, if you are a student-athlete that is not really sure about what your TOP COLLEGE choices are, I want to give you a quick exercise that will help you choose the BEST college for you.

WHAT DO YOU VALUE IN A COLLEGE?

At the end of the day, nobody knows how long your sports career is going to last, so I ALWAYS encourage my athletes to look at colleges from THEIR VALUES not from strictly a sports perspective.

The reason I encourage my athletes to look at college from THEIR VALUES is because EVERY decision we make as humans is based on our VALUES!  Now, imagine you have chosen a school based on YOUR VALUES, and you end up getting hurt and can’t play your sport anymore.  NO BIG DEAL because you based your college decision on YOUR VALUES, not on a coach, or how many people you can play in front of each week.  This way you will be HAPPY at the school of your choice whether you end being an All-American or never playing.

HOW DO YOU DETERMINE YOUR VALUES?

Here is how you can determine YOUR VALUES in a college.  Simply ask yourself, “What is MOST IMPORTANT to ME in my college experience?” As soon as you ask yourself this question, start writing down your answers.  For example, you might come up with a list like this:

Location

Education

Opportunity to play

Social Life on Campus

Size of school

Does it have the degree I am looking for

And there are many others.

I HAVE MY LIST OF VALUES…NOW WHAT?

Now, that you have your list of things you value in a college, now you want to write them in order of IMPORTANCE.  So from the example above, my list would change to this:

1. Education

2. Location

3. School has the exact degree I want

4. Opportunity to play

5. Social life

6. Size of school

As you can see, I have RANKED the items IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE TO ME.  Now, that I have my list of things I value in a college, now I can line up my list with the colleges I am researching, and see which ones match up the best with my values.  This EXERCISE will make your life and your college decision sooooo much easier.