Across the country this month Americans will be giving their time and energy, but not getting paid for it. What gives?

It's national volunteer month! A time when you have the opportunity to help your fellow Americans by volunteering.

April also encompasses National Volunteer Week. According to Nationalserviceresources.org:

"National Volunteer Week began in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing the week as an annual celebration of volunteering. Every president since has signed a proclamation promoting National Volunteer Week. Additionally, governors, mayors and other elected officials make public statements and sign proclamations in support of the event.

"During National Volunteer Week, thousands of volunteers around the country will be honored with local organizational awards for their community service. Thousands of organizations also will distribute the President’s Volunteer Service Award to their deserving volunteers. This award is the most prestigious volunteer award currently connected to the White House that all Americans can aspire to achieve. It provides organizations with the unique opportunity to bestow national and presidential recognition on their volunteers who have made a sustained commitment to service."

Interested in volunteering? Here are some resources to check in with:

• Volunteermatch.org —Matches users to volunteer opportunities with over 70,000 nonprofit organizations.
  
  

• Americorps — Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups. And, even better, members who complete service may be eligible for an Education Award of up to $4,725 ( to pay for college, graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans) plus living allowances during their term of service.
  
  

• Points of Light Institute — a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in the United States of America dedicated to engaging more people and resources in solving serious social problems.
  
  

• The Red Cross —Helps prepare communities for emergencies and keep people safe every day thanks in large part to volunteers.

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Searching for meaning in the season of giving? If you want to give back, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Volunteering can be as easy—and enjoyable—as pie if you seek out the right opportunities. [gate]

Are you a people person? The next Top Chef? Whatever your strengths, put them to good use this holiday season by sharing them with those in need, making a difference in the meantime.

Check out our suggestions of places always in need of you do-gooders.

1. Homeless Shelters are in constant need of volunteers, especially during the holiday season. It may be through meal service assistance or, even, as a visitor to lend an ear to someone who may be suffering and deliver some needed conversation and companionship.

2. Soup Kitchens are always looking for onsite volunteers for set-up and clean-up, cooks and, of course, people to provide a warm atmosphere that will allow the homeless to have a Thanksgiving meal that can enjoy with the dignity and respect they deserve.

3. A Food Bank needs help organizing donation drives, collecting and assembling collected items for food bag or box donations for those in need. They usually also need assistance with packing trucks and delivering items, as well as volunteer transportation.

4. A Nursing Home is a great place to volunteer since many elderly people experience loneliness and isolation among the holiday season, especially if they don’t have families to share it with. Nursing homes always welcome volunteers to socialize and visit with residents and, during the holiday season, may host events, such as Thanksgiving meals or meet-and-greets, where you can volunteer in other ways. For example, show off that special musical talent and tickle those ivories for some elders. They’ll appreciate it more than you can imagine.

5. Animal Shelters are often forgotten about on most holidays, but animals need care on those days, too. If you prefer friends of the four–legged variety, you can still volunteer. Shelters can always use volunteers ready to give out some extra attention and TLC to these seemingly forgotten fur balls. Jobs are readily available taking care of the animals, playing with them, cleaning up after them or, if you’re looking for a slightly longer commitment, fostering a rescue animal over the holidays. If you love animals, there are always opportunities to help those in need.

6. A Domestic Violence and/or Women and Children’s Shelter is a wonderful place to volunteer, especially if you love children. Domestic Violence Shelters often need assistance with looking after children in the program while staff members work one-on-one with the women discussing adult issues. Often times, aiding these mothers with their children gives them some much needed relief of the overwhelming stresses they've been experiencing, particularly if they family has been suffering during the holidays.

7. A Church, Temple Mosque or Any Other Religious Location usually hosts holiday meals for those in need or the elderly and donation drives they will likely need assistance with. Most religious locations will accommodate any last minute volunteers, so no worries if you haven’t planned ahead.

8. Hospitals can be scary, especially when you’re all alone. As long as hospitals will always have inpatients that could use visitors, there will always be a need for caring and compassionate volunteers. A simple visit can steer away the lonely holiday days and help brighten theirs—as well as your own.

9. A Community Center or other government location often hosts events like community meals for those in need or the elderly, donation drives to food banks or shelters and, even telethons or walks and races for great causes within the community.

10. Colleges and Other Schools often host community dinners and are in need of volunteers to help with cooking, cleaning, service and transport for local senior citizens or can host holiday events for organizations, like local women and children’s shelters or domestic violence shelters.






Do you have any other suggestions you'd add to our list?

There’s controversy in the air, causing some to wonder: how far should schools go in terms of political correctness? [gate]

According to the Huffington Post, the move that sparked the debate was Chapel Hill’s University of North Carolina striking the word “freshman” from all of its official documents in favor of term they've deemed more “gender inclusive.”

The term “freshman” has been replaced with the new, believed-to-be-more-appropriate-term, “first-year student.”

The ironic twist in the story is that the change actually happened in 2009, but media attention was aroused when a Fox news reporter, John Stossel, caught wind of the modification while taping a segment for his Fox Business Network show on UNC’s campus.

Additionally, the Chapel Hill School said, in a statement to the Campus Reform blog, that they are “committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our community.”

As if the one term weren't enough to ensure a debate, UNC's statement to the Campus Reform blog continued.

“Consistent with that commitment, gender inclusive terms (chair; first-year student; upper-level student, etc.) should be used on University Documents, websites and policies.”

In plain English, this means “chairman” is gone because it’s similar to “freshman.” But, why change the other terms as well? Here’s some light-hearted speculation.

The term “sophomore” is derived from “sophomoric,” which when translated becomes wise and foolish at the same time. Meaning: wiser than "freshman"—excuse us—"first-year students" but a lot left to learn.

"Junior" is likely offensive because, though not gender specific, can be taken as an inferior or subordinate term.

"Senior?" Well, nobody should be dubbed as a higher ranking level if we’re going to get hyper-sensitive about everything else. Plus, nobody wants to be called old.

None of the aforementioned speculation, by the way, has to do with gender but it’s the best we could come up with.

Cue the jokes, followed by everyone’s two cents worth.

Undoubtedly, reactions have been strong. Some believe the move is mocking feminism because it is unlikely that many serious complaints have been filed over the term actually being sexist. Others disagree, saying that many schools have updated the term, and they are glad that UNC finally followed suit.

Who knows? Perhaps, some students were offended by the terms. If that were the case, then the school did the right thing in accommodating their students and amending the documents.

Otherwise, we’re just a little bit curious what brought all this urgency for political correctness on in the first place.






How far is too far in the name of political correctness?

Arguably the most frustrating part of college, and life in general, is that there never seems to be enough time in the day. One quote managed to change my thinking on this matter, though, and it was a statement attributed to H. Jackson Brown, Jr. [gate]

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This idea is so impactful because it is simply the truth. As an example, one of my loftiest New Year’s resolutions was to read 99 books in 2012. Most college students are lucky to find the time to read 10 books a year, including those they are expected to read for class, and I often hear people say that they don’t have enough time to read. That breaks my heart, because it isn't about having time, it’s about making time – says the girl with only 11 books left and two months to go.

However, I understand that making time is a pretty radical idea, so I set out to find ways to, at the very least, give the illusion of having more time. It is decidedly easier in college because we have more autonomy over our lives and more control over where we might be at any point in the day. At the same time, I think that makes us more accountable for how wisely or unwisely we spend those precious moments.

Luckily, there are simple ways to change how we think about time and increase our efficiency.

Get rid of activities that are wasting your time. Start out by identifying organizations or other commitments that exhaust you and seem to take an abnormally long time to complete. Maybe those four hours you spend interning somewhere you don’t enjoy could be better spent working somewhere fun or volunteering in your community.

Limit yourself. Only check Facebook twice daily, or do as much of your homework offline as possible. On a smaller scale, unplug. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and the Internet in general are basically giant black holes when it comes to sucking up valuable time.

Prioritize. I love making to-do lists, but they don’t actually do me any good unless I number each task, ranking them in importance so I don’t waste time later deciding how my day, afternoon, or night should be spent. If the assignment is especially big, break it down into sections to make it more manageable, and reward yourself for completing tough projects.

It can also help to start off by doing a smaller task to get yourself in the right mindset; I love how productive I feel after sending an email or cleaning my desk, and I can ride that wave of energy and that feeling of accomplishment into the next, bigger task.

Obey your alarm clock. I am not a fan of the idea of Americans as slaves to time, but actually waking up when you intend to (and for that matter, going to sleep when you say you will) can save you at least 30 minutes if you are as snooze-button-inclined as I usually am. There is nothing like the empowering, satisfying feeling of climbing daintily out of bed when I first hear my phone in the morning instead of springing up in a hurry when I noticed I've overslept.

This is easier said than done, of course, but I think there are little ways to help yourself. The sillier way: practice setting your alarm and jumping right out of bed to train your body into remembering and reacting in the same way later. The second way, maybe just as silly, is to set reminders in your phone for why you will feel good when you do wake up; for example, I just changed my reminder from “yummy breakfast” to “warm shower” to match this cold autumn weather!

I think we have to remember, too, that time is a construct, and it has whatever meaning or importance we choose to give it. That is what I remind myself when I see an old friend and know I will feel better, in retrospect, about catching up with her than getting a head start on next week’s paper, or when I use my Saturday morning to finish a good book instead of sleeping in a few hours.

Everyone gets the same number of hours in a day, but we decide how best to spend them – and that’s enough for me.

Two weekends ago, I ventured three hours out of "Naptown" (the locals’ only, affectionate name for Indianapolis) into deep Chicago traffic in order to be wooed by the almighty Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. While visiting this beautiful campus on my first college visit, I learned many things. Here is some backwards advice on how to have the worst college visit ever. [gate]

While driving into the campus, through the quaint college town it inhabits, make sure to close your eyes so you don't get to see the city of the college. Trust me; you don't want to see anything of your potential home for the next four years. Make it a surprise for when you arrive freshman year! It couldn't possibly influence your college decision that much.

Next, make sure you go straight to your tour, if you had bothered to schedule a tour anyway. You don't want to get lost on the big campus and immerse yourself in the college experience. It is way too dangerous and exciting. Not to mention, the tour will show you absolutely everything you want to see about the college, insider experiences and all from the trained, smiling tour guides. To explore the college on your own would simply be disastrous.

Most importantly, do not talk to any currently enrolled students of the college. What do they know, right? In fact, I would suggest staring at them like they're aliens, because they pretty much are. College students are an entirely different species and you don't want to provoke them with questions, who knows what the consequences could be.

Worse than that, would be to visit the home of these aliens– a residence hall. I advise to stay far, far away from those. I repeat: do not visit a residence hall. The mere glimpse of a dorm will cause you to turn, run in fear and never to apply to college.

Also, make sure to avoid visiting the department of the major you are considering. That is the number one place you want to stay away from. The people in there do not have advice on your interest and absolutely no insight to offer. They will probably tell you that it was the worst decision of their life, and that would be a bad experience for any potential student.

On second thought, maybe you just shouldn't go on a college visit.




What are your tips for getting the most out of a college visit?

“Are you free Friday night?”

Yes, actually, it’s the only night I am free, I think to myself, sadly. It’s frustrating. Personally, I really do enjoy keeping busy. I feel useless without having something to do. Hey, everybody’s different. [gate]

My best friend constantly bemoans her lack of free time, as she juggles a part-time job, her volunteer swim coaching gig, and her volunteer project at our local zoo. She enjoys every one of them and she learns life lessons from the experiences

“With coaching, I really feel like I’m making a difference, and I want to make these kids approach swimming like I do,” she enthused to me one late night after practice.

Yes, we both complain about the strain it causes on our lives, and we wonder if it’s worth it. The struggle to balance our school work, our extracurricular activities and still attempt to maintain a social life is not a easy. It’s tempting to want to just sit at home, curl up into a ball and hide under your very soft blanket.

Despite all these things crushing down upon us, we continue to work beyond just the classroom. Extracurricular activities do have more benefits than just college applications. They teach us to better handle life’s ups and downs and how we should never just focus our efforts solely on one area in life.

My parents like to think that it keeps kids out of trouble.

“Less idle time means less trouble,” my stepmother preaches.

She signed my stepbrother up for sports from the age of three and he’s been playing basketball, football and baseball ever since.

When I entered high school, I wanted to participate in something. I joined Upward Bound, an organization that assists students who were low-income and first generation in their families to attend college. It kept me busy and I learned a lot more from joining than if I just stayed at home studying every night.

Our college counselor, Ms. Inouye, always reminds us at our annual counselor presentation to get involved, with something. She likes to relate the story of a former student who was just short of a genius, but was rejected from most of the colleges he applied to. He was a straight-A student, and couldn't fathom why he would ever be rejected. When asked what he did after school, he replied: “I finish all my homework, do some chores then--I play Xbox.”
“Well, there was his problem, students. Colleges and prospective employers don’t want to hear about how you beat your high score on Halo. They want to hear about what you learned putting in 15 hours of practice for a baseball team. They want to hear about dedication, responsibility,” Ms. Inouye said.

On the other hand though, admissions representatives can smell a faked resume from a mile away. Don’t just join a bunch of things because they look good, and for a short amount of time. Join something you really enjoy and stick with it.

If you’re really into film, join the media club. Not only will you have something to put on your resume, you can learn about the field you’re interested in. You can meet people who have the same interests as you, and you can get hands-on experience doing what you love. If you love sports, join an athletic team. You make friends beyond the usual circle you hang out with, and learn to work as a team.

The skills you learn in school clubs and teams are useful beyond school: the ability to work on a team and development of good communication skills are traits that college admissions and prospective employees look for. Get your hands dirty, but only with things you enjoy.

It also enriches the high school experience knowing that you had a thing you did--not related to school, not related to friends, but related to something you truly enjoy. And really, isn't that what high school’s all about?

Hi, my name is Brandon, and I…am an overachiever. Alright, all joking aside, this is something that can be one of the most stressful aspects of your life. You maintain high grades while working part-time and you’re involved with more than a couple extra-curricular activities. Not to mention helping out in the community and participating in school sports, activities and other hobbies in and outside of school.

Now, you may not have all of these things on your plate, but it’s likely you have a good majority of them you know how stressful it can be. There’s only one word to sum up this “do-it-all” personality type for you: overachiever. [gate]

Yes, a lot of people may take that adjective as an insult or get offended by the terminology because some people use it in a condescending tone. However, there’s no reason to get upset– it’s a part of who you are and what makes you an individual.

A self-proclaimed overachiever, I've been overwhelmed for years by taking advanced classes, helping out at my church, bowling on a league and going to tournaments, participating in multiple extra-curricular activities, being a drummer in the band, maintaining a part-time job, staying at the top of my class, and writing and finishing my first novel.

Through all of this, I've learned how to help deal with everything. The urge to give up and shoot yourself in the foot…multiple times, is a lot easier to cope with and suppress if you develop the right tools. There are three that I have learned to utilize that will help you more than anything.

1. Find a hobby that you’re really passionate about. No matter what you do, do it and enjoy it. It’s always helpful to lose yourself in an activity that you really care about. If you’re a writer, carry a notebook and write about something any time you can. If you’re a singer, find some alone time and belt out one of your favorite songs. Or, if you’re feeling brave, feel free to do it in a crowd of people; just don’t blame me if you get some weird stares.

2. Spend time with your friends. If you find a day, or even just an afternoon, where your busy life is not preoccupying you, see if you can spend some time with your friends and just have fun.

3. Take some time to relax. It can be taking off of work, having a stay-in, do nothing, pajama day, or maybe taking an entire personal day to get some sleep or take a few steps back from the mental cliff you’re currently dangling over. A you-day may be just what you need to recover.

No matter how in-over-your-head you’re feeling or how much you have going on in your life, it’ll all be worth it in the end. That heavy load you've put onto yourself will help you get into that perfect college. If you’re already in college, it’ll help shape you into an individual that will make you stand out and get the job you've always wanted.

So remember to relax and look toward the future. This craziness is worth it; you just need to hang in there. You’re the only one who can live your life, so make it one worth remembering.

During this election season, it’s often been a game of he said-he said. Americans rarely, if ever, get insight into where the candidates’ heads--and not their speech writing teams' or campaign managers'--are at when it comes to certain issues.

In a recent issue of Time, the candidates let readers in on their thoughts on higher education in two separate-but-equal articles. Here are highlights and excerpts from both articles, where each shared their personal views, in their own words. [gate]

Obama’s Thoughts: "Don't Stop Now"

• Giving our kids the best education possible shouldn't be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue—it’s an
  American issue.




• Today more than ever, the education we provide for our children and our workers is the key to a good job and a
  secure middle-class life.




• The good jobs of tomorrow will demand more than a high school education.




• As we work to graduate more students prepared for college and a career, we’re also working to make higher
  education more affordable.




• In a 21st century economy, higher education cannot be a luxury; it is an economic necessity every family should be
  able to afford.




• Hiring more teachers actually does grow the economy.




• Together, we can recruit 100,000 math and science teachers over the next decade.




• No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money.




• We can work with colleges and universities to cut tuition growth in half over the next 10 years.




• There’s no substitute for a good school or the teacher who stands at the front of the classroom.




• No company should have to look for workers in China because it couldn't find any with the right skills here at home.



• We can give 2 million workers the chance to attend their local community college and arm themselves with the skills
  that will lead directly to a job.

• Today our higher-education system faces serious challenges.




• Innovation is only part of the solution.




• We must also address costs.




• Endless government support only fuels skyrocketing tuition.




• It is crucial that we focus not only on access to higher education but also on successful completion.




• Far too many students drop out before finishing their degree, ending up disenchanted and in debt.




• We need to make sure that students have the support and preparation they need to thrive in a post-secondary
  environment.




• Our economy is demanding more advanced skills and more varied skills every day.




• We also need to expand the options available to students.




• While the federal government has an important role to play in providing access through financial aid, the
  uncontrolled flood of federal dollars into the system is not the answer.




• Our higher-education system must be responsive to these demands if it is to offer students an attractive return on
  their investment, prepare them for successful careers and help America compete in the global marketplace.




• Other models of advanced skills training are becoming ever more important to success in the American economy,
  and new educational institutions will be required to fill those roles.

So, wherever you stand politically, remember the issues that are most important to you when headed to the polls. If you’d like to compare the candidates’ written words with their track records, check out our Election 2012 article.

Who are you voting for this November?

The highly sought after college athletic scholarship is often a high school athlete’s dream. The seed is planted in the heads of children playing peewee football and tot soccer and rears its head most noticeably during an athlete’s high school junior or senior year season – the notion that playing well, hard work and practicing for hours on end equals a full ride. The reality is that it doesn’t.

According to Mark Kantrowitz and FinAid.org, approximately 1% to 2% of undergraduate students in Bachelor's degree programs receive athletic scholarships, equaling a total of about $1 billion a year. While that monetary amount is growing at a rate of 4.5% year over year, the percentage of those that actual receive athletic scholarships has not risen higher than 1.8% since 1995-1996.

Of that 1% to 2% who receive athletic scholarships - here’s who those students are according to the paper “Backgrounder: Athletic Scholarships” by Mark Kantrowitz written May 2011:

*More Men Receive Athletic Scholarships than Women*

Despite improvements in leveling the distribution of athletic scholarships over recent years, men continue to receive a disproportion amount of athletic scholarships over women. In 2007-2008 1.6% of men received athletic scholarships in relation to the 1.1% of women who received them, compared to 2.4% of men and 1.0% of women who received them in 1992-1993. If the leveling of the distribution of athletic scholarships between males and females continues at its current rate, it will take up to 17 years before men and women are receiving athletic scholarships at the same rate.

*African-American or Black Students Receive the Greatest Share of Athletic Scholarships among Minority Students*

Among minority students enrolled in Bachelor’s degree programs, African-American or Black students receive a greater number of athletic scholarships (22.8% in 2007-2008) as compared to other minority groups of students including Asian and Hispanic students. Asian students receive the lowest number of athletic scholarships, 0.1% in 2007-2008.

*Minority Students Receive Athletic Scholarships Roughly in Proportion to Non-Minority Students*

As a whole, minority students receive athletic scholarships roughly in proportion to their prevalence among students enrolled in Bachelor’s degree programs. In 2007-2008 of those who received athletic scholarships 65.2% were White and 22.8% were Black.

*Most Undergraduate Athletic Scholarship Recipients Hold a B- to B Average*

Of students enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program and who have earned an athletic scholarship in the year 2007-2008, the largest percentage of students earned a 2.5-2.9 GPA, equivalent to a B- to a B average. That number compared to the average GPA of non-recipients shows those students have a slightly higher GPA. Most non-recipient students enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree program in 2007-2008 held an average GPA of 3.0-3.4 equivalent to a B to A- average.

See What Bad Boy Athletes Are Doing to Help Students

*Most High School Athletic Scholarship Recipients Hold a B to A- Average*

Of students enrolled in high school and who have earned an athletic scholarship in the year 2007-2008, the largest percentage of students earned a earned a 3.0-3.4 equivalent to a B to an A-. As with the undergraduate students shown above, students who did not earn an athletic scholarship had a slightly higher GPA. The highest percentage of non-athletic scholarship recipient students in 2007-2008 earned a 3.5-4.0 GPA, equivalent to an A- to an A average.

*Students Who Did Not Earn an Athletic Scholarship Have Higher Test Scores*

Students who did not earn an athletic scholarship also displayed slightly higher SAT and ACT scores. In 2007-2008 those who earned an athletic scholarship scored an average 56-points behind on the SAT as those students who did not. The average SAT score for non-recipients was 1045, for recipients the average score was 989. The same findings appeared with the ACT as students who earned an athletic scholarship earned 1.4 points less than those students who did not, the average ACT score for non-recipients was 22.5, for recipients the average score was 21.1.

Kantrowitz's paper goes on to examine the breakdown of recipients by graduation rates, income and institution. For more information on athletic scholarships visit FinAid.org.

If you thought cheating was the easy, quick way to better grades, turns out you're wrong. A new study indicates that students who cheat on homework actually learn less and are more likely to fail exams--and the overall course.

Physical Review Special Topics- Physics Education Research, a free online journal, recently published the results of a test four individual staff members from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) department of physics, conducted on students who copy homework.

The 11-page document detailed the way in which students were tested using a web-based tutorial homework system called MasteringPhysics.com. The system was used for the four largest introductory calculus-based classes in the physics department at MIT. The calculus-based intro classes are a requirement for all MIT undergrads.
MasteringPhysics.com was an online homework assignment that not only tracked student’s answers but how fast they answered.

According to the document multiple problems were blocked out to students using the online system until the previous question was answered. Copying was detected by measuring how fast average students, or “real time solvers,” answered the questions compared to “quick solvers.” The “quick solvers” answered the question in less than one minute, which is insufficient time to read the problem and enter the answers, it was then inferred that these students were not intellectually engaging in the question and consequently copying their answers.

The results of the test are as follows, according to the document there is considerable research that shows that doing homework leads to greater learning. The document states that “the correlation between copying online homework and declining academic performance, relative to those who do not copy is extraordinary strong.” Finally, the most striking correlate with repeated homework copying (students that copied more than 30% of their answers) is severely declining performance relative to class average.

Conclusion: Copying Does Not Pay Off

The document concludes that online homework copying is very likely a significant fraction in overall course failure. So listen up students, not only can online homework copying be detected but it can actually lead to the eventual failure of the course. To avoid this pitfall get started on homework before its due date, give yourself ample time to complete the assignment honestly by putting in the work instead of resorting to other means. Doing the work now will pay off in the end when it comes to your final grade.

In the increasingly competitive chase for college athletic scholarships, there is no such thing as preparing too early or too much. For better or worse, the recruiting process now begins as soon as a student-athlete begins high school – and occasionally earlier - and awaiting a call from a coach during one’s junior or senior year will now leave a recruit behind the curve. As the demand for scholarships continues to grow, even the most talented athletes must proactively reach out to coaches and programs to express interest and cultivate relationships. Contrary to popular belief, one's high school coach typically plays only a minor role in the pursuit of a scholarship; the bulk of this responsibility rests with a student-athlete and his or her family.

Another common misconception about recruiting is that coaches scout and identify talent by attending games, tournaments, combines and camps around the country, or by watching highlight videos produced and distributed by athletes themselves. The reality, though, is that most coaches lack the time and resources necessary to do this sort of preliminary legwork, and instead much prefer to rely on comprehensive and verified information provided to them by third-parties with whom the coaches have worked successfully in the past. As such, it’s important that reliable sources be made aware of student-athletes’ athletic and academic abilities, to ensure that this information ends up in the hands of college coaches.

Although coaches do attend tournaments and camps, it is not to discover new talent, but is rather to follow-up on leads from recruiting services and other sources. Likewise, a coach is far more likely to view a video if it is delivered to them, by request or suggestion, from a trustworthy third-party. It’s very important that an edited video be available online, so that a coach can quickly and easily access it to determine whether a student-athlete deserves an in-person evaluation.

Successfully navigating the recruiting process can be complicated, frustrating and time-consuming, but given the degree to which a college scholarship can impact the rest of one’s life, few things seem more worth the energy and preparation.

Join the NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network by building a free Recruiting Profile to help you connect with college coaches - Click Here!

Pretend, for a moment, that you’re a college coach. Each and every day, you’re bombarded with countless standardized emails from potential recruits, all of whom insist they’d “love to come and play for your school.” After years playing the recruiting game, though, you’re too savvy for this tactic, and you realize that many of these prospects have sent an identical email of “sincere interest” to dozens of other schools. Now let’s imagine that one of these emailer-recruits shows up on your campus, having funded the visit on his own dime, and tells you in person that he’d “love to come and play for your school.”This expression of interest is a little harder to doubt, huh?

Unofficial visits are an incredibly important way for an athlete to prove to a college coach that he or she is genuinely interested in a particular school. While they lack the glamour and cachet of “official” visits - remember He Got Game? - unofficial visits can serve many of the same purposes, and can potentially be more effective than official visits for purposes of showing true interest. While the number of unofficial visits a recruit can take is unlimited, as contrasted with the restrictions on official visits, presumably no athlete can personally fund visits to every school he is merely considering, so a coach can’t help but take your interest seriously. By following these few basic guidelines, you can both maximize the impact of your visits and save yourself a bit of money along the way.

First, and most importantly, come up with a list of schools you can realistically see yourself attending. Next, plan to visit schools on a date when you’re certain the coach will be on campus, perhaps on a weekend when other recruits are being entertained. Contact the coach and let him know you’re planning to visit, and request a meeting to discuss the university, the program, and your interest. It’s also helpful to contact the admissions office before the meeting, both to learn a bit about the school academically and to schedule a guided tour of the campus.

Just because the visit is “unofficial” doesn’t mean you should come unprepared think of it as a preliminary job interview. Marc Thibeault, of John Carroll University, can attest to the impression given by an unprepared recruit on an unofficial visit: “ I can’t tell you how many times a recruit shows up with holes in his jeans, hat backwards, earring in and really has no questions when they visit.” If you’re hoping for a scholarship offer from a school, why not take the time to prepare some thoughtful questions about the direction of the program, or about the school’s academic reputation, so that a coach understands you’re responsible and concerned about your future?

Don’t be fooled into thinking of unofficial visits as the “ugly cousin” of official visits. In some sense, unofficial visits are a tool to “officially” establish your interest in a school, at least as far as the coach is concerned, and so they’ll help you immediately be taken more seriously as a potential recruit. Plan ahead and come prepared, so you won’t waste your and family’s valuable time and money.

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In many ways, negotiating for an athletic scholarship is exactly like negotiating for just about anything. As anyone who has seen Jerry Maguire or an episode of Entourage can appreciate, successfully negotiating for something can be as simple as convincing your negotiating partner that you can offer something he absolutely needs. A program has something you want or need (scholarship money), and so you must show the program that you have something they want or need (a talented student-athlete). The key to negotiating for a scholarship is effectively leveraging the uncommon assets and characteristics you bring to the table as a student-athlete, so that a program can feel comfortable offering you a share of its limited pool of scholarship money.

It's important to remember that schools place great value on student-athletes who have unique skills other than simply their ability to play a particular sport. At Division III and Division I non-scholarship programs, for example, purely athletic scholarships are not offered, so an athlete's ability to play the saxophone, tap-dance or edit the high school yearbook can help earn the scholarship money necessary to allow him or her to play a sport at the college level. These schools are attracted to athletes to whom they can offer academic, need-based, or non-need-based scholarships, making performance in the classroom just as valuable as on-the-field talent when it comes to negotiating for a scholarship. Although a school's initial interest in you results from athletic talent, your extracurricular and academic talents can open the door to better scholarship offers, so be sure to make these schools aware of these special skills.

The more interest or offers you have received, the more valuable and attractive you will appear to coaches, and thus the more power you'll have to negotiate for scholarship money. Be sure that any school in which you're interested is aware that you've received active interest from other schools, and that you haven't placed all of your eggs in their basket. Programs don't want to 'miss the boat' on a great recruit, and, perhaps more importantly, they don't want to risk watching you accept an offer from a rival. Don't be afraid to initiate a friendly bidding war between rival schools vying for your talent. If a school believes that it is your primary or only option, it won't find it necessary to offer you a particularly generous scholarship.

Lastly, remember that no negotiation is truly complete until both sides have signed on the dotted line. In the scholarship context, this means that a student-athlete mustn't rely on undocumented promises from coaches, and should always keep his or her options open until the official signing of the offer from a school. Be sure to ask for the scholarship offer in writing, and always know how much time you have to accept the offer.

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College coaches are evaluating prospects during every single interaction. Whether the coach is watching film, talking to an athlete on campus or watching them deal with a loss after a high school game, each observation is a chance to make assumptions about the prospect. It is important for every recruit to understand what sort of things might leave a negative impression with a college coach.

After surveying and interviewing former and current college coaches, we came up with a list of the most common “turn offs” that ALL recruits should be aware of!

In no particular order:

- Student athletes asking about scholarships on the first email or visit they have with the coach.

- Student athletes being rude to their parents.

- Student-athletes acting like they are “too good” or above that particular school.

- Student athletes coming to a visit unprepared. For example, having no prior knowledge of the school or team.

- Student-athletes being quiet on the phone with only one word answers to their questions. Coaches understand that prospects can be nervous, but make sure you do not seem disinterested!

- Student-athletes not being honest about their interest level in that school.

- Student-athletes who call or email too frequently.

- Student-athletes acting inappropriately on a recruiting visit. For example, partying too much.

- Parents being too involved.

- Student-athletes who misrepresent their academic and athletic information.

- Student-athletes not responding in a reasonable amount of time.

- Student-athletes not providing the necessary info. For example transcripts and video.

- Student-athletes who do not personalize their correspondence with college coaches. For example, writing an email or a letter with “Dear Coach” instead of using the actual last name.

- Student-athletes arranging a campus or home visit and not showing.

- Unrealistic opinion and promotion of the student-athlete by parents, high school coaches, or the athletes themselves.

Do any of those sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Many athletes and families make mistakes throughout the recruiting process. The list above certainly is not all encompassing and there are many other pitfalls a recruit can succumb to. In most cases, the mistake might not immediately result in a prospect’s name being crossed off the list, but it certainly will not help…and given the importance of this process, why risk it?

Think about it like this. A college coach is looking at two prospects. Both have almost identical academics and athletics. One prospect comes to a recruiting trip and parties too much and misses curfew while the other gets to bed on time and has a productive visit. Which prospect do you think will be higher on that coach’s recruiting list?

Read more in the NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

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Recruits are always wondering what they can to do improve their recruiting process. Here are 35 steps that ALL recruits can take to get one step closer to an athletic scholarship opportunity. (In no particular order)

1. Be aggressive. Don’t contact a coach one time and give up if you don’t hear back. Email a coach and wait a few weeks. If you don’t hear back from them in 3-4 weeks, try calling. If you get a voicemail, leave a message and also send an email. Reach out up to 3 different times and if a coach doesn’t respond after those attempts, then move on from that school.

2. Bring up visiting a school to that coach. Don’t wait for them to bring it up to you.

3. Use all the help you can get. Talk to your high school and club coaches and outside sources. They can help you with any connections and relationships they might have. Most parents do not have a network of college coaches…but trusted sources might.

4. Don’t rely too much on email. A personalized note or handwritten letter could go a long way towards separating you from other recruits.

5. Give more than just 1 word answers to coaches – show them your personality!

6. When visiting a school, remember that the current players are reporting back to the coaches so be cautious of what you say and how you handle yourself. Also, take advantage of the opportunity and ask them about the coach, school, program etc. Why did they choose this school over others?

7. The athlete should email a coach his/her information before just calling a coach. Definitely a good thing for them to be calling the coaches and being proactive but don’t just cold call coaches – they need to have some information on you before giving them a call.

8. Coaches are recruiting you – not your parents. Be sure to manage all of the communications.

9. College coaches talk to one another – maintain respectful and professional communication with all coaches.

10. College coaches want to see Varsity level film – this helps them create a better evaluation based on the level of play.

11. Coaches don’t want music and all of the fluff that is on most highlight videos.

12. Make sure that you have an appropriate voicemail greeting and email address to give to coaches – you don’t want to give coaches an email like 2hott4you@email.com or have music playing for 3 minutes on your voicemail greeting.

13. Make sure you have an appropriate photo on your scouting report. Coaches don’t need to see you taking a picture of yourself in the mirror.

14. You should contact a coach before any visit to a school.

15. You should contact a coach before and after going to a camp to ensure an evaluation.

16. Take advantage of the calling rules. Coaches cannot call you or return your phone calls, and you will get VMs quite frequently—use this to your advantage. You may get a lot of voicemails, but leave a message. When you leave the message, tell them exactly when YOU will call back. This will do two things for you: 1) Better chance of getting on the phone with the coach. 2) Good idea of where you are on the recruiting board. (if you are high, you better believe the coach will be at his desk when you call in again).

17. Do not wait for a coach to contact you…initiate the contact.

18. When you open an email from a coach, make sure you respond within 12-24 hours. College coaches can track and see when you’ve opened the email, so if you do not respond for a week or two, you will not be taken serious.

19. Talk to some older athletes who have “been there”. It helps so much to learn from athletes about what playing in college at different levels is actually like. Athletes are shocked sometimes when they show up for D1 programs and were not aware of how much it actually entailed.

20. Ask the coach the tough questions about where you fit in. Just because he throws a little money your way does not mean he expects you to come in and start as a freshman! You need to know how you compare to other players in your recruiting class and what the coach is expecting to recruit in upcoming years, especially if a priority is playing time.

21. Learn how the Financial Aid process works and estimate your EFC.

22. Talk with Financial Aid offices at each school you are in contact with. Your goal should be to receive as much aid (athletic or otherwise) to help offset the cost of attending college.

23. You should research at least 4 schools a month.

24. You should fill out on-line questionnaires at schools you are interested in.

25. Start thinking about these topics when it comes to schools, size, type, location, distance from home, cost, student population, majors, requirements, athletics and events, activities, special programs and your gut feeling.

26. Learn about the NCAA contact rules.

27. Learn about the NCAA Eligibility Center.

28. Understand what different associations have to offer you: NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, NCCAA, CCCAA, NWAACC.

29. Get an evaluation from a trusted source before you spend time targeting the wrong schools.

30. Ask coaches what their recruiting timeline is.

31. Ask where you stand on a coach’s list.

32. Ask if the coach can waive your application fee.

33. Learn how to get over your nerves when speaking with coaches. Remember, they want to hear from you and you have to separate yourself from thousands of other student-athletes around the country.

34. Prioritize your time. A college coach needs student-athletes who can balance their schedule NOW. If you can’t do it now, how will you do it in college?

35. Visit local colleges to get a feel for what a campus is like…it is cheap and helpful!

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Once upon a time, a frontcourt player’s job was to rebound and score with his back to the basket, a point guard’s job was to control and distribute the ball, and a wing player’s job was to shoot. These days, 7’0” Dirk Nowitzki has among the silkiest jump-shots in the game, Chris Paul and Deron Williams are their teams’ crunch-time scorers, and most NBA wing players would look as comfortable with their backs to the basket as they would leading a fast break. A basketball player’s position no longer implies a finite set of necessary skills, and this new demand for versatility means hopeful recruits can improve their scholarship chances by demonstrating to coaches that they have well-rounded games

A quick survey of some of the most highly-prized recruits for the class of 2011 reveals how much coaches and scouts value versatility. Whether it’s a 6’10” power forward with shooting range (Quincy Miller) or a 6’6” wing player who can line-up at any position (Michael Gilchrist), players are finding that they can separate themselves from their peers by transcending the traditional position-by-position roles. According to NCAA Athletic Recruiting Network, coaches now value broad skill-sets as much or more than they do mere statistics. It’s important to remember that statistics can be inflated or deflated depending on the level of competition a recruit faces in high school, whereas a terrific jumpshot is a terrific jumpshot at any level.

A center lacking elite size, for example, can improve his scholarship chances by demonstrating the ability to score facing the basket or the athleticism to run the fast break. A wing player with mediocre shooting range can raise his stock by showing himself to be a capable ball-handler and gritty defender. Although recruits are still generally categorized by position – typically based on size – there is also now increased differentiation within each position category.

From a recruiting perspective, it’s more valuable now than ever for a recruit to give a coach visible evidence of the type of versatility that can’t necessarily be reflected in statistics. A coach can simply read about your size or strength, but numbers can’t show what you’re capable of doing with that size. While every recruit would prefer that a coach attend his games or tournaments, that often isn’t a realistic possibility, so demonstrating versatility is best accomplished through a carefully and professionally produced highlight video that shows off your broad skill-set. A video needs to show not only your best skills, but also the unique skills you possess that help you stand out from the other potential recruits at your position. To learn more about how to create and distribute a great highlight video, visit NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network.

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In March, at the close of the March Madness tournament, there was much debate over whether or not college athletes should be paid. Meanwhile, another debate was looming under the radar. On March 24, according to The Huffington Post, Ralph Nader called for an end to athletic scholarships. Period.

Nader believes that college sports, and particularly the championship tournaments, mirror professional sports more than they do collegiate athletics now. According to Nader, there is too much pressure on not only the college athletes but those high school students vying for a position on a top-performing team.
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In an interview with The Huffington Post, he said, “An entire industry has developed in the youth sports arena – club teams, personal trainers, etc. – to prey on families' dreams of an athletic scholarship. The lure of the elusive athletic scholarship is the primary – sometimes the only – marketing tool these youth sports entrepreneurs use.”

But are prospective college athletes really being lured by scholarship opportunities alone? Mark Kantrowitz, a nationally recognized financial aid expert, delved into the athletic scholarship recipient statistics and came away with some surprising data.

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In his Student Aid Policy Analysis of athletic scholarships, Kantrowitz found “that the athletic scholarships enabled the students to enroll in more expensive colleges, but also that the athletic scholarships might not represent a significant financial advantage for the students as compared with the institutional grants they might otherwise have received. “

Here is his breakdown:

• Average total institutional grant (including athletic scholarships in addition to need-based and non need-based institutional grants) was $10,257 for recipients of athletic scholarships in 2007-08, compared with $6,278 for non-recipients, a difference of $3,979.


• Average tuition and fees was $12,616 for recipients of athletic scholarships, $3,146 higher than the $9,470 average for non-recipients.


• Average total cost of attendance for recipients of athletic scholarships was $24,335, $4,560 higher than the $19,775 average for non-recipients.

In reality, athletic scholarship recipients are not benefiting that much more from institutional grants, or scholarships, than non-recipients. Their only real benefit is being able to enroll in schools that are slightly more expensive – if we’re just examining the financial aspects of making their final college decision.

At the same time, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan targeted NCAA schools for their loose academic standards. In an interview with ABC News, he said, “Right now the formula handsomely rewards teams who are winning games in the tournament, but it does little to reward teams for meeting minimal academic benchmarks. I simply cannot understand why we continue to reward teams for failing to meet the most basic of academic standards off of the courts.”

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Duncan poses a great question. And he’s right. NCAA teams that are promoting a true student athlete experience are overshadowed by championship caliber teams whose players are only in school to play a sport. Again, Kantrowitz found that these types of generalizations that all sport teams are composed of academically failing student athletes aren’t necessarily accurate.

In regard to graduation rates, Kantrowitz found that “of students in Bachelor’s degree programs who received athletic scholarships in 2003-04, 72.5% graduated with a Bachelor’s degree by 2009 (i.e., within 6 years). This compares with 63.0% for non-recipients.”

What is important to glean from Nader and Duncan’s statements and Kantrowitz’s heavy research is that blanket statements and generalizations shouldn’t define public opinion of student athletes and college sports. In fact, Kantrowitz’ data proves that, in general, student athletes aren’t enormously benefitting financially or drastically falling behind in the classroom because they play a college sport. Perhaps some are, but a majority are not.

Just three years ago Michael Vick was being released from federal prison after serving 19 months out of his 23 month sentence, and just four days ago he stood in front of 450 graduates of Camelot high schools to give the commencement speech and surprise two students with $5,000 scholarships.

The Camelot School is an alternative high school that caters to at-risk youth with behavioral, academic and emotional problems. Many of Friday’s graduates were involved in gang activity, had been arrested or expelled from other schools. Fittingly, the theme of Vick's commencement address was about second chances, turning your life around and redemption.


Vick has become the poster child for second chances after he was signed to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles after pleading guilty to involvement and leadership in a dog fighting ring. The ring known as “Bad Newz Kennels” existed on Vick’s Virginia property and according to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Vick played a first hand role in “destroying” dogs that underperformed or refused to fight by drowning them in his pool, a process that took two people to hold the animal’s legs while the dog’s head was held under water, or hanging the dogs from a tree in his yard. Since the incident Vick has attempted to salvage his reputation and teach youth about the negative impact involvement in dog fighting and illegal activity will have on one's life.
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According to footballnewsnow.com Vick was nervous minutes before the commencement address. “I’ve never done this before, I’m not going to lie,” Vick said. “I’m more nervous about this than I am for a football game.”

During the speech Vick challenged students to make thoughtful decisions, make the most of their second chances and pursue their goals reported newsone.com.

“I stand before you today a changed man,” Vick said. “Use me as an example at how to become an instrument of change … you can do it as well.”

Graduates Monique Joseph and Rickey Savage received the $5,000 scholarships from the newly created “Michael Vick Comeback Student of the Year Scholarship”. Both students plan to attend college in the fall, Joseph to Penn State and Savage will go to Virginia Union University. According to the article Savage, said he is grateful to Vick for the financial aid, which will help him study business technology, and for the motivational speech.

A spokesman for Vick said the scholarship recipients were chosen based on academic achievement, attendance and participation in student government. He said Vick plans to give out the $5,000 awards annually.

Read more about Bad Boy Athelets Helping Students Pay for School:Barry Bonds and Braylon Edwards.

Ex-Cleveland Brown Braylon Edwards knows a man is only as good as his word, and this past Saturday Edward’s word paid off in the form of $1 million in scholarships. In 2007, two years before he was traded to the New York Jets, Edwards promised scholarships to 100 Cleveland area students to attend college through his Advance 100 Scholarship Program which is part of the Braylon Edwards Foundation according to braylonedwardsfoundation.org.
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“Actually, it’s Advance 100 but there are 101 in it,” said Edwards on Saturday. “We cheated.”

Edwards traveled to Cleveland Ohio to attend the third annual spring achievement lunch at Cuyahoga Community College where students were recognized in front of their parents by administrators from Tri-C, Cleveland schools and the Braylon Edwards Foundation.

The students applied as eighth graders with essays, questionnaires and interviews. School officials narrowed a group of 1,100 finalists down to 175 for final decisions by theBraylon Edwards Foundation., which is based in Detroit and headed by Edward’s mother, Malesa Plater.

In order to receive their scholarship, each student has to maintain a 2.5 grade-point average, do 15 hours of community service yearly and attend monthly workshops on a variety of topics, from financial responsibility to interview etiquette, at Tri-C’s Metro Campus. Students may choose which college they’d like to attend. Each scholarship is estimated to be around $10,000 per person, bringing the grand total to $1 million.

According to braylonedwardsfoundation.org, the students who received the scholarships were extremely grateful. "The program really helps me a lot," said Kaleb Jarvis, from Collinwood High School. "It allows me to have peace of mind that I’ll be able to go to college. He’s a great guy doing this out of the goodness of his heart," Kaleb added. "Nobody asked him to do it, and nobody tells about it. More athletes should do this."

"It gave me something to believe in," said Kitaya Southivong who will attend Ohio State University on the scholarship. "And it made me believe you have to give something back to your community."

In three separate tweets on May 25 Edwards announced the donation of the scholarships and made a pun to being the “second most hated man in Cleveland” behind LeBron James. During his last few years as a Cleveland Brown, Edwards was criticized by Cleveland Browns fans for his performance on the field and his trouble off the field.

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@OfficialBraylon tweeted “As the 2nd most hated man in Clev. & a man of my word, Today I will honor a promise made to 100 students in Cleveland 6 years ago the last of my Advance 100 students will graduate from my program & head off to college on scholarships that I will provide them with. Guys enjoy & embrace your new beginnings and remember your promise to me, to reach back & help someone else along the way!!!”

Next year’s spring luncheon will mark graduation and be the last luncheon for the program. "We’re going to have a surprise for them," Edwards said on braylonedwardsfoundation.org. "And I’ll be here."

Read more about Bad Boy Athelets Helping Students Pay for School:Barry Bonds and Michael Vick.

Barry Bonds. Notorious home run King – until he became known as the baseball player who fixed his game by allegedly taking steroids.

While he was most recently charged on three counts of making false statements in his initial trial nearly seven years ago, the judge for Bonds’ 12-day trial in April declared a mistrial on all three charges. But the jury surprised everyone when they convicted Bonds of obstruction of justice at the verdict reading on April 14, 2011, according to a news release by ESPN.
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Again, the country was reminded of Barry Bonds “bad boy” reputation.

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But Bonds has found a way to redeem himself – at least in public opinion. On April 1, Opening Day for the L.A. Dodgers, San Francisco Giants fan, Bryan Stow, was beaten ruthlessly outside of the stadium after the game. While the beating happened over two months ago now, Stow, who is a single father of two young children, is still being held in a medically induced coma to prevent seizures, reports ESPN.

NBC Bay Area states that on April 22, Barry Bonds visited Stow’s hospital room, signed a baseball bat and then delivered a surprising offer to Stow’s children. The bad boy baseball player committed to paying for both of the children's college education expenses when the time came.

Bonds did not inform the press of his offer to the Stow family. It wasn’t until a month later that the press got wind of the offer through Stow’s attorney, Thomas Girardi. In an interview with NBC Bay Area, Girardi said, “It was extraordinary of Barry Bonds, I thought. He didn't say anything about it to the press. This was just a gift he gave the family because he knew that it was going to be pretty important to the kids.”

Bonds’ post-trial hearing was originally scheduled for May but has been postponed to June 17, according to CBS San Francisco. The homerun hitter has just a few more weeks to bask in being a good Samaritan until he is back under the microscope for obstruction of justice.

See how "bad boys" Braylon Edwards and Michael Vick are paying it forward too.