While it is difficult to give an exact answer to this question in terms of a specific date by which you should start the process by, you really can never begin early enough. Ideally, you want to take your time with every single step of the process and prepare certain tasks such as the SAT test thoroughly. However, we understand that things do not always work according to plan and that sometimes athletes start the process late. But don’t worry, that is ok!
Starting early definitely makes the process smoother and in most cases will generate more scholarship offers. Since coaches have a certain scholarship amount available each year, the more you advance in the calendar, the more scholarship money they will have given out. So if you look at the total amount of available scholarship money, automatically there will be less available the later you start the process. However, this does not mean that there are no scholarship options left if you do decide to start the process later than most. For example, every year you have athletes who decide to transfer, turn professional or simply leave the team for other reasons. This typically happens late in the school year, meaning that new scholarship become available, sometimes even late in the spring. Coaches also can get an unexpected late budget increase giving them some extra money to spend late in the process. Lastly, coaches also do not always get all the players that they want, which leads to them still having money available in February, March or April. So don’t panic, opportunities always remain!
Now, as mentioned above, if you can, you should start the process as early as possible. This can be 2 or 3 years prior to your date of enrollment and there are certainly some benefits to doing that. Coaches will have you at the top of their list if you get the ball rolling ahead of your competition. These coaches will also have a chance to watch you play in person and to follow your progression, which is another important benefit that you have when you get the process started early. And most importantly, it gives you peace of mind and the time to prepare every step of the process properly!
So one last question you might ask is when is it really too late to start the process? This one is also a bit tricky to answer because a lot will depend on you. How quickly can you submit your application documents to the school you have chosen? How good are you at communicating with the coaches in order to get that amazing scholarship offer? How fast are you willing to make your final decision? All these are questions you need to ask yourself if you decide to start the process in March, April or May.
In most cases, May will be the last month where we can still get everything done in time to get you to the United States by August. The reason for that is that your student visa will take a few weeks to be processed and sometimes it can be difficult to get an interview appointment, depending on what country you are from. And again, the earlier we start with you the better and the more scholarship opportunities you will have. But if you are still looking to start college this fall, don’t worry, we got you! Just reach out to us and we will arrange a call to tell you more about the process and about your options. We offer everybody a FREE EVALUATION, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity and send us an email, message or give us a call to get your dream journey of a sports scholarship in the USA started!