Page 8 - Menlo School – KNIGHTtime News

KNIGHTtime News
GUIDING YOUR COLLEGE PROCESS
staying up until three am discussing the meaning of life with dorm
mates. So he went to Princeton. Many people in the water polo community challenged his decision. “But you could go to Stanford and have a real chance to win a National Championship,” they urged him. “And Princeton will never even make the top 10 in the country.”While true, this is not what this athlete wanted. Once he did the soul-searching,
his decision was easy. He went
on to captain the Princeton team, travel abroad, and pursue summer internships which led to a job out of college, all the while, playing on the 14th best water polo program in the country.
So that’s a great place to start: sit down with your coach, share your hopes for your college career, and start the conversation. In addition, a great way to nd out about various programs is to contact people currently there and ask them what
it’s like: how many hours they are training, restrictions placed on them as an athlete, what they like and dislike about the program. This will give you insight into things you may never have considered. It’s not necessarily important that they like or dislike the program but why— some athletes love a coach who’s a
“screamer” as it motivates them, and others disdain it. Also, go see the team play if they’re ever local. Many athletes (and their parents) have found great success sitting in the team’s fan/parent area and striking up a conversation with the parents of the players to nd out about the program. Finally, be aware of any forces working on you—either from your own connection to and identity couched in your sport, to society’s heightened focus on sports, to any sorts of expectations you may feel from coaches, players, and friends. This is hard to do sometimes but is so important given the gravity of the decision and the impact your college career will have on you, as an athlete or not.
And, then, once you’ve done this work, you’re ready to begin the process. Start reaching out to coaches at your schools of interest, send them your resume, and stay
in touch with them until you’re ready to commit. And all the while check
in with yourself and those close to you and search that soul until you commit.
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