BY ADRIANA C. RAMIREZ

As a high school athlete ready for collegiate sports it’s sometimes difficult to go through the process of getting recruited for college sports without the proper guidance.

On Monday Oct. 27,  West Covina High school hosted an NCAA meeting for students planning to continue sports in college. USC Athletic Director and Director of Athletics Alex Garfio, provided helpful information to those future college athletes.

Garfio explained the steps and information for academic requirements, financial aid, recruiting process, and what to expect from the different NCAA division colleges.

If attending a Division One and Two school, they require you to complete a total of 16 core courses before you graduate from high school:

4 years of English.

3 years of mathematics

2 years of natural/physical science

1 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.

2 years of social science.

4 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or comparative religion/philosophy).

If you need to take or redo a class because you didn’t meet the requirements then you are allowed to make up one class after graduation, those diagnosed with a disability  are able to make up to three classes after graduation.

To determine your eligibility into the college it is required to take a SAT or ACT test. A sliding scale is used for Division One schools only. For example; if a student has a GPA of 2.00 then the SAT has to be 1010 or an ACT combined score of 86, it evens out the low GPA with a high test score.

Education comes first for college coaches, it is the athlete’s job to keep their GPA above 2.3 in order for them to be eligible to play. If the athlete is ineligible, then they are on the “red shirt list.” It is a delay or suspension; which means you can practice with the team, attend the college/university, and suit up for games, but you aren’t able to play with the team for a whole year.

Division One and Two schools offer athletic scholarships ranging from full to smaller. Division Three schools don’t offer any athletic scholarships, their focus is more on academics. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an opportunity for students to apply for financial aid from different programs. There are loans, grants, and scholarships that any student athlete can apply for. If you have applied for a scholarship it’s important to make sure you are admitted to the school of your liking.

Getting recruited by a college coach is exciting and also very nerve wrecking. If you’re interested in a school you have to take the initiative to contact the coach to explain your interest for the school and the sport. Make an appointment to try and take a tour of the school, research their academic majors and minors, and try to talk to the coach on the phone, send them some game film, and stats so they can get a good view on how you play.

If you have any questions during the recruiting process always find some answers from your counselors, coaches, NCAA websites, and other people who went through the same process. It is never too late to start early on the recruiting process.