It's August, and it is official visit season for the Class of 2021 (DI only). An official visit is a major milestone in the college recruiting process.  If a college coach offers you an official visit than you know there are serious considerations for you as a potential prospect for their program.

What is an Official Visit?

An official visit is any visit to a college campus paid for by the institution. The college may pay for all of the expenses or a portion of the expenses. The college may cover the following expenses.

• Transportation to and from college (Student and Accompanying Adult)

• Housing (On campus or local hotel)

• Meals - Up to 3 meals per day

• Entertainment Stipend (Provided to Student Host)

• 3 complimentary admissions to a home athletics event

In addition, the following pertain to an official visit.

• Official visits can only last 48 hours beginning the first time you step on campus.

• You may only take up to five official visits to D-I schools, and an unlimited number of official visits to D-II and D-III schools.

• In order to take an official visit to a D-I or D-II school you must be registered with the Eligibility Center and have submitted an official SAT or ACT score to the NCAA. 

Other Official Visit Rules

• D-I official visits can begin August 1 of junior year

• DII prospective student-athletes can begin taking official visits June 15 following sophomore year

• DIII prospective student-athletes can begin taking official visits January 1 of junior year.

The official visit is one of the best experiences and decision making tools for a prospective student-athlete to get a feel of what campus life is like.  It is one of the final steps before finally making a decision.

Here are some tips for your official visit

• Take a standard admissions tour of campus (this enables you to see what other types of students are considering the school) 

• Go to classes with a player on the team. Are classes what you expected? Can you see yourself in only small classes? Are large lecture halls suitable? While attending classes, notice the size of the class. Notice the ability of the professor. Would you feel comfortable learning in this situation? Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. Ask about which classes are interesting or fun. Ask about how difficult it is to balance academics, athletics, and social life. 

• See where players eat meals; you get a great idea of who they socialize with. Do they only eat with their teammates? Do they have friends outside the team? Are they in fraternities or sororities? 

• Go to a practice; is there mandatory practice or conditioning? Are there captain's practices? 

• Go out and see what a Friday night on campus is like? Are there lots of campus run activities? Do students go to campus parties? Do students go off campus? 

• Stay in underclassmen dorms! Do most students live on campus? Can you see yourself housing in a two-person double or a four-person suite? Are there coed dorms? Is campus housing close to the academic buildings? 

• Ask a lot of questions. And just take in the experience and everything around you. Can you imagine yourself on campus going to classes, eating in the cafeteria, playing on those facilities? If you can say yes to those things, then that school might be the "right fit." 

• BE YOURSELF!

The official visit is one of the final check points on your road to selecting a college.  You want to be able to immerse yourself into the culture of the program and the school. Can you see yourself walking to class, eating in the cafeteria, training and playing on the field?  How do you get along with the underclassmen?  Only you can answer those questions.  Use the Campus Visit Scorecard to rate your official visit experience and compare it to your other official visits.  

Visit www.GuidingFutureStarsAcademy.com  and purchase your copy of Designing Your Pathway to College Sports to start planning for your future.

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