Evaluating your Offer

At this point, you've made it through your junior year of high school and narrowed down your target college list. You've been working hard to keep your grades up, and your continued work ethic on and off the golf course is paying off! When it comes to colleges, maybe you've found "the one," and maybe a coach has reached out and offered you a spot on their team. If so, congratulations!

What do you do next?

This is important stuff. Let's talk.

At this point, in our humble Hub opinion, what you need is a good list of do's and don'ts to help you navigate this process. Here is our list:

Do's

1. Carefully evaluate the offer, the college, and the context:

• The Offer: Does the offer include a scholarship? If so, how much? Is it a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of tuition? Is the scholarship for one year, or four years? What are the scholarship's terms and conditions? Can you lose it? Under what conditions? Is the scholarship guaranteed? What does the fine print say?

• The College: Is this school one of your top choices? After your thorough research on the Hub, what do you think of the program and the coach? Have you visited the college? Can you see yourself going there? What does your gut tell you?

• The Context: Do you have any other offers in hand? Are you expecting other offers?

2. Understand the decision date:

Make sure you understand exactly when this decision needs to be made. What is the firm end date?

3. Jump on the offer if it's from a top-choice school:

Our advice: if you've received an offer from a school you love, take it. Don't drag your feet. Why? We've seen it happen — an offer is made, but the student prolongs their decision because they think something better is coming, and it isn't (oops!), so the coach revokes the offer because the student took too long to decide. Don't let that happen to you. There's an old saying that sums it up well: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." 

4. Reach out to other programs:

If the school is not one of your top choices, take the opportunity to reach out to the other programs you have great interest in, and let them know that you've been offered a spot elsewhere. Feel free to be open with the coach and ask whether you might be offered a spot on their team as well. Now is the time for honesty and transparency from both parties. If appropriate, take it a step further and tell the coach you would prefer to play for their program and are holding out for them. Coaches often appreciate this honesty and strong desire to play for their program.

Don'ts

1. Fail to communicate:

Don't leave coaches hanging on where you stand. Strive for open and honest communication. No surprises.

2. Play it too cute or play games:

As we mentioned above, we don't recommend you play it too cute. College roster spots are limited. If you love the offer and the program, jump on it. Don't shop around endlessly and lose a great opportunity.

The bottom line here is to understand the process and recognize what may be a great opportunity for you as both a student and an athlete. Make a confident decision, and communicate with the coach when you have any questions regarding your recruitment. Wishing you the best of luck navigating the offer process!

Enjoy your Journey!