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Choosing a College is never an easy task. When you throw sports into the equation, the selection process becomes even more difficult. Whether you're one of the fortunate few who are gifted enough to earn a full athletic scholarship, or if you're like thousands of others who will "walk on," you'll want to start planning as early as possible.

For College- 

athlete

  hopefuls, your work starts the moment you enter high school. "If you haven't done the work in the classroom, you can forget about competing at the Division I level," says Erin Tucker, the University of Kentucky's (Lexington, KY) assistant track and field coach. "We won't even waste our time recruiting an athlete who doesn't have the grades to get accepted to school."

So you definitely need to have your academics in check; then you can start putting extra focus on your on-the-field performance. The only surefire way of getting onto college coaches' radars is by excelling in your sport. "If you're competing at a high level, we will take notice," says Tucker. "We can't recruit everyone, so we do miss some athletes. It helps when athletes contact me."

You heard correctly. If you don't have college coaches beating down your door, contact the coach directly, or hire a recruiting service to promote yourself. The National Scouting Report recruiting service is one such organization that claims to cover all bases for the student-athlete. "We send out a DVD to their choice colleges, maintain a Web site for the athlete, and send out e-mails on their behalf," says Phillip Adams, national director.

Though they charge $2,495 for their premium service, for the hundreds of athletes who earn College Scholarships, making the hefty initial investment is worth it. Some college coaches, however, say they would rather have the athlete contact them directly instead of using a paid recruiting service.

"I would save your money and start by contacting the coach personally," says Tucker. "I would rather recruit kids with whom I can develop a relationship, instead of getting information from a recruiting service."

No matter which route you choose, you still need to play by the rules. Follow this timeline and head toward the goal line:

JUNIOR YEAR:

Take the SAT or ACT in the fall or spring.

Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse. This is required of all students who wish to participate in NCAA Division I or II sports. Registration can be done online at https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/.

Create a resume. Much like a job resume, it should include the accomplishments in your sport and in the classroom.

Contact college coaches by mail or e-mail, fill out questionnaires, and request information about the programs in which you're interested.

Make unofficial visits to colleges. You can take as many unofficial visits as you would like; however, you'll pay all your own expenses.

SENIOR YEAR:

Weekly telephone calls from coaches and in-person contacts are allowed after July 1 prior to the start of your senior year.

Meet with your high school counselor to make sure you have taken all the required classes to be eligible to compete in college athletics.

Obtain applications for the colleges that interest you, and fill them out by the Deadline.

Apply for Financial aid, even if you are hoping for an athletic scholarship. You may need money to supplement an athletic scholarship, or in case you don't get the scholarship on which you planned.

Keep up with your studies. A slip during your final year could hurt your chances of getting into the school of your choice.

You can take up to five official visits during your senior year, so choose carefully. Official visits are paid for by the program and give you an up-close-and-personal look at the school and team to help narrow your choices.

Choose the college that best fits your academic and athletic goals.

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