What People Are Saying

Testimonials from College Swimming Guide Fans

When I give college talks to my swimmers, half of the material I use is from College Swimming Guide. It is presented in a step-by-step manner and is to the point.

I have known Michelle for years and she is very organized with a high attention to detail.

I highly recommend that parents, swimmers, and club coaches check out College Swimming Guide.

Raz Cuparencu

Flyers Aquatic Swim Team

USA Swimming National Coach

College Swimming Guide is an absolutely fantastic resource for not only parents of swimmers, but also the athletes themselves. The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and confusing, and this resource acts to both simplify the process, as well as narrow the search for a student-athlete’s perfect fit in a much more efficient and effective way.  
Michelle has done a remarkable job of creating this guide, which includes information applicable to each and every prospective college athlete. Whether you’re just beginning your college search, in the midst of it, or narrowing it down to the last couple of schools, the College Swimming Guide is guaranteed to be beneficial when making the big decision of where you’ll continue your academic and athletic career!
Ashley Twichell
Duke University ’11
National Team Member
World Championship 2x Gold Medalist

College Swimming Guide is an awesome resource for both swimmers and their parents.  It really made the whole college recruiting process less overwhelming for us.

At the beginning of the process, the spreadsheets for each conference were a big help in determining which conferences my daughter should target. Once she narrowed it down to a few conferences that were a good fit she was able to look at the times for specific schools within those conferences to create an initial list of schools to research, contact, and visit.

Throughout her junior year, the monthly tasks on CSG’s site were great for understanding what she needed to be doing to stay on track. The sample emails were good templates to follow when she contacted coaches throughout the process.

Michelle was also a great resource whenever we had questions about anything. The private Facebook group is also available to get feedback from other parents going through the process.

My husband and I are thrilled with how the process has turned out. My daughter will be swimming D1 next year for a school that she feels is a perfect fit for her in every way. Thanks for everything Michelle!  We will be using CSG again next year when my son is ready to start the process.

-Cari
Swim Parent

After joining College Swimming Guide, I scheduled a call with Michelle to help us get started in the search process. My daughter wasn’t completely sure if she wanted to swim in college or not so we weren’t sure where to begin.  Michelle was able to answer all my questions about the differences between the requirements of both Division 3 and Division 1 schools. We conducted two searches as Michelle suggested (one to swim in college and one not to swim) and we looked at schools in both Division 3 and Division 1.

I used the College Swimming Guide Facebook group to learn from Michelle and the other swim parents about recruiting. The people in the group asked timely and relevant questions that helped me anticipate what would happen next in the process since I didn’t even know enough to ask my own questions.

My daughter is swimming at a Division 1 Big Ten school now and is very happy with her choice.

I highly recommend College Swimming Guide, it’s a great resource and Michelle’s one-on-one coaching sessions are extremely helpful.

 

-Vivian
Swim Parent

I really wish College Swimming Guide had been around when I was going through the recruiting process. My family and I spent many hours researching colleges and reaching out to coaches, without being sure we were targeting the right schools. I was enamored by the coaches that would call my house, but I didn’t realize how many other schools had great programs as well.

This program is better than the “athlete recruiters” that claim to do all of the work for you. A lot of those programs have low success rates for swimmers, so it is great to see that there is now a more focused guide. College Swimming Guide would have cut this time in half by doing the research for us and preparing spreadsheets of Conference Championship Meet Times and Top Event Times at each college.  Having that knowledge before approaching or being approached by college coaches is crucial.

Michelle is knowledgeable about the material and presents it in an easy-to-follow way with monthly action items. Life is busy enough with doubles at the pool and balancing school work. Having someone walk me through the process would have made life a lot easier.

Purchasing a membership to College Swimming Guide should be an easy decision for parents of high school sophomores and juniors.

-Scott R
Former College Swimmer

Thank you for all the help you have provided for my college search! The list that you took time to put together has been very helpful. It has been awesome to have a guide that has already been through this process. I really appreciate your time, expertise, and generosity.

-Abby
High School Senior

My son committed to his school about two weeks ago. He also received other offers.  
He was waiting for a T-shirt to arrive and he finally has announced his college decision with his social media this past Tuesday! ……..it’s a perfect fit for him. 
 
It has been a long and stressful process, but with your step by step guidance and help, he finally found the right college for him. THANK YOU!!! 
 
We may still need your advice in the future and I hope to keep in touch with you.
 
Thank you again,

-AP
Swim Parent

I would highly recommend an individual session with Michelle from College Swimming Guide.   My husband, daughter, and I were discouraged at the time Michelle met with us.  The college swim team doors we had anticipated opening were not opening and we were at a loss.  
Michelle listened to both our swimming and academic goals.  Michelle helped open our eyes to many possible options we had not considered.  She gave us a detailed spreadsheet of places where my daughter’s times fit and encouraged us to keep trying.  She gave us valuable information re: the different  swimming divisions.  
My daughter chose to swim at a Division 3 school which has been a perfect fit so far.  We are so grateful for the excellent individualized information and knowledge Michelle provided for our family.  It was a wonderful turning point in our journey.

-Robin
Swim Parent

Michelle’s services were a huge support in our search for schools.  The detailed spreadsheets were a great reference for determining conferences and schools that were best fits, and the sample emails were helpful in establishing initial communication with coaches. I highly recommend her services!

-Lisa
Swim Parent

College Swimming Guide has been an excellent and truly invaluable resource throughout the entire search process.  From determining our initial list utilizing CSG’s spreadsheets of times, to information on what to ask on visits with college coaches, Michelle’s blogs, website and Facebook page have helped my son feel confident in the process.
 
With the help of College Swimming Guide, my son is now scheduled for his official visits this fall and is looking forward to swimming Division 1 in college.  We continue to rely on Michelle’s advice and experience every step of the way.
-Ellen
Swim Parent

At first, the recruiting process was overwhelming. I tried to contact a few coaches on my own and didn’t get many responses. 

College Swimming Guide helped me organize the information and develop a realistic list of target schools. The monthly action items helped keep me on track so I knew what I should be doing throughout the process. The spreadsheets with conference and college times were a huge help and saved a lot of time researching colleges. 

Signing up for College Swimming Guide made the process much easier.

-Name removed due to NCAA regulations

Division I College Swimmer

THHHHAAAAAAAAAANNNKK YOOOUU!!!

I’m finally taking a moment away from the site (cuz I need to feed the kids…AGAIN; lol)

I’ve been going through the info, printing results pages, taking notes, etc!!!! I AM IN LOVE…ABSOLUTE “HEAD-OVER-HEELS, WORSHIP-THE-GROUND-YOU-WALK-ON-FOR-PUTTING-THIS-ALL-TOGETHER-SO-EXPERTLY-AND-EFFICIENTLY” LOVE with this and how it’s laid out! You’ve just made my life so much easier! FINALLY! Someone who delivers on their advertising promises! It’s everything I hoped for and more!!! I only wish I found it sooner! Phew! I might be able to pull this off after all! (I was seriously beginning to wonder if I could!)  I’m just SO grateful! Can’t thank you enough!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!

-Tonya

Swim Parent

Thank you for all your advice on College Swimming Guide. You were an excellent resource! The conference spreadsheets were especially helpful for my daughter to identify schools that were a good fit. It really made the recruiting process a pleasant experience!

I will recommend all my swim family friends to your site.

-Peg
Swim Parent

We have thoroughly enjoyed your regular emails.  We thank you for the excellent information you provide.  It’s been quite a journey to witness our son go from a shy and quiet 15-year-old to an 18-year-old that is a confident, self-directed leader of his team and his future. We owe some of that transformation to you.  Thank you.  

You provide a very valuable service.  Your message is a swimmer centered approach, not parent-centered.  That distinction is very important.  We, as parents, need to allow our kids to shine. And experience setbacks. It’s healthy.  
You clearly recognize that swimming is a metaphor for life.  Keep up the great work.  

Our son committed yesterday to swim in college.  We are thrilled for him!

Thanks again.  

-Mark
Swim Parent

My son just received his acceptance letter and he has committed to swim in college!  Thank you for the insights, tips, and guidance you have provided us for the past 2 years, my son was able to find a school with an academic and swim program that fits him best. 

-FY
Swim Parent

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