May signals the end of the school year and summer is a good time to get organized in terms of recruiting and visiting colleges.

Although it is preferable to visit colleges when school is in session to see the students on campus, it is often not realistic. Therefore, a lot of your tours may have to take place during the summer.

If at all possible, try to talk to the swim coach while visiting campus. We emailed coaches to find out when they would be on campus and scheduled our visits accordingly. Swimmers can email before June 15th but coaches cannot reply until after that date. We found that some of the coaches watched for us even though they hadn’t replied, so let them know exactly when you will be on campus. Familiarize yourself with the differences between divisions and NCAA Recruiting Terms so you know when coaches can communicate with your child and other rules.

I’ve updated The Summary of Coach Contact which will help you keep the dates straight.

Brush up on the lists of questions to ask coaches before you go as well as tips for college tours.

It will be a busy summer for your swimmers who are balancing swim practice, college tours, jobs, and extracurricular activities. Some of them participate in summer league swimming as well. They need to handle the communication with coaches, but you may need to help with the organization and keeping them on track.

Keep an eye out for SAT and ACT tests so you register on time. If your child didn’t take it during sophomore year, it’s a good idea to take it this summer or early in the fall. August is a great time so they can review when there is no school and focus on the test.

Tests will be offered on the following dates over the next few months.

ACT June 10 – late registration by May 19

ACT July 15 – register by June 16

SAT June 3 – late registration by May 23

Send the test scores to the NCAA (code 9999) or NAIA (code 9876) Eligibility Clearinghouse.

Good luck to your swimmers on AP Exams and high school final exams!

Coming up in June and July:

• Continue email conversations with coaches if a relationship has been established
• Send introductory emails to coaches at swim programs which are a good fit
• Continue to research schools and swim programs
• Study for the ACT and/or SAT
• Plan college tours over summer break