If your goal is to play college hockey and to graduate with a bachelors degree, congratulations because you have two long term goals set! Many students complete high school not knowing what the next big milestones will be... and therefore they can't effectively choose the path to get there. Because you know these two things, you can now focus on how to set yourself up for success.
YOUR OCCUPATION SELECTION
1) What occupation do you see yourself beginning in five to seven years?
2) What degree / major /minor will be needed to qualify for an entry level position?
3) Are there only certain schools that have this degree/major? Do any of those schools have NCAA varsity hockey? At what level? D1, D2 D3? Do those programs have a D3 JV program or ACHA club hockey team?
4) Is your desired academic program automatically open to all students or do you need to apply? After how many credit hours and pre-requisites are you able to apply? Do they give preference to students who have attended their university prior to selection?
5) What ACT/SAT scores, GPA, class rank, experience, references are required for program admission? Do you meet these requirements?
6) When are the deadlines for early decision, final application, financial aid?
Many college students enroll without the goal of a specific occupation and many other students will change their minds once they start taking classes. The first two years of college help direct students to a major that fits. Don't stress if you don't have all your life mapped out when you're 18 years old. And it is a fact that many people completely change occupations once they are in the work force. You may be one of the few people who has the future mapped out and will simply go from point to point without any side trips. If not, embrace the adventure!
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY APPLIED, BEEN ACCEPTED AND AWARDED FINANCIAL AID TO AT LEAST ONE COLLEGE OF YOUR CHOICE...
Congrats again! You have some options on the table for the fall that many junior hockey players do not at this point. Some questions for you:
1) Do you have the option to defer for one year?
2) Have you already paid a deposit for housing? Refundable?
3) Have you already paid a deposit for tuition? Refundable?
4) Have you spoken with the head coach for next year?
5) Did the coach guarantee a roster spot for you? Does that mean you will dress and play in games as a freshman? Does he see you on special teams? Does he see you starting? What line? Or does he plan on "red shirting" you for a year (another year of college hockey eligibility while you attend this university without playing any games)? Does he plan on having you train with the team and work yourself into the lineup (possibly this year but better chances as you get veteran status) What did he actually say? What did he put into writing? Make sure you are hearing what is being SAID not what you want to hear!
6) Did you verbally commit to a D3 program? (not binding but a matter of integrity)
7) Did you formally commit in writing to this program?
8) How many freshmen from the last two year's classes actually played as freshmen? How much? Is there any reason to believe that you would play more than them?
9) How many seniors are graduating this spring which would technically open up a playing spot? What about spring 2009?
10) If you were injured and couldn't play hockey anymore, would you select this school?
11) If for whatever reason you didn't make this college varsity team OR if you weren't going to play in a game this year, would you still select this school over another school where you could play this year?
12) Most importantly, ARE YOU READY FOR FULL TIME COLLEGE?
To be considered a full time student, you need to be registered for 12 or more credit hours per semester. Each course is assigned a specific number of credit hours which is indicative of how many hours are spent in the classroom or lab. For instance, most Freshman English courses are three credit hours, and meet either for 90 minutes two times a week or for one hour three days a week. College guidebooks suggest to allot a minimum of one hour of studying, reading and review per week for every credit hour you are enrolled. Some courses demand three or more hours of preparation time per credit just to keep up with the workload. So if you are taking 12 to 15 credits, you should allow a minimum of 24 to 30 hours a week outside of class and even more if you are taking sciences, math or literature courses. You can see why the distractions of college life can snare so many students and they soon become unsuccessful students. This could be a very expensive social life at $5000-$35,000+ / year.
Remember that as an athlete you will hold another “job” that includes lifting, dryland, on ice practices, team related activities, travel time, games. Then you have the balance of the other crazy things like eating, sleeping, doing laundry (and only 24 hours a day and 7 days a week that God gives to all of us!) College coursework and college life demands a lot of time and energy and being a student-athlete and is a big transition from high school. There is a reason why players who go through the junior hockey system are more mature –--beyond just the “age factor.”
Over the course of four years, most bachelor degree programs require approximately 120 total credit hours. With simple math you can see that at this rate (12 cr/semester) x two terms a year, you would achieve only 96 credits in four years. That is a substantial amount of classes but not enough to earn a degree. So assuming you want to graduate, not just play college hockey, you have some options to keep on track to finish in four years once you start full time:
● start working on getting some of those credits finished now and transfer them to the four year school
● take a heavier load once you enroll full time (i.e. 15 to 18 credits/term rather than 12 credits)
● take summer courses
● take classes after your NCAA eligibility is over to finish up your degree program
Students who wish to graduate in four years without taking summer or January term courses need an average of 15 credit hours per term. Compared to our example above, this student would need to take one extra 3 credit class/term. Take an honest gut check and determine if you are really ready for that level of academic commitment. College isn’t just for the “life experience” but hopefully also to prepare you for the workplace after you jump through the appropriate hoops and learn how to learn. Certain communities just expect high school graduates to go on to college without questioning if this is the right decision or the right timing. Junior hockey allows families to take a look and decide if full time college is the right choice or if this break will set you up for greater success in the classroom. Again, only you and your family have the insider’s viewpoint.
If you choose to wait for full time enrollment, we strongly encourage you to find a way to make academic progress during your junior hockey career. Consider online classes, summer courses or other creative solution to getting college credits completed successfully before enrolling full time. This will lighten your load once you enroll full time if your goal is to graduate after four years of NCAA hockey and college.
Although colleges vary, these are some of the general changes as you transition from high school to university
A. More difficult subject matter which translates into more study/reading time required, more papers
B. Less “spoon-feeding” by instructors. You are responsible for your education! Tests cover lecture not just text books so you need to figure out what the instructor is actually going to test.
C. Fewer activities that are graded. Three tests and a project may be the only grades that factor into your final grade rather than homework (which is often just for your benefit and not collected/graded).
D. Attendance not taken. Miss a lecture and for D3 programs you just wasted $300 tuition and missed important details that could be on the midterm. It's easy to slack off and get behind in just a week
E. Class size are often bigger. In some cases you may attend class in a lecture hall and the instructor will never link your name with your face and your work.
F Some intro classes are taught by graduate students/teaching assistants rather than professors.
G. Distractions are everywhere! It's easy to procrastinate, sleep in, stay out later than you should, not sleep...
H. Money drains are also all around. Learning to have enough money for food and gas at the end of the semester is a tremendous life lesson that students often fail (hopefully only once and figure it out). You must figure out the money balance of eating out, movies, college games, poker, dates, clothes, music, latest technology... Eventually you have to pay off college loans and credit cards.
I. Poor diets. Without mom cooking and a full fridge, there's a reason for the "Freshman 15" pound variance. As an athlete you need to
J. Underage drinking is a fact of life. If you want to party, you'll find a party. The unchecked calories that go with it can balloon your percent body fat quickly. Oh yeah -- it's also ILLEGAL. Many great athletes crash and burn because they can't say no when they should or leave when they should.
K. Stress: Welcome to college!
L. Relationships take a bigger role (time, wallet, energy...)
M. Poor examples all around: You can justify every poor decision you make -- because poor peer role models are easy to spot. Besides, someone in your dorm (maybe even your roommate) is making worse decisions than you are!
If you are not socially mature enough to make decisions that keep you focused on your academic, occupational and life goals, maybe a year in junior hockey might save you thousands of dollars in tuition and a bad GPA. However, for others it is a natural next step to enroll in the college of their choice and to start full time classwork. Each player and family will sort through this process in their own way and time and the outcomes are as varied as the young men who navigate this process. After you figure it all out, write a book or join a speakers circuit! Or better yet, just share what you've learned with the families coming from your program behind you. :-)
Another avenue to keep playing competitive hockey but typically without the travel and intense training/practice/game schedule is to join an ACHA College Club Hockey team. D1 & D2 : 80 programs = 5600 SPOTS. D3: 120 programs = 2400 SPOTS
Be aware that this is still very competitive and many players come from the junior ranks to this level too.
