By Eric Johnson
Questionnaires are a great way to get your name out to college coaches early in the recruiting process. Many coaches will not send out questionnaires; it is up to you to go to the websites of the programs that interest you and fill out their questionnaires online. If you have a serious interest in a specific team, this is a great first step. It will also get your name out to other schools, because college coaches make up a small community. If one coach likes you, you can bet that your name is getting around to some other coaches too.
It may seem like it takes a lot of effort to fill out all the information that the questionnaires ask for, but you should answer all of the questions as best you can because you never know what a certain program values. For example, if one school has high academic standards, they could be looking just as much at your GPA and academic honors as your baseball statistics. Be sure to include everything you can, and make sure you are completely honest. Nothing will make a coach lose interest in you faster than if he finds out that you exaggerated your GPA or lied on any part of your questionnaire.
Keep in mind that the goal of these questionnaires is simply to introduce yourself to the coaches. You will have your chance to prove your abilities on the field also! If you don’t hear anything back, don’t worry and don’t give up on that program. It may be because they are waiting for a chance to see you play or it could be the time of year when coaches are not allowed to contact you. Give it some time and then send a follow-up email. Be sure to include any important updates (including improvements in stats or grades) in that email so the coaches know you are working hard to be considered as a prospect.
