The Stress & Pressures of College Recruitment

Happy National Signing Day to all of the athletes signing their letters of intent today! This moment is huge and is a testament to all of the work you’ve put in to earn this! For many it’s a day you’ve dreamed of and have long anticipated. Celebrate it! 

Many of you probably have this day in mind even if you aren’t signing your letter today. You may be a senior and haven’t gotten an offer you love yet or maybe you’re an underclassman and just dreaming of this day for yourself. No matter where you are in the recruitment process it’s important to make your mindset a priority as you work towards your recruitment goals. 

Why? 

Well, there is no doubt that the college recruitment process brings a lot of stress and pressure. 

Whether it’s pressure from yourself or pressure from others, like parents and coaches, it takes a toll on you. The pressure to be recruited by a certain school. The pressure to get a certain amount of offers. The pressure to play at a certain level. 

That pressure can build to negative self-talk if what you want isn’t happening. And when you get into the habit of negative self-talk your confidence dwindles. You begin to doubt yourself. You begin to get frustrated with the process. And you begin to feel defeated or not good enough. 

Then, you’re in a place where you feel like so much is riding on every performance. Every game has an added importance to impress certain people. You begin to tell yourself that making one mistake could be the difference between being recruited and not. 

This way of thinking might lead to being unmotivated or avoidant of the college recruitment process. It might lead to not going for your goal of playing at your dream school because you aren’t confident in your ability to achieve that goal. 

At the end of the day, if the pressure to get recruited consumes you, it will eat away at your enjoyment of the game and the confidence you have when you play. Which ultimately leads to not performing at your best. You aren’t going to be the athlete you want to be and the version of you that gets recruited to your dream school. 

So, how can you make your mindset a priority during the college recruitment process and avoid falling into this thought loop? 

• Know your why. Why do you play your sport? What do you love about it? When you're done playing what will you miss most? The answers to these questions should drive your motivation towards your goals. It should give you joy each day you can show up and do what you love. And on the days when the recruitment woes come up, remember the reason you love playing and find joy in it. 

• Accepting where you are currently at. This is something that no matter who you are or what your goal is, it can be hard to do. We naturally want to be somewhere else, further along, better off and we dwell on the gap of where we are at and where we want to be. That resistance to where you are currently at creates frustration and pressure. It holds you back from where you want to be. So, it’s important that you accept where you are at, have gratitude for where you are and take the progress towards your goals one day at a time. 

• Break your goal down. In order to take it one day at a time, it’s helpful to break down your goal. Your goal is getting recruited (maybe you can make it more specific, if not that’s okay!). What is needed to achieve your goal of getting recruited to play your sport in college? Then take what is needed and break it down to action steps you can implement daily or weekly. For example: 

• Visualize your goal. Visualize yourself achieving your goal. The school you want to go to, visualize yourself on signing day, and even showing up to your first day of college. Visualize it all so that you are seeing and believing that you can and will achieve this goal. This will help you stay positive and motivated throughout the process. 

Making your mindset a priority throughout the college recruitment process will help prevent you from feeling too much pressure and burning out before you even get to signing day. 

Instead, you’ll know what you want and be clear on the steps that will get you there. You’ll feel less stress and worry about achieving your goal. The thought of recruitment won’t negatively affect the way you perform in your sport. 

And, you’ll feel confident and sure of your plan for your future. Your dream of signing your letter of intent won’t only be a dream but a reality. 

If you’d like help making your mindset a priority in this process, schedule a consultation today!