You may not be trying out for a lot of college sports teams if you’re applying for UAB’s online masters in information systems, but if you are getting near the end of high school and you have a passion for a particular sport, it might not be a bad idea. You just want to make sure you know how to increase your chances of getting on a team. Here is how to get recruited for college sports.

Train Hard

If you want to play with the best, then you have to train harder than the rest. This is the case if you want to be recruited for college sports, especially if you want to be play on one of the more prestigious teams. In addition to making it to all of your practices with your high school team, you should be training on your own as much as possible. Just be sure that you don’t let it get in the way of your academic performance.

Attend a Division 1 High School

Every high school is ranked differently for their sports. If you are not currently attending a Division 1 school, then you might want to see if you can transfer to a high school with a better athletics program. If this isn’t possible, then you should see if there are any highly ranked independent leagues within your community that you can join so that you can get the training – and visibility – that you need.

Play Every Game

You never know when college scouts might be out in the stands. That’s why you want to be sure that you are always present and play your hardest at every game. If you are one of the better players on the team, then you want everyone to know it. If a college recruiter chooses to visit your school on a day when you are not playing, then you could miss an opportunity of a lifetime. This is why you need to be sure to always stay in good health. The last thing you want to do is miss a game because you have a cold or the flu or if your grades dropped to a point where you are ineligible to play.

Talk to Your Coach

If you are truly up to snuff, then your coach will know it – but that doesn’t mean that your coach will automatically go through the trouble of vetting you to college scouts. You never know who your coach might be connected to, and you don’t want to risk spoiling a relationship that could really make a positive impact on your life. So let your coach know that you want to play at the college level and ask them if there’s anything they can do to help you get there.

Try Out for Several Colleges

If you really want to increase your chances of getting recruited, then you have to start trying out. Do your research and find out which teams you prefer to play for. Then go out there and try out for all of them. You may have to travel pretty far for a few of them, but it will definitely be worth it. Just make sure that you get plenty of rest before each tryout and maintain a healthy diet so that your body is prepared for you to test its limits.