Dear Prep Dig, I’m Being Recruited From Junior College Programs…..Sincerely, Senior To Be
On another addition of “Dear Prep Dig” we have a soon to be Senior out of the Class of 2020 who is heading into her final year of high school volleyball. After playing club volleyball most of her career and getting interests from various colleges, there is still some doubt as to what route to take for the next step. As of late she has been getting recruiting by junior college programs and wants to know a little more about them. We have some suggestions that could be very beneficial in her process to find her future home.
Dear Prep Dig,
I want to play college volleyball, but I feel really confused as to what I should do. A lot of my friends and teammates are making their decisions and I haven’t. Should I have made my decision by now? I also have had some junior colleges reach out to me about playing there. I don’t know much about junior college volleyball. Will I still get recruited out of there if I go that route? Again, just really confused about where I’m at in the process and what route to take.
Sincerely,
Class of 2020 Soon To Be Senior
…………………………………………………..
YES! Look into the junior college route. So many athletes have benefitted from this option and their reason for heading to a junior college all varies based on each athlete. As far as committing and having a timeline, don’t be afraid to be a little flexible with that. Things change, so don’t think of it as a failure if you haven’t committed by a certain time. As for the junior college route, here are a few things to know when heading that route.
Will You Get The College Experience?
YES!
For some athletes, they might think of a junior college as one building they have in town where people take classes. Those are usually centers for people to take class, but the main campus at some junior colleges are very comparable to any other school whether it be a two or four year college/university. There are dorms, suites, and options to live off campus which are the same as any other school as well. Athletes will get the student athlete experience just like any other school.
Scholarships?
There are three divisions associated with the NJCAA: Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 – very comparable to NCAA. NJCAA Division 1 can give full scholarships, NJCAA Division 2 can give athletic scholarships, and NJCAA Division 3 do not give athletic scholarships. Scholarships for athletics. There are options to still receive money to play volleyball in college to get your school paid for.
What About The Competition?
In NJCAA D1 and D2, there are athletes who will one day be playing for high level college programs at a four year college or university. Some of them are playing at the NJCAA level to fulfill academic requirements to get into a four year school (which once you earn an Associates Degree, most schools do not make you take their Gen Ed classes). Others may have been multisport athletes in high school and are still fine tuning their training and devoting their time to volleyball to really get their game to the next level. There are programs in the Midwest that are national title contenders. For example, in Iowa there are multiple NJCAA squads that are some of the tops in the country. Kirkwood, Iowa Central, DMACC are some of the tops in Division 2 where Iowa Western and Indian Hills are some of the top programs in Division 1 that are continuously sending athletes to NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 schools.
Junior College may not be for everyone, but the same can be said for all divisions. If schools are reaching out to you about their junior college program, definitely take a listen, and hear what options they have. They could be the perfect fit you are looking for.
Good Luck!
Sincerely,
Prep Dig
To read more about the student athlete experience with the Junior College route, check out our story on Ali Verzani who was a small school Iowa High School player who became an All American at Iowa Western and now a starting outside hitter at NCAA Division 1 Tennessee Tech.