A little different format this week but I was asked on social media about how to get over being shy when talking to the college coaches so I shared an IGTV video to discuss this. You can view that HERE Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information about college recruiting, please contact Brandi at bjackson@pkbgt.org
What advice would you give to a junior girl when she gets rejected or told the offer has been given to someone else? "I would tell her to not give up hope. The process is frustrating and stressful but you have to be patient and persistent. I faced many rejections, one of which was from my second choice, but the next day, I received an offer from my first. There will be a school out there that is waiting to welcome you with open arms; you just have to be patient and continue to work hard." - Ivy League Golfer "In terms of advice that I would give a junior girl, I would say, and I’m sure they hear this a lot, to just keep trying with other schools. I know that rejection isn’t fun, but it happens to everyone. Remind yourself of your goals and trust [...]
What have you struggled with the most since getting to college? "Being patient with results and just trusting the process day in and day out. In the meantime, intentionally enjoying and appreciated the free time I do have is something I am constantly working on." - Ivy League Golfer "Personally I would say the competition of qualifying is a struggle; the team has good players and you and your teammates all want to succeed but at the same time you want to qualify." - DII Golfer "Always trying to be at my best is way harder in college due to getting less sleep every night and the exposure to more germs and illnesses can make it difficult to always feel 100% and give all out effort." - DI Golfer "I was always told that college golf is way less stressful than junior golf, especially if you’re not [...]
What has been the biggest surprise or adjustment about college golf? “I think the biggest surprise about college golf was how much more goes into it than junior golf. Now, I have to be responsible for everything that goes into being prepared for the golf tournament. After the tournament, I can’t rely on my parents to help unpack if I’m a little tired or take the day off school the next day. It is a bigger commitment, but the reward is greater too as you get to represent an entire team and school, not just yourself.” - DI Golfer "Trying to understand and respect different approaches of my teammates as we try to reach the same goals" - Ivy League Golfer "A big adjustment for me was dealing with competitiveness between teammates. In high school, I didn’t have to compete a lot with my [...]
"We are living in a much different recruiting world right now so there is an extra level of patience and understanding that has to be considered for everyone, while also not being complacent and too narrow-minded on options as you can control that part." Thought I’d share a snippet of my email reply to one of my girls this week. The last few months as a recruiting consultant has been very difficult, being sought for answers and advice on a process that is completely out of the norm and extremely uncertain has been a bit stressful. Even with 10 years of being a consultant, at times recently I’ve felt uncertain on what to tell a player as to not create more anxiety and fear in them than they already have on their own. But for all of you recruits, keep in mind that coaches are also in [...]
If you want to have dream schools on your list that is completely ok, I love to see a female golfer willing to work hard to play at the highest level possible. But if scholarship money is a top priority, then you need to focus most of your time and energy on the realistic schools where you are #1 or #2 on their list. If you only focus on your dream schools where you are on the coach's “interested” list then you will find yourself missing opportunities at great schools and programs where you may receive offers earlier. Scholarship money is not as abundant as many are led to believe so be sure you give yourself the opportunity to earn scholarship money by being realistic with the schools you focus on. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions at bjackson@pkbgt.org [...]
What are 3 things you would have done differently as a junior golfer? “When I was a little girl I always dreamed about playing collegiate and professional golf one day. Now that I am fulfilling part of my dream as a collegiate golfer, looking back there are a few things I would have done differently as a junior. The biggest thing I would have done differently is to change my practice routine to involve more of the things that I really struggled with. Often times, my practice was just broken down into the three main sections of hitting balls at the range, a few chipping drills, and putting. I never really focused on certain aspects of each area that I really struggled with. Now that I am in college, we focus a lot on the weakest areas of our game. I have learned that it is [...]
COVID-19 NCAA Contact Rules Update #2: DI programs will remain in a Dead Period through July 31st. This means no on-campus contact (official or unofficial visits), off-campus contact, or evaluations (recruiting at tournaments). Electronic communication (emails, texts, social media, calls, video chats) only for 2020 and 2021 recruits. Beginning June 15th for 2022 recruits as well. DII programs will implement a Quiet Period from June 1-30 which means you can have on-campus in-person contact with a coach (official or unofficial visit) but no off-campus in-person contact or evaluations (recruiting at tourneys). Electronic communication will continue as well. They can host camps or clinics during this time. This is for DII programs only. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions at bjackson@pkbgt.org Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information about college recruiting, [...]
In a recent IGTV episode, I talked with Ryan Mckie of Knight Performance Factory about the ability to be coachable. You can watch the full episode below but here are 3 important takeaways: Open to being challenged means that you will consider new ways to do things and you won’t give up just because it’s difficult for you. Total trust in your coach means that not only are you open to being challenged by them but you are willing to take on their assignments and instructions with total commitment to the process. Willing to ride the waves is a result of both the openness to being challenged and total trust in your coach. You have an understanding of what is best for you and when that needs to take priority. But you know in order to be your best, there are going to be ups and [...]
COVID-19 NCAA Contact Rules Update: DI programs will remain in a Dead Period through June 30th. This means no on-campus contact (official or unofficial visits), off-campus contact, or evaluations (recruiting at tournaments). Electronic communication (emails, texts, social media, calls, video chats) only for 2020 and 2021 recruits. Beginning June 15th for 2022 recruits as well. DII programs will implement a Quiet Period from June 1-30 which means you can have on-campus in-person contact with a coach (official or unofficial visit) but no off-campus in-person contact or evaluations (recruiting at tourneys). Electronic communication will continue as well. They can host camps or clinics during this time. This is for DII programs only. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information about college recruiting, please contact Brandi [...]
