College


College Placement

For our U13-U19 players, LA Galaxy Orange County offers a unique college program designed to ensure that ALL our athletes attend, and whenever possible, play at the collegiate level. The program is intended to supplement the efforts of our players and their parents as they strive to make well informed decisions related to attending and possibly competing at the college level.

Opportunity
The college placement program offers both free and fee based services which are designed to ensure every player in our club has an opportunity to attend college.

What is Included in My Club Fees?

  • CollegeFitFinder.com Platform Access (see below CFF FitBox for more info)
    The College Fit Finder software platform gives players and families a better way to research schools and be more organized in the recruiting process. The application streamlines college recruiting by offering a “do-it-yourself” application unlike any other on the market.
  • Team and Individual Account Set-up
    Free account set-up for all LA Galaxy OC teams – 8th grade status and above.
  • Administrator Training
    Online training for all administrators through live and recorded webinars.
  • Online Training for Individual Use and Access
    Online training for all athletes through live and recorded webinars.
  • College Letter Writing Webinar
    Online training for all athletes through live and recorded webinars.
  • College Prep Academy “College Counseling Annual Handbook”
    Coming in June 2016
  • College Fit Academy Bi-annual Meeting
    Our bi-annual college night for parents and players. This meeting is designed to help athletes and their families understand the college recruiting process.
  • Financial Planning for College Bi-annual Meeting (parents only)
    Our bi-annual financial planning for college event is designed specifically for the parents of ALL our athletes. This meeting is open to parents of all age groups to help answer critical questions related to properly planning for college.

NCAA Compliance
Visit the NCAA.org site to learn about NCAA compliance.

For any other questions you may have regarding our college placement program please email our College Program Director, Carlos Gonzales.

College Preparation

LA Galaxy Orange County adopts a comprehensive approach to player development and college placement. It is critical that our players learn the necessary technical and tactical skill to excel on the field, but we also focus intentionally on character development and mental toughness. Preparing for college requires intense commitment to academic, athletic, and psychological success.

LAGOC provides competitive players excellent college preparation resources. In addition to the high level training by one of the best coaching staff’s in Southern California, college prospects will receive an in-depth education to the college search process, one on one counseling, and access to College Fit Finder. Our college bound prospects are exceptionally prepared to navigate the college search process.

Click here to access the ‘Top Ten Questions to Ask a College Coach.’

FAFSA Website (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
https://www.fafsa.ed.gov

Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is the application for college-bound students to potentially receive Federal and State grant money to attend a public or private college. The FAFSA awards are mainly based on financial need and merit of the student. Not only does the FAFSA open up opportunities from the Federal and State governments, but it also highlights specific awards at different collegiate institutions.

Every potential college bound student should file the FAFSA for scholarship opportunities for college. Visit the FAFSA website today!

NCAA Eligibility Center (Formerly NCAA Clearinghouse)
https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

The NCAA Eligibility Center is something that every potential collegiate student-athlete needs to register for in order to play collegiate sports. Your high school transcripts, SAT scores, ACT scores will all need to be filed with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

You should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at the beginning of your junior year of high school.

CollegeBoard (SAT College Entrance Exam and Scholarship Website)
https://www.collegeboard.com

The SAT is one of two exams that you can take to be eligible to attend college. Every student-athlete must achieve a certain score on the SAT in order to be eligible to play collegiate athletics. Through the collegeboard website, you can register for an upcoming SAT exam, have your scores sent to the college of your choice, and even take practice exams to get prepare for the real one!

The SAT is a more widely used test when it comes to college athletics, but not the only option. Visit the CollegeBoard website to answer any other questions about the SAT you may have.

ACT Student (ACT Entrance Exam and Scholarship)
https://www.actstudent.org

The ACT is the second of two exams that you can take to be eligible to attend college. Every student-athlete must achieve a certain score on the ACT in order to be eligible to play collegiate athletics.

Through the ACT website, you can register for an upcoming ACT exam, have your scores sent to the college of your choice, and even take practice exams to get prepare for the real one! Visit the ACT website to answer any other questions you may have.

CSU Mentor (CSU Application Website)
https://www.csumentor.com/

The CSU Mentor website is where you can apply to the CSU of your choice. CSU stands for California State University and the CSU system consists of various universities throughout California. The following institutions are part of the CSU System and can be applied to through the CSU Mentor website: Cal Maritime, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Chico, CSU Dominguez Hills, CSU East Bay, CSU Fresno, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, CSU Los Angeles, CSU Monterey Bay, CSU Northridge, CSU Sacramento, CSU San Bernardino, CSU San Marcos, CSU Stanislaus, Humboldt State, San Diego State, San Francisco State, San Jose State, and Sonoma State.

By using the CSU Mentor website, you can apply to these institutions. Visit the CSU Mentor Website if you are interested in attending any of these wonderful universities.

UC Website (UC Application)

The UC website is where you can apply to the UC of your choice. UC stands for University of California and the UC system consists of various universities throughout California. The following institutions are part of the UC System and can be applied to through the UC website: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, and UC Santa Cruz.

By using the CSU Mentor website, you can apply to these institutions. Visit the UC Website if you are interested in attending any of these wonderful universities.

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply_to_uc.html

FastWeb (Scholarship Search Website)
https://www.FastWeb.com

FastWeb is a search engine dedicated to finding scholarships for college-bound students and current college students.

There are a wide variety of scholarships out there, and FastWeb helps to locate them. It is a great resource to use so visit it today!
NAIA (The NAIA Eligibility Center)
https://www.playnaia.org/PlayNAIA.org is the official clearinghouse for NAIA eligibility. Every student-athlete must register with the NAIA eligibility center to play sports at an NAIA college. The eligibility center is also a powerful tool to help athletes connect with coaches and NAIA schools - and find money for college through thousands of NAIA athletic scholarships.

Get Recruited - TIPS

PRESENTER: CHAKA DALEY, University of Michigan, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer

A) Schools of Interest

  • Create list
  • DI, DII, DIII, NAIA
  • Research
  • Visit
  • Realistic
  • Feedback/Recommendations/Contacts/Word of Mouth etc.

B) Create Informational Packet/SPORT SPECIFIC RESUME

  • Accuracy
  • Professionalism
  • Include Academic, Athletic highlights and References
  • Appearances—where can the coach see you play? What environment?

C) How to recruit your potential institution!

4 MAJOR FACTORS ARE: ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, FINANCIAL, ATHLETIC

1) ACADEMIC

  • *MUST BE FIRST CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING A SCHOOL*
  • CGPA, quality of classes-SAT/ACT (SAT optional?)
  • Recommendations/Contacts
  • ADMISSIONS-Early Action/Early Decision/Regular Decision
  • Research—school profile (average student accepted is?)
  • Majors offered
  • Career Services (Alumni)

2) ATHLETIC- How we (Coaches) Recruit?

  • Are you being recruited? VS. Recruiting a school?
  1. Send Resume (E-mail & hard copy)
  2. Must see the TEAM PLAY!
  3. IF YOU ARE NOT SEEN IN THE RECRUITING PROCESS? (Dream School) WALK-ON OPPORTUNITIES?
  • Every Coach/Every School varies because of:
  1. Financial Resources (scholarships and/or financial aid)
  2. Academic Standards
  3. Admissions Support
  4. Team Needs—Tier of RECRUITS
  5. Roster Limitations

3) SOCIAL

  • Unofficial visit vs. Official visit(5); DI, DII, DIII
  • BE INQUISITIVE—Ask questions??? (Players, Coaches, Professors, Student body, Career Services etc.)
  • Points of Consideration include: Athletic facilities, Conference, Size, Location, Distance from home, Climate, Football school, girl to guy ratio etc.
  • *OPPORTUNITY*

4) FINANCIAL

  • Aid vs. Need
  • Grants vs. Loans (opportunity)
  • Need vs. Merit
  • Academic Scholarships—requirements?
  • Additional Scholarships—research?
  • Tuition Exchange
  • Early Action/Early Decision/Regular Decision
  • PROFILE and/or FAFSA—DETERMINES YOUR FAMILY CONTRIBUTION
  • ATHLETIC Scholarships
  • -scholarship opportunities/packages vary dramatically at all schools
  • -counter and equivalency (example 9.9 Men’s Soccer)
  • -Example of a ½ grant and ½ athletic
  • -scholarships are year-to-year with a recommendation by coach
  • *poor academic performance and/or disciplinary issues
  • *ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE CAN NOT!
  • Potential Player Cannot be shy with regards to asking questions regarding financial aid—HOW?

D) TIMELINES: Increasingly difficult on Coach and potential student-athlete

YOU MUST BEGIN TO PREPARE EARLY!!

MY ADVICE/OPINION:

  • Sophomore Year (1st Semester Aug-Dec) - list of schools and begin to research.
  • Sophomore Year (2nd Semester Jan-Jun) - Begin to prepare 1 page informational on you and narrow your search.
  • Summer before Junior Year - Continue to develop resume & narrow search -where are you playing?
  • Junior Year (before high school season or Thanksgiving) - Resume with future schedules included (high school or club) E-mail accessible & hard copy
  • Junior Year (before Christmas) - tournament appearance(s) & updates to resume
  • Junior Year (2nd Semester Jan-Jun) - continue to narrow list based on feedback and generate feedback
  • - Unofficial Visit(s) to those that interest you and/or interested in you!
  • - Mail transcripts & SAT scores with senior courses included (if available)
  • REGISTER FOR THE ELIGIBILITY CENTER!
  • Summer before Senior Year
  • -Unofficial Visit(s)
  • -Camp(s)!
  • -July 1st Recruiting Calls
  • Senior Year (1st Semester Aug-Dec) - continue unofficial visits IF not taken
  • - official visits (5); DI obsolete?, DII (trial at end of your season), DIII (vist at any time in college career)
  • - Visit CAMPUS in action (regular school day—attend class & game day—observe coaching style, caliber of players, your position)
  • -APPLICATION PROCESS/DEADLINES
  • -DECISION!!!
  • Senior Year (2nd Semester Jan-Jun)
  • -APPLY ON TIME
  • -FILL OUT FAFSA & PROFILE (pay attention to deadlines)
  • -NLI (February) or ACCEPTANCE LETTER
  • -MUST CONTINUE TO PERFORM ACADEMICALLY

Prospective Student-Athlete (PSA) MUST take ownership of this process!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

Resource:
College Graduation Rates for both public and private schools based on State

Coach Contact Template

Dear Coach XXXXXXXX,

My name is XXXXXXXX, I am part of the class of 201X. I am interested in attending XXXXXXX and learning more about your XXXXXXXXXXX program. I am also interested in playing soccer for your XXXXXXXXXX soccer team. (Now write briefly what impresses you about their team; eg. style of play, congratulations on a great 201X, I see that you are graduating 7 players in 201X and I would like to be a part of the incoming class, best wishes for a great 201X!, etc.).

I wear number XX and play XXXXXXXX position(s) for LA Galaxy Orange COunty XXXXXXXX team. (Now mention some BRIEF points on the stronger parts of your game e.g. speed, touch, composure, etc). Please check out my College Fit Finder profile: (locate your College Fit Finder individual player profile and copy and paste the URL). If you need any further information regarding my playing ability and/or character please contact my coach (who is cc’ed in on this email); XXXXXXXX at xxxxxx@lagalaxyoc.com or call him/her at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

I will be participating in XXXXXXX Showcase and would like to invite you to come and watch one of my games. Please see my schedule below:

PASTE SCHEDULE HERE or INSERT SCHEDULE LINK (URL)

Yours Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX Team
Jersey Number XX

College Fit Finder

LA Galaxy Orange County provides each player with access to College Fit Finder. College Fit Finder is a unique and exceptional college search resource designed to assist the college prospect with all aspects of the college search and tailor that college plan specific to individual goals. Please check out the College Fit Finder ‘FitBox’ below including videos on the various topics of the process, commitments list, resource links, login instructions, features, and an overview of the program.

To log on below, go to ‘Login Instructions’ and then input your info on the right hand side:
Username: firstnamelastname (ex. gregallen)
Password: firstnamelastname (ex. gregallen)

Again, the website has great tutorials (when you click on the help button) and if you are needing additional information or are having any issues then please e-mail Stacy at: stacy@elitescoutnet.com

Commitments

As part of the LA Galaxy OC College Placement Program, all players U13-19 players will receive professional guidance and mentoring to help them achieve their collegiate goals. Each year, we have a number of our players commit to colleges around the country. Here are our latest College Commits.

K.S Smith

Cole Hoogenraad

Jessica Ruggieri
K.C. has committed to Westmont College for 2018. K.C. is a member of B99 Premier Tutton. Cole has committed to the i2i International Soccer Academy in York, England. He will study Sports & Exercise Science. Jessica has committed to UC San Diego for 2018. She is currently playing for G99 Premier Woodcock.

Jimmy Choi

Amanda Chadwick

 Bobby Reynolds
B99 Premier Tutton Goalkeeper, Jimmy Choi, has committed to Whitworth University in Washington. He will study health science. Amanda Chadwick, who is a member of G99 Premier Woodcock, will be attending Pace University this Fall, as business major. B99 Premier Tutton player Bobby Reynolds has committed to St Lawrence University

Samantha Ree

Cassandra Loza

 Jack Monach
Samantha has committed to Claremont Mckenna College in Cassandra Loza will be heading to Edmonton, Canada, where her and teammate Lauren Garcia have committed for 2018 B99 Premier Tutton’s Jack Monach has been with the club since he was 13. Jack has committed to UC Irvine

Ally Lozano

Jen Garfias

Ally has committed to play for UC Merced in Northern California for 2017. The former LAGOC Goalkeeper is now a biology major. Follow Ally’s progress here.

Jen has joined Cal State University Dominguez Hills women’s team for 2017. She spent four years at LAGOC, playing under Head Coach Tim Woodcock, and is now a Business Sports, Entertainment & Hospitality Management. Follow Jen’s progress here.

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