Blog #14 – My College Recruitment Process

By Brenna Cohoon

Now that I have officially made my college decision, I want to be open about how my recruitment progressed and offer some advice for anyone currently going through this process or preparing to do so in the near future. 

I want to make it clear that there is no “right way” to go through the recruitment process - however one decides to approach it will be the best course of action for that individual!

Although I gave some thought to college my freshman and sophomore years, I didn’t actually begin my search process until the summer before my junior year.  I knew for most of high school that my goal was to run at the Division I level in college, so that helped me narrow down some options before I truly started looking at different universities.

That summer was a wild one for my family and me.  We went on some college road trips and visited about 10 campuses in the Midwest.  It was a fun way to learn more about certain schools and get a feel for different types of campuses.  

I also made a list of universities that I was considering based on whether they had my intended major, journalism.  I started reaching out to the coaches at those schools via email to inform them of my interest in running at their university. 

Although the NCAA rules at that time prevented coaches from contacting me, I still wanted these coaches to know that I was interested in potentially becoming a part of their program.

Initially, the recruiting process was very frustrating for me because I just wanted to rush through everything and decide.  I placed a lot of added stress upon myself once I started looking at colleges.

My patience grew over time, and I began hearing back from some coaches I reached out to while also receiving correspondence from schools I hadn’t originally considered looking at.  I understood that in order for the search process to run as smoothly as possible, I needed to slow things down and take them day by day.  I would commit when the time was right, and for me, that time was definitely not the fall of my junior year.

As things progressed, I started making phone calls with different coaches in order to learn more about each of their universities and running programs.  Calling a college coach was something that really intimidated me at first, but once I did it a few times, I became much more relaxed.  I was able to thoroughly enjoy the conversations I had with each coach once I calmed my nerves.  

My best piece of advice for anyone who may be a little nervous before making their first phone call is just to be yourself!  It’s so cliché, but absolutely crucial to understand. College coaches want you for the unique things you bring to the table as a person, student, and athlete, so don’t be afraid to let that show! 

As I kept reaching out to new schools, something I struggled with were the times when a coach would not respond to my emails of interest.  I would beat myself up and start believing that I wasn’t worthy to run in college.  I needed to take a step back and think about things from a coach’s perspective.  College coaches are incredibly busy people, so they cannot always respond to emails within a few days of their delivery. 

There were also sometimes that I did not receive any kind of reply.  This taught me to not take everything so personally while going through the recruiting process.  If someone did not think that I would be a strong fit for their team, I needed to continue searching for the place that was right for me.

Another thing I did throughout my junior year was go to schools for their “junior day” visits.  Although you don’t have to attend any of these to commit to running in college, I personally loved them.  They were a great way for me to see even more campuses in person and continue to connect with coaches as the NCAA rules allowed.  

From all of this, I learned more and more about different places and became curious about others.  I started to eliminate some schools from the list of where I was initially interested while also reaching out to new places.  This was a cycle that lasted until I ultimately made my final decision since I felt as though that was the best way for me to keep my options open.

This past summer before senior year was another wild one.  My family and I visited a few more campuses out east and down south.  A few coaches also made home visits so we could sit down in a casual atmosphere to discuss their programs.  These visits served as helpful opportunities for me to learn more about specific teams as I got closer to deciding where I would take my official visits.  

NCAA rules allow athletes to take up to five official visits.  I ultimately decided to take three official visits in the fall because that worked best with my training and racing schedule.  It also gave me the option to take two official visits in the winter or spring if I had not yet made my decision by then.

I had such an amazing time at each of my officials, and that made it very difficult to reach my final decision.  I loved every campus, got along well with the coaches, and could see myself fitting in on every team.  After visiting all three schools, I spent a lot of time thinking through my options and talking things over with my parents.  

Before the state series of the cross country season began, I realized that I needed to take a little break from my recruitment and focus purely on running.  That was hard for me, but absolutely necessary to do.  I needed to enjoy my senior year while it lasted instead of constantly worrying about the future.

It was actually during this “break” from my college search when I felt as though I belonged at Iowa State University.  It’s hard to describe, but an incredible sense of ease filled my heart and mind one evening.  Everything seemed so clear and I knew that Ames was the place I wanted to be.

I let this feeling settle for a few days, so I felt absolutely sure of this decision before finally making things official.  I talked a lot with my parents.  Their unending love and support helped me feel even more confident in that gut feeling I experienced.

Iowa State was ultimately the place where I felt most comfortable for a variety of reasons.  It is, in my opinion, a perfect distance of five hours away from home, has a gorgeous campus, and is a comfortable financial fit for my family.  It is a university with the areas of study I want to pursue and support to make my transition into college a smooth one.  I connected really well with the coach and believe in her training philosophies.  I was also warmly welcomed by each woman on the team there.

Something important that I learned through my journey is that the college recruitment process is a roller coaster.  It is fun and thrilling, but also scary at times. 

Sometimes, you feel like you know everything about running in college, while at other times, you feel like you have no idea.  I know that I still have so much to learn, but I am excited to arrive at my destination next fall.

Photo: Catherine Cohoon