MyNextPlay's 12th Grade Timeline for college planning and softball recruiting

The MyNextPlay 12th Grade Timeline is a free tool you can use to help guide you through the college planning and college softball recruiting processes.

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For each semester and summer during your senior year in high school, the MyNextPlay 12th Grade Timeline lays out the things you should be working on and paying attention to during your journey from high school to college – and finding your spot on a college softball roster.

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In addition to using this MyNextPlay 12th Grade Timeline, you’ll want to create your own copy of the MyNextPlay Tracker – a Google Workspace or Microsoft OneDrive workbook that you can use to track all the information you’ll need as you move through your college planning and college softball recruiting process. (Note: You can also check-out the complete MyNextPlay Timeline that covers all four years of high school).

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Let’s dive into the MyNextPlay 12th Grade Timeline so you can get started!

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12th Grade Timeline

Reminder: Check-out MyNextPlay's College Softball Recruiting Guide, and set up your personal version of the MyNextPlay Tracker.

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FALL SEMESTER 12th GRADE

Academic to-dos:

❑ Stay focused on getting the best grades you can your senior year. Colleges evaluate your performance in the fall semester as part of your college application, and they will want to check in on how you’re doing in your spring semester. Bottom line: Don’t slack off!

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❑ Meet with your high school coach and high school counselor regularly to make sure you’re on track with getting everything done in order to submit your college applications on time. This is true whether you’ll be applying to a single school as a recruited athlete, or to multiple schools.

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❑ Sign up to take the SAT or ACT if you decide to retake either exam based on feedback you may have gotten from college coaches that improving your test scores might help your admissions profile at their school. 

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❑ If you need academic support, talk to your counselor or advisor, and your parents about getting the help you need. Consider tutoring resources provided by your school.

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Athletic to-dos:

❑ If you’re uncommitted at this point and you’re still looking to get in front of college coaches, consider attending a recruiting event in the early fall (like September). There are specific recruiting events that are set up specifically for uncommitted high school 12th graders. Talk with your high school coach if you need help picking an event to attend, or if you need financial assistance to attend a recruiting event MyNextPlay might be able to help; apply here. 

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❑ Read MyNextPlay’s article “What are the athletic requirements to play college softball” to see what skills coaches look for in players at each of the different college levels.

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❑ Meet with your high school coach and your summer coach to discuss where you stand with the colleges you’ve prioritized on the “My Colleges” tab in your Tracker. Outreach to college programs from your high school and/or summer ball coach can be helpful while you’re in the process of picking your top choice (if you haven’t already).

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College planning and softball recruiting process to-dos:

❑ A key part of deciding which colleges to apply to is deciding on your short list of target colleges. That might mean you’ve selected a single school that has told you that you’re a “recruited athlete” - either Division I, II, III or NAIA. Or for many seniors, you may still be talking to a number of schools and deciding where you want to apply.

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❑ If you’re not committed to a single school, keep communicating with the college coaches and programs on your short list. This is a fluid process where you are trying to find your best fit, so keep reaching out to the schools you are most interested in attending to hear from the coaches where you stack up as a recruit within their programs.

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❑ The most important milestone to complete this fall is submitting your college application or applications. Make sure you are coordinating with your high school counselor on all the requirements needed to complete your college applications. Here’s a start on these requirements:

• Begin with the Common Application to apply to colleges on your target list
• Identify and list the requirements beyond the Common App for each college on your target list - typically these will include additional essays beyond those in the Common Application, and perhaps other requirements like a resume that highlights your extracurricular activities 
• Complete the Free Application For Financial Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Begin thinking about which teachers (at least 2) that you’ll ask to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf

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SPRING SEMESTER 12th GRADE

Academic to-dos:

❑ Make sure you complete any final college applications that have submission dates that fall in January of your senior year.

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❑ Keep focused on your studies. Again, expect that the colleges you apply to will all want a mid-semester check in to confirm you’re still doing well academically. Now’s not the time for any “Senioritis”!

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Athletic to-dos:

❑ Focus on your softball season. Make this a memorable final year in what is fast closing in on a great four years of high school! Stay healthy both physically and mentally through the grind of the season.

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❑ Work with your softball coaches to find a good summer softball team to play on during the coming summer. You’ll want to play during the summer after you graduate high school so you can stay sharp and keep working on your game ahead of your fall semester as an incoming college first year.

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❑ Commit to your training program to continue developing your strength, speed, agility, and quickness (SSAQ), as well as your hitting, fielding, and arm strength. Your high school coach will be able to help you develop a plan.

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College planning and softball recruiting process to-dos:

❑ If you’re a recruited athlete and have applied to that college as a Division I, II, III or NAIA student, you will have either received early acceptance in December, or you’ll get your acceptance notification early during this semester. Congratulations!

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❑ If you’re waiting to hear from multiple college applications and plan to decide on where you want to play after your acceptance letters are all in, be sure to stay in touch with all the college programs on your short list. Keep them posted on how your senior year softball season is going. Once you hear from colleges by early April, you’ll have until May 1st (more or less) to communicate your acceptance decision back to colleges.

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SUMMER BEFORE YOUR FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE

Academic to-dos:

❑ Pay attention to the emails that come from your college – there will be a lot of important information about the freshman move-in and orientation process. Find out how the academic planning and advisory process works so you can start thinking about your class schedule for the fall. 

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Athletic to-dos:

❑ Have fun playing on your summer team, and enjoy some down time before you begin your college journey. Check in with your college coach on what pre-fall training program they might want you doing before you arrive on campus.