What to Expect at College Try Outs/Auditions

By Sadie Carr
@YCsadiec

I can’t speak for every college on how the try out and audition process will go. But, I have spoken to many different collegiate coaches and tried out for a plethora of activities at YC, so I feel like I have the basics down. Essentially, the sport is the same at every college. The difference is the people you want to play WITH and who you want to play FOR. I have a few pointers to think about before your college try-out.

1.     If you want to see the good side of your future teammates/performers at a tryout then you must show your good side to them. As a recruit, you determine how the tryout/audition goes. If you are standoffish and rude to the current team, your actions, and attitude will be reflected back to you from the current college athletes or performers.


2.     Be yourself and play your game. If you’re in a choir audition just trust your gut and be confident. You might not be perfect, but the director isn’t expecting perfection. The director is going to look at how you handle failure and take advice. The same thing goes for sports. It does matter how well you do, but you got this try out for a reason. If you make a mistake, just breathe because the coaches want to know how coachable you are and what your potential is. Don’t worry about how well the others are doing. If you’re a high school senior (going to be a freshman in college the next year), you SHOULD be the worst in the try out. Everyone else has already had at least one year in the collegiate program. I know how big of a difference one year with a college mentor can make in your skill level.


3.     Ask questions that concern you.  If there is an aspect that concerns you about the culture of the sport/activity in general, ask the coach how they deal with that. They won’t lie to you. Each coach and player want to make sure that you end up at the right school and on the right team for YOU. They are not going to judge you for the questions you ask, they would rather you ask questions than you end up in the wrong place.


4.     Pay attention to how you’re treated. You deserve to be treated like you are important and that you matter. I had many coaches tell me I was just going to be another pole vaulter on their team and that I wasn’t going to be anything special or impact the team in any way. However, at YC I had a volleyball coach and a track coach who wanted me on the team because I am coachable, positive, and energetic. My coaches didn’t just look at my performance levels but how well I would be able to improve over the years and what I could contribute to the team. Treatment from coaches may depend on the size of school and maybe that is something every athlete should consider. Find what size of school is best for your interest in sports or in the arts.


As a recruit, you will hopefully get a chance to interact with the current team and coach. The key factor to remember is to be yourself, work hard, and trust that everything you have learned in high school comes together to show off your best qualities.