One of the first steps to finding a track scholarship involves taking a critical look at yourself as an applicant. The process of getting a scholarship is basically a marketing campaign and you need to know what goods you bring to the table before you work on presenting them in the right light. It's not easy, but it begins with honestly evaluating your ability level.

Resources for Track Scholarships

Start by talking to your coaches. They know you best and they are your best resources. Ask them for their opinions and ask them to be honest about how you stack up relative to other runners they've coached and relative to the competition on the college scene. From there, you are in an ideal position to work together to identify the schools that are a good fit.

Remember, colleges offer track scholarships because they envision you bringing something to their programs. To market yourself effectively, you need to be able to identify where you will fit in and what you have to offer. When it comes time to contact coaches, you want it to be clear that you know about their programs and more importantly, you know how you will help them to excel.

All of this requires you to be realistic about your prospects. However, it shouldn't deter you from trying or from applying to your dream school for a track scholarship. There are lots of opportunities out there. You just have to find them. Besides your coaches, the Internet is your most important tool. Create a free PrepChamps profile that you can use to market yourself to recruiters. Use it to its full potential by outfitting it with your best times, stats, and photos, and give yourself visibility with coaches and recruiters.