Decoding the PSAT/NMSQT

Bernadette Bechta: Blackboard Basics

In October, a shorter version of the SAT is administered throughout the country to sophomores and juniors in high school. It is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. This test is normed to high school juniors although 10th graders usually take it for practice and diagnostic purposes, which I will explain later in this blog. The College Board administers the PSAT and it is the screening test for the NMSQT, which is a scholarship and recognition program administered by a separate organization. To become a National Merit Scholarship Candidate you must:

1. Be an 11th grade student
2. Be a U.S. citizen
3. Plan to attend a four-year college
4. Graduate next year
5. Spend four years in high school; i.e., not graduate early

Typically, a NMSC scores in the 96% and the cutoff score for 2010 graduates was 221 in the state of Maryland, which equates to an SAT score of 2210. These students took the test in October, 2008. The cutoff number for semi-finalists can vary from state to state and this data is available to all high school guidance counselors. State universities typically offer scholarships to NMSQT finalists that average from $4,000 to $11,000. Once a student reaches the cutoff score they will be evaluated on other factors like Letters of Recommendation, Essays, and Transcripts to enter into the finalist category. Additional information can be found at www.nationalmerit.org.

However, for all 10th graders and the 11th graders who take the PSAT, it is primarily a diagnostic test for the upcoming SAT. The Critical Reading section has questions ranging from easy to medium to hard. The Math section has Geometry, Algebra, and Data Analysis and is intended to test your critical thinking skills. There is no essay on the PSAT but the Writing section contains sentence structure and grammar questions. The student is asked to self report his/her GPA, Major interest of Study, and future educational plans.

Once a student takes the PSAT he/she will receive a CODE number that can be used to access a career planning kit. It is personalized for each student based on his/her score and is an important tool for the preparation experience. Each student who took the PSAT should consider doing the following:

1. Set up a College Board website account using the Access Code on the PSAT/NMSQT paper score report.
2. Go to My College Quick Start (www.collegeboard.com/quickstart) and access the following information:
a. My Online Score Report – an enhanced score report with test questions, your answer, and the correct answer with answer explanations. This information will help you understand your strength and weaknesses on your PSAT test.
b. My SAT Study Plan – Prepare for the upcoming SAT with personalized plan based on your test performance (includes a free practice test).
c. My Personality – This is a new feature available to PSAT test takers. Take a personality test to learn more about you and find majors and careers that fit your strengths and interests.
d. My College Matches – Get a starter list of colleges (based on your home state and indicated choice of major) to help you begin your search.
e. My Major and Career Matches – Learn about different majors and careers and see what courses you should take now to be successful later.
3. Once you review all of this information, you can develop a study plan for the SAT test that suits your learning style.

Studies show that the PSAT is a very helpful test for 10th and 11th graders to take as a diagnostic and preparation tool. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about yourself. Get started today!


Bernadette Bechta serves as the main academic contact for all players and parents in Baseball Factory's Exclusive Program. With over 20 years of experience as a teacher and advisor at the high school level, Bernadette will provide families with guidance on topics ranging from application essays to financial aid. In addition, Bernadette’s two sons have both gone through the Exclusive Program, so she knows the ins and outs of the process from a parent’s perspective.

Fact or Fiction

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

One of the best pieces of advice I can give a family that is going through the college recruiting process for baseball is to focus on the facts and try hard to ignore the fiction. The college recruiting process is filled with its ups and downs. At certain points, players may receive emails from coaches, camp invitations, invitations for unofficial or official visits, or phone calls. For other players, that process may take longer to develop and they may not receive as much initial interest or feedback. Whether your family is experiencing an “up” or a “down” in the process, my same advice applies…focus on the facts and try hard to ignore the fiction.

Let me give you two examples. While these examples are not 100% based on specific case studies, I have participated in these types of conversations hundreds of times over the past 15 years.

Parent 1: Johnny just received a phone call from XYZ University. Since the call was received on July 3rd (and July 1st was the first day that Johnny could be called by a college) this must mean that he is going to receive a scholarship offer. This would be great because XYZ University is Johnny’s first choice!

Parent 2: It is August 15th and my son hasn’t received any phone calls or emails from college coaches. He is getting very frustrated because he has been told that if you are not contacted quickly after the July 1st date, that must mean he is not a recruitable player and at best he will need to walk on. Maybe we have been kidding ourselves this entire time since we were convinced he could play in college.

Let’s focus on the facts in each example.

For Parent 1: The fact is that their son got a call from a school on July 3rd and July 1st was the first time they could call. This is certainly encouraging. The fiction is that he will get a scholarship offer because he received this call. Let’s keep things in perspective, be excited and enthusiastic about the phone call, but don’t put the cart before the horse. Johnny may still need to visit the school, conduct a meeting with the coaching staff, do an overnight visit, possibly retake a standardized test, etc. Many things may still need to fall in line before a scholarship is discussed.

For Parent 2: The fact is that their son hasn’t received any interest so far from a college coach. This doesn’t mean he won’t play college baseball and it doesn’t mean that he won’t eventually receive some interest. Many players sign in the Spring signing period, and a good number of those players may not have started to be recruited until later in the game. This family just needs to continue to be proactive and step up their efforts to educate coaches about their son and his potential. Always stay positive!

Keeping your eye on the facts and staying away from the stories or fiction will help keep your family balanced during this college recruiting process, which at times, can feel like an emotional roller coaster!

Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

Balancing the College Baseball Budget

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Prior to the beginning of this season, the athletic departments at Northern Iowa and the University of Vermont announced that this would be the final season for their baseball programs. While the last thing any athletic director wants to do is cut programs and staff, priorities have to be made even at the largest state schools. Even worse, the economic recession has exacerbated the funding deficit between revenue and non-revenue sports. Unfortunately for coaches and recruits alike, “America’s Favorite Past Time” is on the wrong end of this deficit.

While colleges and universities across the country have spent the past year making tough financial decisions, their athletic departments have come to grips with the fact that they’re not immune to what is going on with our economy. Even as the NCAA reports an average annual increase of 5% in student-athletes at member institutions, all sports at all levels have been tightening their belts. Sadly, as low as funding for college baseball has been, being a non-revenue sport puts it at the top of the list to come under the “budget microscope.”

The biggest reality I had to face when I was coaching was to understand exactly what it meant to be a “non-revenue” sport. With smaller audiences and a TV deal worth a fraction of the ones that basketball and football have, there are only a handful of Division I baseball programs that actually “make money” for their school. In most cases, baseball programs rely on the success of football, basketball and fundraising to finance their programs. On top of that, 35-man rosters and a 56-game schedule make baseball very expensive relative to other non-revenue sports, such as golf and tennis. So, when it comes budget time, baseball has lots of lines on its budget for an AD to adjust or eliminate altogether.

Even fully-funded programs find that in order to make a push for additional amenities, coaches need to fundraise and bring additional money into their program. Adding advertisements to the outfield wall, baseball programs and booster clubs were all ways I helped ease the budget crunch for the University of Maryland program. Yet, even with additional fundraising efforts, the most successful coaches are also going to be the thriftiest.

If you can assume that uniforms and equipment, travel and field operations are all fixed costs, the first cutback will always be recruiting. Coaches cannot afford to go to as many events, and if anything, have to budget for the events they do go to very carefully. When I was on the road, I would often share rooms with other coaches or stay with friends and family just to help my bottom line! One of the first things we share with players in our Exclusive College Recruiting Program is that the college baseball recruit has to be prepared to recruit coaches before they come see you play.

Writing and calling coaches, making unofficial visits and having a video all dramatically increase your chances of being seen by coaches this summer and fall. When I went to games, tournaments or showcases, I already knew ahead of time who I was going to see. I couldn’t afford not to do my homework on players beforehand! Players, too, cannot afford to take the “shotgun approach” to their summer schedule. Pick your spots carefully. Who is going to be at a showcase? Who do you have consistent contact with? That’s how coaches with short budgets look at their summer.

There’s no doubt in my mind that college baseball’s popularity is on the rise even with casual fans. The College World Series has really taken off the last few years and the game is reaching more viewers through increased TV coverage. Let’s hope that we’re seeing the end of “making do,” and instead push to make college baseball successful at every institution!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Top 10 "Don'ts" of Letter Writing Pt. 3

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

This week's entry features the final part of my series "Top 10 Don'ts of Letter Writing." If you've missed the previous entries, I'd recommend reading Part Two and Part One for further reading.

7. Don’t ask for a scholarship or financial aid information.

Whether meeting with coaches or applying for a job, “compensation” is usually taboo. Trust me, at some point in the recruiting process, scholarship and financial aid will be discussed. All the same, there is no tactful way of bringing up athletic aid in writing to a coach. To him, players that bring up this subject can sometimes appear to be “just about the money.” Instead, put yourself in a better position by doing your homework in the meantime on FAFSA, university grants and 3rd party scholarship funds.

8. Don’t forget to change the coach’s name and address when sending out multiple letters.

Nothing will end your recruitment faster than writing to the wrong coach. I wouldn’t even read the letter or email if it wasn’t addressed properly. Coaches know that you’re looking at other schools, but also don’t want to be offended by being just another coach or school! Remember, they all have egos just like you do! You simply must take the time to look over each letter you send. Even better, rather than copy and paste a dozen copies of the same letter, spend some time personalizing every introductory letter that you send to coaches. Not only will you help yourself avoid that embarrassing stumble, but showing a coach that you did your homework on his program may elicit a more positive response. Coaches want players who want to come to their school and don’t want to be part of an e-mailing campaign!

9. Don’t forget to sign the letter.

This only applies if you are sending a hard copy of a letter, but think how you would feel if a coach sent you a letter and didn’t take the time to sign it- probably not too special. It doesn’t take a lot of time or energy and it shows a coach you’re that much more interested.

10. Don’t forget to proofread the ENTIRE letter.

Even with the safety nets of Spellcheck, you still need to proofread your letter. I’d recommend reading through everything you send top to bottom, and then backwards. It also helps to have someone else read it, too. Many times, players will simply check for misspellings, rather than ERRORS. It’s very easy to miss when the WRONG word has been spelled correctly. I remember one player sent a letter to a coach on his college list talking about his hitting ability. While talking about your skills isn’t recommended in the first place, what’s worse is that he accidently added an “S” to “hitting.” In this case, the coach saw the humor in it and cut the player a break, but such a silly mistake could just as easily cost that player his recruitment!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Understanding Baseball Scholarships

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Undoubtedly, financial aid is one of the most confusing pieces of the college search process. Balancing college visits, letter writing, and applications can be a difficult task on its own, but trying to add the scholarship component without a full understanding of the process can be downright frustrating. There is no cookie-cutter system with differences among divisions, conferences and individual schools. I’d like to take this entry to address some common misconceptions and give you a coach’s perspective on the distribution of athletic scholarships.

Unlike football and basketball, which are allotted 85 and 12 full scholarships, respectively, Division I baseball only has a maximum of 11.7 scholarships at a time for the entire team. Rather than giving each player a “full ride,” baseball coaches are given the responsibility of dividing the total scholarships among their players, deciding how much and to whom. This makes baseball an “equivalency sport.” Given a roster cap of 35 players, a maximum of 27 players can be on scholarship, with the minimum athletic scholarship level at 25%. Typically, positions in the middle of the field get the most attention first: pitchers, catchers, middle infielders and center fielders with speed. These positions comprise 65-80% of a program’s scholarship budget.

One glaring misconception I need to point out is that not all Division I programs have the full 11.7 scholarships. In reality, only half are considered to be fully funded. This makes the concept of a full ride to play college baseball everything but a myth: baseball has the second-lowest average scholarship award at $5,806, leading only men’s riflery! Furthermore, there is no such thing as a guaranteed four-year scholarship. Coaches will evaluate the player’s performance on the field and in the classroom, along with their scholarship on an annual basis. In most cases, the scholarships will only go up, but I have seen and heard of player’s scholarships being reduced and/or taken away completely.

Parents, you need to be prepared to significantly fund your son’s college education. All coaches understand the financial burden families face to send their children to college. However, you cannot get caught up in the value of a scholarship--it is not a translation of your son's worth, nor does it dictate playing time! All coaches have the task of putting together the best team possible, many with limited funding, and have to address both priorities and depth. To put this in another perspective, a 30% or more athletic scholarship is considered a major commitment on behalf of the institution.

A while ago, I wrote a blog entry about how I put together teams at the University of Maryland and what I looked for in prospective players. In addition to the “Three Aces” that I mentioned, there is one critical “4th Ace” that I left out: affordability. In addition to finding ACC-caliber players that had the grades to be admitted to the University of Maryland, I also had to recruit players that had the financial means to attend! Not only was it extremely challenging to find players that matched all three criteria, but I considered myself fortunate to get two of three.

Keep in mind that there are plenty of other options out there for financial aid, including FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), academic scholarships, and grants. The key to securing these different packages is to be proactive and do your research. You’ll never know until you’ve applied, and you can’t afford to wait around!

As a wrap-up, here is the breakdown of each division’s scholarship allotment:

NCAA Division I: 11.7
NCAA Division II: 9.0
Junior College: DI and DII: 24 DIII: 0
NCAA Division III: 0
NAIA: 12


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

10 College Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid, Part 3

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

As I’ve written in my last two entries, there are plenty of ways for players to limit their college options. I’d like to close out this discussion with four final points:

#7) Not Understanding the Scholarship Process

The first thing to understand is that there are not many college baseball scholarships to go around. For example, a fully funded Division I program has 11.7 scholarships to award players on their team. This doesn’t mean 11.7 scholarships for the incoming recruits, but rather 11.7 scholarships to spread out between a maximum of 27 players on the team, from freshman to seniors. Most schools are not fully funded, so most programs will have less than the maximum amount of scholarships.

Because of these limitations, coaches have to be very efficient with their scholarships. They will spread out scholarships to players in their program such that, for example, one recruit is given a 33% scholarship and another player is given a 67% scholarship. Therefore, don’t expect to receive a scholarship, because they are rare. And if you are offered a scholarship, don’t expect it to be a “full” scholarship!

If you do receive a scholarship, keep in mind the scholarships are year-to-year. They are reviewed annually by the coaching staff and can be adjusted. You may be given a 33% scholarship your freshman year and a 40% scholarship your sophomore year. However, coaches can also reduce a scholarship or remove it completely.

#8) Relying on Your High School or Summer Coach to Find You a College

While there are numerous high school and summer coaches across the country that go the extra mile to help their players compete at the college level, it is important that you do not rely entirely on this source. It is rare that a high school or summer coach can pick up the phone and have direct contact with college programs across the country. In addition, keep in mind that a high school coach’s main job is likely as a full time teacher, and most all summer coaches have a full time job. While they may have good intentions, your college search may not be high on their priority list.

It is important that you take advantage of all of your resources. Use your high school or college coach as a reference throughout the process, but it is best to leave the true college search to the professionals. Also, make sure that you take the initiative throughout the process.

#9) Visiting Colleges That Aren’t a Realistic Athletic and/or Academic Fit

Lots of money and time can be wasted traveling around the country to look at the wrong schools. You need to be honest with yourself from both an academic and athletic standpoint. Concentrate your time, energy and money visiting schools that are academically and athletically realistic based on your ability. Do research to find out more information on each college’s academic requirements, and the level of competition on the baseball team. If you need help finding out schools that would be a good college fit, contact a Player Development Coordinator at Baseball Factory after your tryout is completed and our scouts have evaluated your skills.

#10) Letting Your Parents Do the Talking When a College Coach Asks you’re a Question

College coaches are recruiting YOU, not your parents. Thus, it is important that you are the one communicating with them throughout the college recruiting process. When you meet with coaches, you should be asking and answering questions. It is OK for your parents to participate in the discussion, but you should be taking the lead. It is important that YOU pick up the phone and call coaches- they want to hear from players and professionals in the baseball industry, NOT parents.

So, what to take away from all of this? Players that learn to take the initiative and keep an open mind in the college recruiting process will find themselves with better options, regardless of academic or athletic ability. There are many different ways for you to take your recruitment into your own hands on the field, in the classroom and in front of your computer. Be careful to avoid these common recruiting mistakes, and you will be able to find that perfect fit athletically, academically and socially!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.