There is a LOT of advice out there about the college process and college tennis camps.
Like most advice you find online, it’s of varied quality and reliability. So what I’m going to write about is, to be clear, NOT advice. Atlas Tennis is, first and foremost, focused on providing teenage tennis players with the best summer tennis camp experience playing tournaments and traveling in Europe.
But…
Atlas Tennis can also be an incredibly valuable resource for teenagers at any stage of the college process. Whether your goal is to play D1, D2, D3, or club tennis, or even if you are just feeling overwhelmed with the general college application process and how tennis might fit in, there are so many reasons why Atlas can help.
1. College tennis is a big part of our journeys.
Between myself and our four founding partners, there are eight schools that we’ve donned the colors for. As players, Notre Dame (Andrew), William & Mary (Megan), Gustavus Adolphus (Eric), Bates (Sam), and Rochester (Ben). As coaches, Eric was a part of the program at Harvard while I coached at Wesleyan and RPI.
And through all this experience, we’ve built quite a strong list of accomplishments:
- 5 National Championships
- 11 All-American Honors
- 3 ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Awards
- 1 ITA Assistant Coach of the Year
2. Our knowledge of the landscape at all levels runs deep.
With our extensive experience in the world of college tennis, we have a very diverse knowledge of the landscape, spanning across both genders, different divisions, regions, levels, and more. And beyond just college tennis, we have plenty to offer from a general college search prospective as well.
3. I’m not far removed from being directly involved.
I played college tennis from 2012-2016 and coached from 2016-2020, winning a national championship less than 5 years ago. With the extra years of eligibility due to Covid, some of the players I coached are still active college players. Having been deeply embedded in the world of college and college tennis only a few years ago, I am still very much up to date on the current landscape and know first hand how closely connected our travel tennis camps can be to the world of college tennis.
Great Memories of Winning NCAAs with Wesleyan in 2019
4. Our network is unmatched.
I’d argue that between the five of us, our network is pretty much unmatched when it comes to tennis in general. Speaking about college tennis, I would say that just about anyone you could think of is either directly connected to one of us—and if not, there’s virtually no chance we’re more than one degree separated. It can feel like a big world, but with the network of Atlas Tennis, it becomes much smaller.
5. We can help simplify the complicated nature of the process
One thing you’ll learn as you go through the college process is that it can be hard to get a straight answer, especially from coaches. Having been one myself, I know first hand how careful coaches have to be with their words in order to hedge their bets, keep you interested but not too interested, string you along, etc. It’s usually not out of any bad intent, but just a less-than-ideal part of the recruiting process. There is often a fair amount of having to read between the lines, and we can help make it all make more sense.
6. We can be completely direct and honest because it’s not the main part of our business.
Unlike the many college consulting businesses out there, our main focus is on creating unbelievable trips and the best summer tennis camps for teenage players. Because of that, anything we share about the college process is driven purely by our desire to help our Atlas Tennis family—not as part of our main business. We hope and expect that this will lead to even more direct, honest, transparent, and non-transactional relationships.
7. Many of the matches we play count for UTR.
While our viewpoint is generally that of our friend J-Y Aubone, “Focus on improving your game and your UTR will take care of itself,” there’s no question that UTR is still one of the metrics college coaches use the most. And fortunately, many of the tournaments we will play in Europe count for UTR, so even while overseas our players will have the chance to play UTR matches.
8. Experience traveling and playing tennis with a group is appealing to college coaches.
Traveling as a team to play is one of the hallmarks of college tennis. For many players, there’s a significant adjustment period to this new type of tennis lifestyle as it varies greatly from junior tennis. There’s no question that having experience from a younger age in this type of setting can help players stand out to college coaches.
9. A willingness to step out of your comfort zone stands out.
With both college coaches and college admissions officers, teens that have already demonstrated a willingness to step out of their comfort zone stand out. Almost any college environment—on or off court—will require teens to put themselves into new situations with new people in new environments, and Atlas is a great opportunity to get a head start on this.
10. Getting exposed to tennis players from other countries prepares you for college.
College tennis has an impressively high percentage of players from other countries—and getting the chance to compete against them not only prepares players for the different game styles they’ll see in college, it also exposes them to the different tennis cultures, traditions, and training styles that they’ll likely encounter.
11. Traveling to new countries to get immersed in the culture while pursuing a passion is unique.
Going back to the importance of college applications, as cliche as it is, they really do matter, and any way you can stand out can absolutely help. Simply having traveled is not likely to be enough to jump off the page, but going on a 3-4 week trip to pursue a passion like you can do with Atlas Tennis during our summer tennis camps in Europe? Many fewer can say they’ve done anything like that.
12. Meeting new people from all over the country and world is a great step towards preparing for the new environments of college.
Most schools have a fairly sizable population of foreign students, whether they are athletes or not. What better way to be able to relate to them and forge connections than by sharing your own experience of being abroad?
13. The trips will allow for players and coaches to have lots of time to talk about the college process.
A huge part of what makes Atlas Tennis so special? It’s the personal connections that can be built between players and coaches. Since our team of coaches will be with their group 24/7 for the entire trip, there will be plenty of opportunity to talk one-on-one about all topics college related. Whether it’s on van rides, while waiting at the airport, during rain delays, or anything else—our coaches are a wealth of information for players to talk with regarding college.
14. Players that go on our trips have a direct line to us, even after the trips, for advice. Once you are in the Atlas Tennis family, you are always in.
For players that join us on our trips, we’ll be a resource for the entirety of the college process. Even if you go on an Atlas Tennis trip as a freshman and call two years later as a junior with questions, we will be more than happy to help.
Want to learn more about how Atlas Tennis can help with the college process? Contact me anytime.
ben@atlas.tennis; (914)462-6406
-Ben
