Although I don't think athletes typically join a team with the intention of transferring, sometimes life comes at you fast and it's just something that has to happen. It seems like all of the running websites out there have countless articles advising high school athletes on how to choose a school to attend, but there are very view to tell you about the transfer process. Really, the only reason I decided to transfer was so I could get a first-hand account of how it works to post on this blog. The lengths I go to for you guys.
The first and most obvious step is to really decide whether or not you want to transfer. Once you talk to your coaches about it, you don't necessarily have to transfer, you can always just test the waters and decide if it's something you want to go through with or not, but it's best to at least be reasonably sure before talking to anyone because relations with team members and coaches definitely can get a little awkward once it comes out that you are looking at other schools, and if it's not something you actually want to do, there's not really any point to making things needlessly uncomfortable.
After you are sure you want to look into your options, you will need to get a release to contact from your coach and athletic program. The NCAA has created a guide so you can look into the rules, regulations and other hoopla that come with transferring here, which I would definitely suggest you do before talking with a coach. Most schools do not allow in-conference transfers, and there is a whole different set of rules for that kind of transfer. Once you have your release to contact, you can have your coach send it to whatever schools you are interested in, or depending on how you are given your release, send it to them yourself. For my transfer, my coach just sent me a blanket release addressed to any coach outside of the Big Sky and I was able to email it to any coach I wanted to. In the case that your coach refuses to release you, your school is required to explain to you in writing how you can appeal for a release, and the appeal is presented to a group of people who are not involved with athletics to make the final decision.
Once you have a release, you are essentially right back where you were senior year. You are allowed to email and call anyone that the release grants you permission to, and you receive five more official visits. The biggest difference I found on these visits is that the second time around, you know which factors will actually matter the most to you, and you aren't as distracted by things like how big the football stadium is. For me, this time was all about how many frozen yogurt shops were either right on campus or within walking distance.
If you decide a different school is right for you, there are a few more steps to be taken. Obviously, you'll need to apply for admissions and register for classes. This step seems pretty clear, but I didn't remember to complete my registration for fall semester classes until about two weeks ago, so it's not obvious to everyone, I suppose. You'll also sign a contract with your new school, although there is no official NLI the second time around. Most of the final transfer process is given to you by your compliance director. MSU had a very specific checklist that mine just printed off for me. You'll need to have your records (both academic and medical) sent to your new school so your academic advisors and new athletic trainers can actually assist you properly, as well as check out with your previous training room staff so any injuries you sustained while at that school will actually be taken care of by that school. Finally, you'll need to procure a second release from your coaches and athletic director, the one-time transfer exception release, which allows you to compete for your new school immediately, rather than sitting out a full year from competition.
If you have no interest in transferring, sry. Here's a little nugget of information so you learn something from this post anyway: Cats' kidneys are so efficient that they can rehydrate by drinking saltwater. #KnowledgeIsPower
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