Top 5 Tips for Getting on the FirstPoint USA Program

At the start of the year, FirstPoint USA held a competition to become an honorary FirstPoint USA blogger, a competition won by myself, Corrie McDonald, 18, from Cornwall. I am is still a FirstPoint USA client, and have been through the majority of the FirstPoint process. I’ll will be writing monthly blog posts for the FirstPoint USA blog, with first hand experience and advice about each stage of the process. This month, I discuss my top tips for getting on the FirstPoint USA program! Obviously FirstPointUSA work with athletes from a variety of different sports. However, I have come up with some top tips to getting on to the program that will hopefully apply to all... Fitness Get your fitness to the best possible level you can! Clearly this isn’t going to make any difference for the interview stage (Unless you find yourself running late) but it is so important for the assessment. No matter what sport you take part in, fitness is key! Getting to a high level of fitness doesn’t always involve a lot of money either! Some gyms offer student discounts and if that is still too expensive, there are other ways to keep fit. Jogging is always a good start.   Extra Qualifications Gaining extra qualifications, such as officiating, coaching or leadership awards can look really good on your C.V, as can joining extra-curricular activities.  Make sure you fill your C.V with any qualifications you have received and any activities that you have previously or currently taken part in. Even if you don’t think they’re important, they could be. A long with this, make sure that your C.V is up to date and looks professional. Make a couple of rough copies before creating your final edit, and don’t be afraid to take notes or write things down or make a list before even starting.   Destination It is so important to make sure that you know where you are going. Whether the place is well sign posted or not, use everything you can to prevent yourself from getting lost. SatNav’s are good as long as they are reliable, but I would check on Google maps as well, maybe even print off some directions and take a map. Every little helps! But, if there is an accident, traffic jam or something else causing you to be late, be careful and just let FirstPoint know that you will be late. They will understand.   Good Night’s Sleep Make sure you get a good night’s sleep of 8 hours before both the assessment and the interview. If you’re tired, you won’t be able to respond to the best of your ability and won’t give off the best impression you could. Plus, it’s hard to disguise tiredness and you never want to make someone think that they are tiring you!   Appropriate Clothing For the assessment it is essential that you bring any type of kit you might need. You don’t necessarily need to turn up fully kitted, there will be changing rooms. Just make sure that you bring everything you could need for any possibility. For example don’t just bring football boots, bring Astros as well. Each sport is different but if you need any extra kit such as shin pads or socks, maybe pack a spare pair just in case one goes missing. FirstPoint should let you know everything that you will need before the event anyway. For the interview wear smart clothing, you’re not going to visit the queen, so it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you are trying to prove that you are the best possible candidate for FirstPoint to take on. If you rock up wearing ripped jeans and a shirt with a hole in, you’re not going to give the best first impression, and first impressions are important no matter who you’re meeting! Always dress for the weather though, it’s uncomfortable to see someone shivering in a skirt and vest top when it’s 2 degrees outside. Clearly... if you're thinking about working with FirstPoint, you love your sport and want to move on to the next standard. For the assessment, brush up and perfect the basic skills, for soccer; passing, shooting, dribbling, crossing, heading, and your first touch. Each of these is crucial in a game situation and you must be confident in performing all of them. This may seem obvious but FirstPoint are looking for players that can do the basics well. If you can do other stuff too, then great! But make sure you perfect these, before trying something way ahead of your game.  

Do you think you have what it takes to secure a scholarship to study in the USA while playing your favourite sport? Apply now!