NCYRA presents College Seminars help young rugby players plan for college

As the largest state based organization in the country, Northern California Youth Rugby Association added another feather to its cap. NCYRA is the first to put on two educational college admissions seminars earlier this month to help rugby athletes navigate the process of applying to colleges with the hope of playing college rugby. There were three main goals in mind:

1. Offer sound academic advice and support for college bound student athletes and families
2. Help families see that rugby can be an asset in the college pathway
3. Help families see how many options there are for their children to play rugby in college

NCYRA’s college admission advisor, Karen Fong Donoghue (also a premiere Rugby Mag columnist) was on hand as the headline speaker, along with featured coaches from many of the top men’s and women’s rugby programs in the country: Jack Clark (Cal), Brian McCue (Notre Dame College), Tony Pacheco (Central Washington University), and Tony Samaniego (Saint Mary’s College of CA).

Over 200 parents and student athletes attended both events (April 16 in Lafayette, CA and April 17 in Sacramento, CA) and got a chance to hear from Mrs. Donoghue who gave an overview about the college admissions process, and specifically covered topics to help players navigate the application process with rugby in mind.

Coach Jack Clark followed with some lessons he wanted to share with families about things he felt were most important in the college selection process before Mrs. Donoghue led Coach McCue, Coach Samaniego and Coach Pacheco in a dynamic discussion covering a range of topics including scholarship opportunities, what qualities do they look for in a prospective student athlete to specific tips they would offer to a student athlete or parents.

Following the presentation portion of the event, families were invited to stay for the remaining hour to meet with over 20 local coaches and alumni representatives who came to share more info about each of their colleges’ academic programs and respective rugby programs. Programs ranged from small selective liberal arts programs such as Dartmouth College or Bowdoin College to larger research universities like Arizona State University or University of California, Davis. Other schools who may not typically be on a rugby player’s radar like University of the Pacific or Cal Maritime Academy also got a chance to shine and meet prospective rugby athletes.

Feedback from the event has been stellar with all participating colleges and families hoping to attend again next year.

Big thanks to NCRYA President Rob Salabar, NCRYA Publicity Chair Owen Flynn and NCYRA Event Coordinator Nancy Taylor for helping to put on the event in conjunction with Karen Donoghue.

A list of participating colleges is below:
Coaches Panel College Rugby Website
Cal Berkeley, Var. M berkeley.edu
Central Washington, M cwu.edu
St. Mary’s College, M stmarys-ca.edu
Notre Dame Coll., Var. M & W notredamecollege.edu

College Fair Participants School Website
Stanford University M & W stanford.edu
Cal Berkeley M & W berkeley.edu
Santa Clara University M & W scu.edu
Cal Maritime Academy (Var) M csum.edu
Un. of San Francisco M & W usfca.edu
Humboldt State M & W humboldt.edu
Chico State M & W csuchico.edu
Cal Poly SLO M calpoly.edu
Cal State Long Beach M & W csulb.edu
University of Nevada M & W unr.edu
Occidental College M & W oxy.edu
University of the Pacific M pacific.edu
Western Washington M & W wwu.edu
Arizona State M & W asu.edu
Vassar College (Var) M & W vassar.edu
Bowdoin College (Var W) & M bowdoin.edu
Dartmouth College M & W dartmouth.edu
Simpson College (Var 7s) simpson.edu
University of Minnesota M & W umn.edu
Furman University (Var) M furman.edu
Wheeling Jesuit (Var) M wju.edu
University of British Columbia (Var) M ubc.edu
Notre Dame University nd.edu

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About Dunbar Educational Consultants: Since 1984, Dunbar Educational Consultants have been helping students stand out among other candidates, maximize their strengths and present them in ways that make the difference in the competitive world of college admissions.

Dunbar’s counseling team, collaborative process and continuous interaction with schools and colleges set us apart in this industry. We have consultants in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Washington DC, South Carolina, California, Canada and Hong Kong. With Dunbar, you benefit from a far broader base of knowledge and experience which reduces the stress of today’s admissions process, helps your son or daughter target the best possible educational environment and represents them in the best possible light.

If you would like more information please call Karen directly at (310) 497-0619 or email kdonoghue@DunbarConsultants.com