So Tell Me About Yourself…
When my recruiting window opened, I talked to many different coaches from many different programs at the DI and DII level. And on almost every single introductory call I had both as a junior in high school and as a freshman in college in the transfer portal I was told this:
So, tell me about yourself.
Its a very open-ended statement that most coaches threw at me. And me being a sort of shy 15 year old, I never knew how to respond. Some of the thoughts I had were “Is there a right or wrong answer?” “Are they looking for me to say something in particular?” “I don’t understand, how I am supposed to tell you about myself?”
Because this is such an open-ended statement, there are may ways you can respond to this. Basically, coaches already know you play golf as that is why they are even talking to you, but that is about the extent they know about you to this point. This is your chance to tell them who you are outside of golf. So, just be you!
Well that’s easier said than done, so I won’t leave you hanging there. I remember my parents telling me to tell coaches things about myself that people find interesting. But, it’s hard to see what is interesting about yourself when you are you all the time, if that makes any sense…so ask the people closest to you what about you is interesting besides the fact that you play golf.
For me it was a few things. First, I moved around twice when I was younger. I moved from North Carolina (where I was born) to Kansas when I was almost 6, and then I moved again from Kansas to Pennsylvania when I was 8. Also during the second move, I transitioned elementary schools halfway through the school year. I also played violin and piano growing up and continued to play violin all the way until I graduated high school. Something I always spent my free time doing was baking. If I wasn’t at school, practicing, at the course, or at the gym, I was in the kitchen baking something for my family to enjoy as seen pictured. This was me making Christmas cookies in 2020 while my dog, Pickles, was eagerly waiting for some dough to fall to the floor.
Coaches found these things interesting because it was beyond who I was as a golfer. It showed them who I was as a person and what I liked to do when I wasn’t practicing, playing, or at school. My little spiel showed that I was used to change, as I had to adjust to major changes at a young age, and I had to do it twice. It also showed that I literally didn’t spend all my time at school or the course, I had other hobbies. I feel that sometimes people think this isn’t important, but it is. You have to find an outlet where you can just relax and enjoy what you are doing. For me that was violin and baking. I never had to think while doing those things which allowed me to unwind and destress.
Honestly, beyond that there isn’t much to the response to this statement. Ask those closest to you, your parents and siblings would be good places to start, what is interesting about you. It’s weird, but you might be shocked at their responses like I was. But things that you might find boring are most likely interesting to everyone else, so don’t be afraid to talk about yourself.
