A Student's Guide to EVAL
Welcome to EVAL
Welcome to EVAL, a platform for gamers to use their skills in esports to unlock college scholarships and achieve their dreams. Our mission is to help students get recognized for their work in the esports space. Whether you're a coach, parent, or student, we're here to help you understand the world of gaming.
This is the first in a series of articles that will help you make the most of EVAL and find opportunities in esports. Let's get started with how to use EVAL!
Step 1: Make a Profile, Tell a Story
Your profile is a lot more than just info about you - it influences how colleges, recruiters, and other players see you. It's a page all about you - your passion, achievements, and goals - so you should make the most of it.
Profile Setup Checklist
Add a Profile Picture
In recruiting, colleges value seeing the player behind the screen. Coaches want to know you as a student just as much as a player, so adding a headshot can help add a level of personality to your profile.
Fill Out Your Bio
A key way to differentiate yourself is to fill out your profile to help coaches make decisions. Essential info—like age, grad year, region, school type, goals—helps coaches make decisions, and additional info like your academic interests, hobbies, and fun facts help scouts learn more about the person behind the player.
Connect Your Games
Coaches want to know if your skills stack up; there's no better way to do that than to link your game accounts to unlock EVAL stats. These stats can give coaches the big picture of your gameplay while providing you with crucial, actionable stats that can help you become a better player.
Share, Share, Share!
Your profile helps people get to know you, so once you've filled it out, the best thing to do is share it. Copy the link and post it on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Discord to let people know about your skills and get noticed!
Step 2: Link Your Stats, Level Up Your Game
In the process of setting up your account, you linked your game accounts to your EVAL profile. Linking your accounts to EVAL unlocks a whole new level of analytics, giving you elite data on your gameplay and, most importantly, your EVAL Score.
Link Your Games
Your EVAL Analytics Dashboard
Once you link your accounts, you'll notice a new panel on your dashboard:
About These Statistics
• Competitive matches only: All statistics are based exclusively on ranked competitive gameplay.
• Rank-standardized scoring: Performance expectations are adjusted based on your rank tier.
• EVAL Score: Comprehensive metric (0-100) measuring performance across aim, game impact, and strategic decision-making.
This is the EVAL analytics panel, a place on your dashboard that gives you detailed stats on your most recent games. In this example, we used Valorant, but these dashboards are also available for Rocket League, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Overwatch 2.
Regardless of game, one thing appears on all of their stats: your EVAL Score.
What is EVAL Score?
The EVAL Score is a metric, scaled from 0 to 100, that summarizes your skills in a single glance. We use a unique algorithm that draws from your in-game stats to assign you a score at a glance. The EVAL Score allows you to determine your skill, showcase yourself to other players and recruiters, and qualify for EVAL Championship Combines.
Get Your Numbers Up
You have your EVAL Score now, so what's the next step? Playing more games, of course! Playing more lets you increase your EVAL score by focusing on areas where you fall short. Winning is important, of course, but more valuable are good game habits.
Pro Tips for Score Improvement
Focus on Consistency
Steady performance across multiple games matters more than one amazing match
Smart Positioning
Your EVAL score factors in positioning and gamesense, so playing smart is critical
Team Communication
Supporting your team and making callouts improves your overall rating
Review Your Analytics
Use advanced insights to identify and improve your weakest areas
Using our stats dashboard, you can discover where you excel and where you fall short; using the advanced insights on EVAL, you can unlock opportunities by playing more games!
Step 3: Play in Combines and Talk to Coaches
Now that your profile and stats are set up, it's time to tap into the EVAL community! By making an account, you've gained access to a host of tournaments, recruiting tools, and our community of esports experts.
Get Ranked with Combines
EVAL Combines are the best way to get ranked on the EVAL platform and get noticed by college recruiters. These events are Swiss-style tournaments that offer you the chance to demonstrate your abilities alongside a variety of teammates.
Participating in combines offers several key benefits:
- Increase Your EVAL Score: Strong combine performance directly impacts your ranking
- Earn Badges: Unlock special achievements for your profile that showcase your skills
- Win Scholarships: Championship combines offer scholarship money and gear prizes
These tournaments are designed to showcase your abilities in a competitive environment while providing valuable ranking data that colleges can use to evaluate potential recruits.
Learn About College Programs
College esports is a rather new space, and we understand that it may be difficult to find the most up-to-date information about programs at various schools. That's where EVAL comes in: through our messaging feature, you can send messages straight to coaches that let you learn more about college esports, their programs, and even discuss recruitment and scholarship opportunities.
There are several ways to connect with coaches and learn about programs:
- Direct Messaging: Send messages straight to coaches through school profile pages
- School Applications: Apply directly to esports programs through our platform
- Discord Support: Ask questions and get answered by coaches and recruiting experts
- College Profiles: Browse detailed information about esports programs at various schools
You can contact coaches by going to their school profile and accessing their contact information or asking questions in our Discord, where you'll be answered by coaches and recruiting experts.
Join Our Discord
Speaking of our Discord, joining our server has several benefits. Our Discord community provides access to:
Community of Players
Industry Experts
Real Pathways
Announcements
We also use our Discord server to facilitate combines and put out announcements so you can stay up-to-date on features and competitions.
You're Ready to Succeed!
Congratulations! With that, we're all done with the basics of the platform; you're equipped with the knowledge to make the most of EVAL and turn gaming into real opportunity.
Make sure to keep your info up to date, join our Discord community, and, most importantly, play more games.
Your esports journey starts here. Good luck, and welcome to EVAL!