College ID camp for 14 year olds?

[Anonymous]

My email inbox is overflowing this month with college ID emails from colleges. My daughter is a 2010, finishing up middle school. Is this the right age to start going to visit colleges? I was thinking to visit some colleges after sophomore year but not be very serious about this until summer between junior and senior year. I'm a bit surprised all these colleges are targeting kids just finishing up middle school but these emails say summer after 8th grade and some even say summer after 7th grade.

We have older kids who didn't play soccer and we didn't start thinking about college for them this early. Is playing in college so competitive that we need to start visiting colleges even before starting high school?

[Anonymous]

In general, college ID camps are only useful when invited personally by a coach. The rest of the time it’s a money grab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In general, college ID camps are only useful when invited personally by a coach. The rest of the time it’s a money grab.

This. I get them for my 13yo and delete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In general, college ID camps are only useful when invited personally by a coach. The rest of the time it’s a money grab.

100% money grab. Ignore them unless it's from the actual college/coach.

[Anonymous]

So if there are 100 kids at a college ID camp, how many were invited by the coach? 4? I assume these invitees aren't paying for the camp, like everyone else?

Wonder how many paying kids actually have an opportunity to play at the college level?

[Anonymous]

It's a money grab but if your kid knows where they want to attend school, then it could be worth getting on their radar.

[Anonymous]

The ones where multiple coaches from different schools attend are a money grab.

[Anonymous]

money grab

[Anonymous]

It is marketing. They bought a mailing list from someone. That is too early. Hit delete.

[Anonymous]

Doogie Howser

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My email inbox is overflowing this month with college ID emails from colleges. My daughter is a 2010, finishing up middle school. Is this the right age to start going to visit colleges? I was thinking to visit some colleges after sophomore year but not be very serious about this until summer between junior and senior year. I'm a bit surprised all these colleges are targeting kids just finishing up middle school but these emails say summer after 8th grade and some even say summer after 7th grade.

We have older kids who didn't play soccer and we didn't start thinking about college for them this early. Is playing in college so competitive that we need to start visiting colleges even before starting high school?

For girls, i would wait until at least before going into hs sophmore. For boys, definately wait until summer before junior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if there are 100 kids at a college ID camp, how many were invited by the coach? 4? I assume these invitees aren't paying for the camp, like everyone else?

Wonder how many paying kids actually have an opportunity to play at the college level?

I think more than 4, but maybe less than 10-15. Invitees sometimes pay, but the ones that are highly recruited do not.

The only real value I see from the ID camps is that it is worth going once to see just how college coaches work. That can be helpful for kids going through the recruiting process. But it’s rare for a kid who wasn’t invited to a camp to be spotted in the camp. It does occasionally happen but it’s rare.

[Anonymous]

At my D3 College, we had a female player who attended the the same college camp each year since U14. She got on the coache's radar and was given a spot on the team since she built up a relationship for 5 years before arriving at the college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my D3 College, we had a female player who attended the the same college camp each year since U14. She got on the coache's radar and was given a spot on the team since she built up a relationship for 5 years before arriving at the college!

The relationship wasn't enough
I'm sure she had skills

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks all who replied. So sounds like unless my daughter is asked to attend one of these events for free, don't bother when she's in high school.