2023 Girls Recruiting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct.
With that being said, most of my DD peers in the competitive Baltimore club lacrosse world go to rigorous private schools and they all seem over-leveraged in life and miserable.
I am only mentioning that because I'm a graduate of those same schools and do not/will not send my children to private out in the county where we live.
My kid is getting a great education and has a great quality of life as well. We are not commuting 40 minutes one way to and from. It is still day light when she walks thru the door after school. We are not competing with an endless supply of mathletes and homework culture. Our school also sends kids to the Ivys and NESCACS. We are relishing these last few years with her before she turns into an adult.
I will say that the most fun privates in Baltimore seem to be The St Pauls Schools and maybe RCPS.

completely agree. Public schools which can still offer lots of Honors and AP classes are a great fit for most athletic girls with top college aspirations.

Not in DC area. Public school lax sucks. So do public school educations.

There are some good public schools in NoVa and Bethesda area. As for lax, high school lax has little to no impact on recruiting

. ^ conventional wisdom, based upon h.s enrollment, says differently, esp. in dc area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Correct.
With that being said, most of my DD peers in the competitive Baltimore club lacrosse world go to rigorous private schools and they all seem over-leveraged in life and miserable.
I am only mentioning that because I'm a graduate of those same schools and do not/will not send my children to private out in the county where we live.
My kid is getting a great education and has a great quality of life as well. We are not commuting 40 minutes one way to and from. It is still day light when she walks thru the door after school. We are not competing with an endless supply of mathletes and homework culture. Our school also sends kids to the Ivys and NESCACS. We are relishing these last few years with her before she turns into an adult.
I will say that the most fun privates in Baltimore seem to be The St Pauls Schools and maybe RCPS.

completely agree. Public schools which can still offer lots of Honors and AP classes are a great fit for most athletic girls with top college aspirations.

Not in DC area. Public school lax sucks. So do public school educations.

There are some good public schools in NoVa and Bethesda area. As for lax, high school lax has little to no impact on recruiting

. ^ conventional wisdom, based upon h.s enrollment, says differently, esp. in dc area.

Public schools in NoVa and MoCo are all talk no walk. Both academically and athletically. If you don’t go to TJ or MB and play for a top 10 club, just walk the f away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waiting on the NY parent and other test optional denier parent to respond with an accept/
reject of this PP’s experience…..

The NY parent (me) authored the post above re: test optionals. And if you read everything I’ve written closely (you should be able to detect my style) you’ll see I’ve been entirely consistent. Other people have written that ivies are not test optional. A quick Google search shows that’s not true as a matter of *policy*. It’s the encouragement / expectation of these coaches to have their recruits test to make them stronger admission candidates that’s at issue. And that’s why, as I’ve explained, these ivy test-optionals aren’t really optional.

You seem to be the only one with an axe to grind here. You’ve offered nothing constructive to this discussion. Others have complimented me for providing detailed, helpful guidance (three by my count). Have a nice day.

DC parent here with two kids who've negotiated process...NY parent offers great guidance. I don't have an issue with the NY "attitude", because parents often need a wake up call. The process is a challenge and going in eyes open is critical. There is a ton of misinformation out there particularly on this forum. Different HA, even within Ivies, have different standards and it's profoundly foolish to bank on test optional next year. Good luck to y'all, glad my family is done.

True. 100%.

Another parent who has gone through the process. (One girl at Capital, another at a top MD club). Completely agree with PP. Ultimately, its about making yourself more recruitable whether its to an ivy or even another non-ivy high academic school like Duke, Stanford, ND, Georgetown or Davidson. Let me drop a couple more truth bombs which may make me even less popular than NY poster.

- Good early test scores are a big differentiator; you aren't required to share them for most schools so there is nothing to lose. Even if you aren't at their standards, if you are close it gives them confidence you can get there when you retake them
- Even more so are 4 or 5s on AP tests taken Freshman or Sophomore year
- Quality of classes taken is probably the most critical. These schools expect all honors classes plus at least 4-6 AP classes before you graduate
- all things being equal, public school kids will have an edge. As part of driving more diversity across student bodies, several schools are "capping" the % of scholarship $$ which can be given to kids from public school. Fully realize at this point there is nothing you can do about this, however, it is important to understand the landscape and why an equally talented girl from your club team may be getting a lot more interest than your kid.


As someone else said, these rules are relaxed if you are a top 40 national player. However, remember for every girl they take who is below standards 3.9 GPA/ 1350-1400, they need 2 more who are WELL above it

My sense is that the 1350-1400 scores are the "offsetting scores" for the Ivy recruiting classes. Meaning, top players are coming in lower than that, (but of course, have the offset of a rigorous course load and an A average.)

It's math, if the average score needed for a recruiting class is 1400, then these recruiting classes would need a couple players scoring >1500 to offset the 1250-1300 scores. Is that a reasonable expectation that all these schools would be able to identify multiple players scoring >1500 each year? IMO, not likely. It is more likely that along with the rigorous course load and all As, the average score of these recruiting classes is 1300, so the 1400s are offsetting the 1200s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waiting on the NY parent and other test optional denier parent to respond with an accept/
reject of this PP’s experience…..

The NY parent (me) authored the post above re: test optionals. And if you read everything I’ve written closely (you should be able to detect my style) you’ll see I’ve been entirely consistent. Other people have written that ivies are not test optional. A quick Google search shows that’s not true as a matter of *policy*. It’s the encouragement / expectation of these coaches to have their recruits test to make them stronger admission candidates that’s at issue. And that’s why, as I’ve explained, these ivy test-optionals aren’t really optional.

You seem to be the only one with an axe to grind here. You’ve offered nothing constructive to this discussion. Others have complimented me for providing detailed, helpful guidance (three by my count). Have a nice day.

DC parent here with two kids who've negotiated process...NY parent offers great guidance. I don't have an issue with the NY "attitude", because parents often need a wake up call. The process is a challenge and going in eyes open is critical. There is a ton of misinformation out there particularly on this forum. Different HA, even within Ivies, have different standards and it's profoundly foolish to bank on test optional next year. Good luck to y'all, glad my family is done.

True. 100%.

Another parent who has gone through the process. (One girl at Capital, another at a top MD club). Completely agree with PP. Ultimately, its about making yourself more recruitable whether its to an ivy or even another non-ivy high academic school like Duke, Stanford, ND, Georgetown or Davidson. Let me drop a couple more truth bombs which may make me even less popular than NY poster.

- Good early test scores are a big differentiator; you aren't required to share them for most schools so there is nothing to lose. Even if you aren't at their standards, if you are close it gives them confidence you can get there when you retake them
- Even more so are 4 or 5s on AP tests taken Freshman or Sophomore year
- Quality of classes taken is probably the most critical. These schools expect all honors classes plus at least 4-6 AP classes before you graduate
- all things being equal, public school kids will have an edge. As part of driving more diversity across student bodies, several schools are "capping" the % of scholarship $$ which can be given to kids from public school. Fully realize at this point there is nothing you can do about this, however, it is important to understand the landscape and why an equally talented girl from your club team may be getting a lot more interest than your kid.


As someone else said, these rules are relaxed if you are a top 40 national player. However, remember for every girl they take who is below standards 3.9 GPA/ 1350-1400, they need 2 more who are WELL above it

My sense is that the 1350-1400 scores are the "offsetting scores" for the Ivy recruiting classes. Meaning, top players are coming in lower than that, (but of course, have the offset of a rigorous course load and an A average.)

It's math, if the average score needed for a recruiting class is 1400, then these recruiting classes would need a couple players scoring >1500 to offset the 1250-1300 scores. Is that a reasonable expectation that all these schools would be able to identify multiple players scoring >1500 each year? IMO, not likely. It is more likely that along with the rigorous course load and all As, the average score of these recruiting classes is 1300, so the 1400s are offsetting the 1200s.

Every school's standards will be a bit different. I can tell you that the high end of the Ivy League admissions (Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Yale) and Stanford , the average score is well above 1400. Stanford probably requires the even high standards for its recruited athletes than the Ivies.

The number you are referencing are probably closer to the most scholarship-eligible high academic schools (Duke, Gtown, Notre Dame). Also, while not "high academic", USC requires very high numbers. (I think we all know what that is).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waiting on the NY parent and other test optional denier parent to respond with an accept/
reject of this PP’s experience…..

The NY parent (me) authored the post above re: test optionals. And if you read everything I’ve written closely (you should be able to detect my style) you’ll see I’ve been entirely consistent. Other people have written that ivies are not test optional. A quick Google search shows that’s not true as a matter of *policy*. It’s the encouragement / expectation of these coaches to have their recruits test to make them stronger admission candidates that’s at issue. And that’s why, as I’ve explained, these ivy test-optionals aren’t really optional.

You seem to be the only one with an axe to grind here. You’ve offered nothing constructive to this discussion. Others have complimented me for providing detailed, helpful guidance (three by my count). Have a nice day.

DC parent here with two kids who've negotiated process...NY parent offers great guidance. I don't have an issue with the NY "attitude", because parents often need a wake up call. The process is a challenge and going in eyes open is critical. There is a ton of misinformation out there particularly on this forum. Different HA, even within Ivies, have different standards and it's profoundly foolish to bank on test optional next year. Good luck to y'all, glad my family is done.

True. 100%.

Another parent who has gone through the process. (One girl at Capital, another at a top MD club). Completely agree with PP. Ultimately, its about making yourself more recruitable whether its to an ivy or even another non-ivy high academic school like Duke, Stanford, ND, Georgetown or Davidson. Let me drop a couple more truth bombs which may make me even less popular than NY poster.

- Good early test scores are a big differentiator; you aren't required to share them for most schools so there is nothing to lose. Even if you aren't at their standards, if you are close it gives them confidence you can get there when you retake them
- Even more so are 4 or 5s on AP tests taken Freshman or Sophomore year
- Quality of classes taken is probably the most critical. These schools expect all honors classes plus at least 4-6 AP classes before you graduate
- all things being equal, public school kids will have an edge. As part of driving more diversity across student bodies, several schools are "capping" the % of scholarship $$ which can be given to kids from public school. Fully realize at this point there is nothing you can do about this, however, it is important to understand the landscape and why an equally talented girl from your club team may be getting a lot more interest than your kid.


As someone else said, these rules are relaxed if you are a top 40 national player. However, remember for every girl they take who is below standards 3.9 GPA/ 1350-1400, they need 2 more who are WELL above it

My sense is that the 1350-1400 scores are the "offsetting scores" for the Ivy recruiting classes. Meaning, top players are coming in lower than that, (but of course, have the offset of a rigorous course load and an A average.)

It's math, if the average score needed for a recruiting class is 1400, then these recruiting classes would need a couple players scoring >1500 to offset the 1250-1300 scores. Is that a reasonable expectation that all these schools would be able to identify multiple players scoring >1500 each year? IMO, not likely. It is more likely that along with the rigorous course load and all As, the average score of these recruiting classes is 1300, so the 1400s are offsetting the 1200s.

Every school's standards will be a bit different. I can tell you that the high end of the Ivy League admissions (Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Yale) and Stanford , the average score is well above 1400. Stanford probably requires the even high standards for its recruited athletes than the Ivies.

The number you are referencing are probably closer to the most scholarship-eligible high academic schools (Duke, Gtown, Notre Dame). Also, while not "high academic", USC requires very high numbers. (I think we all know what that is).

My post was specific to the Ivy League and similar (i.e. Stanford), because the posts seem to vary on Ivy and similar recruiting. From this forum recently, it seems that many PPs have shared their experiences that 1350 to 1400 is what the players generally need for the Ivies and similar, and there is agreement there are a few exceptions per year for lower scores for players with rigorous courses and all A's. Your post indicated that the average is "well above 1400", and you seem to have a broader than PP perspective. If that is the case, the 8 Ivy league schools and Stanford (and maybe Duke, Northwestern and Hopkins) would need multiple players that score >1500 to average the "well above 1400" (let's say 1450) for their recruiting classes each year.

Does that seem reasonable to you (or anyone) that approximately half of the recruits at the Ivy and similar schools score >1500 (to offset the 1300-1400 range scores) to achieve an average of 1450? If that is the case, then that does not seem to align with the recent PP posts or recruiting guidance received.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waiting on the NY parent and other test optional denier parent to respond with an accept/
reject of this PP’s experience…..

The NY parent (me) authored the post above re: test optionals. And if you read everything I’ve written closely (you should be able to detect my style) you’ll see I’ve been entirely consistent. Other people have written that ivies are not test optional. A quick Google search shows that’s not true as a matter of *policy*. It’s the encouragement / expectation of these coaches to have their recruits test to make them stronger admission candidates that’s at issue. And that’s why, as I’ve explained, these ivy test-optionals aren’t really optional.

You seem to be the only one with an axe to grind here. You’ve offered nothing constructive to this discussion. Others have complimented me for providing detailed, helpful guidance (three by my count). Have a nice day.

DC parent here with two kids who've negotiated process...NY parent offers great guidance. I don't have an issue with the NY "attitude", because parents often need a wake up call. The process is a challenge and going in eyes open is critical. There is a ton of misinformation out there particularly on this forum. Different HA, even within Ivies, have different standards and it's profoundly foolish to bank on test optional next year. Good luck to y'all, glad my family is done.

True. 100%.

Another parent who has gone through the process. (One girl at Capital, another at a top MD club). Completely agree with PP. Ultimately, its about making yourself more recruitable whether its to an ivy or even another non-ivy high academic school like Duke, Stanford, ND, Georgetown or Davidson. Let me drop a couple more truth bombs which may make me even less popular than NY poster.

- Good early test scores are a big differentiator; you aren't required to share them for most schools so there is nothing to lose. Even if you aren't at their standards, if you are close it gives them confidence you can get there when you retake them
- Even more so are 4 or 5s on AP tests taken Freshman or Sophomore year
- Quality of classes taken is probably the most critical. These schools expect all honors classes plus at least 4-6 AP classes before you graduate
- all things being equal, public school kids will have an edge. As part of driving more diversity across student bodies, several schools are "capping" the % of scholarship $$ which can be given to kids from public school. Fully realize at this point there is nothing you can do about this, however, it is important to understand the landscape and why an equally talented girl from your club team may be getting a lot more interest than your kid.


As someone else said, these rules are relaxed if you are a top 40 national player. However, remember for every girl they take who is below standards 3.9 GPA/ 1350-1400, they need 2 more who are WELL above it

My sense is that the 1350-1400 scores are the "offsetting scores" for the Ivy recruiting classes. Meaning, top players are coming in lower than that, (but of course, have the offset of a rigorous course load and an A average.)

It's math, if the average score needed for a recruiting class is 1400, then these recruiting classes would need a couple players scoring >1500 to offset the 1250-1300 scores. Is that a reasonable expectation that all these schools would be able to identify multiple players scoring >1500 each year? IMO, not likely. It is more likely that along with the rigorous course load and all As, the average score of these recruiting classes is 1300, so the 1400s are offsetting the 1200s.

Every school's standards will be a bit different. I can tell you that the high end of the Ivy League admissions (Harvard, Princeton, Penn, Yale) and Stanford , the average score is well above 1400. Stanford probably requires the even high standards for its recruited athletes than the Ivies.

The number you are referencing are probably closer to the most scholarship-eligible high academic schools (Duke, Gtown, Notre Dame). Also, while not "high academic", USC requires very high numbers. (I think we all know what that is).

My post was specific to the Ivy League and similar (i.e. Stanford), because the posts seem to vary on Ivy and similar recruiting. From this forum recently, it seems that many PPs have shared their experiences that 1350 to 1400 is what the players generally need for the Ivies and similar, and there is agreement there are a few exceptions per year for lower scores for players with rigorous courses and all A's. Your post indicated that the average is "well above 1400", and you seem to have a broader than PP perspective. If that is the case, the 8 Ivy league schools and Stanford (and maybe Duke, Northwestern and Hopkins) would need multiple players that score >1500 to average the "well above 1400" (let's say 1450) for their recruiting classes each year.

Does that seem reasonable to you (or anyone) that approximately half of the recruits at the Ivy and similar schools score >1500 (to offset the 1300-1400 range scores) to achieve an average of 1450? If that is the case, then that does not seem to align with the recent PP posts or recruiting guidance received.

Remember that GPA, weighted GPA, AP classes and other things impact academic index, but yes a majority of top Ivy recruits have more than 1400 on their SATs.

Also for reference, Northwestern requirements for athletes are well below that of Stanford, Duke, Hopkins and Georgetown. NW brought in a couple girls in past few years who couldn't get admitted to Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Most of the Pride girls are waiting on high-academic D3 and will commit this summer after pre-reads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the Pride girls are waiting on high-academic D3 and will commit this summer after pre-reads.

That’s great news. How many will be committing? And which schools?

[Anonymous]

This is the checklist I have written down with respect to things college coaches look for in high school lacrosse players. Anyone with experience care to rank them or is there something important I omitted?


Good Grades
Taking AP courses
Standardized Test Scores if high
Good Lacrosse player
Multi-sport athlete
Extra-curriculars outside of sports and school
Private School

[Anonymous]

At the top schools it is all about the academic index and you can get that info online for each school but then it differs within the school for each program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the checklist I have written down with respect to things college coaches look for in high school lacrosse players. Anyone with experience care to rank them or is there something important I omitted?


Good Grades
Taking AP courses
Standardized Test Scores if high
Good Lacrosse player
Multi-sport athlete
Extra-curriculars outside of sports and school
Private School

For high academic/Ivy

1. Good/GREAT Lacrosse player
2. Good Grades- PRETTY MUCH ALL A's (THERE IS A LOT OF GRADE INFLATION OUT THERE)
3. CLUB TEAM
4. Standardized Test Scores high ENOUGH
5. Taking SOME AP courses
6. Private School
7. Multi-sport athlete
8. Extra-curriculars outside of sports and school

Top 5 are Tier 1, 6-7 are Tier 2 and 8 could be taken off the list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the checklist I have written down with respect to things college coaches look for in high school lacrosse players. Anyone with experience care to rank them or is there something important I omitted?


Good Grades
Taking AP courses
Standardized Test Scores if high
Good Lacrosse player
Multi-sport athlete
Extra-curriculars outside of sports and school
Private School

More than "private school" I would say good lacrosse school. Doesn't have to be nationally ranked, but it can't be a private with garbage lax teams. A really good high level public school team, is a better option than really bad private. Main idea is that Coaches want to know the girls are being challenged and playing at a high level in HS. You best bet is to get that at private, but there are exceptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the checklist I have written down with respect to things college coaches look for in high school lacrosse players. Anyone with experience care to rank them or is there something important I omitted?


Good Grades
Taking AP courses
Standardized Test Scores if high
Good Lacrosse player
Multi-sport athlete
Extra-curriculars outside of sports and school
Private School

More than "private school" I would say good lacrosse school. Doesn't have to be nationally ranked, but it can't be a private with garbage lax teams. A really good high level public school team, is a better option than really bad private. Main idea is that Coaches want to know the girls are being challenged and playing at a high level in HS. You best bet is to get that at private, but there are exceptions.

Not true. Kids from states with no decent high school lacrosse teams to speak of like Texas Georgia Colorado etc… get recruited to both top college lax programs and top academic college Lax teams all the time. In our area where there are great lax high school
Programs it helps to go to a private with a great team but a mediocre private team is better for recruiting than any public. For boys this is x100.

[Anonymous]

maybe around the DC area for privates, but when you look at the hotbeds of lax like long island, pay close attention to where these kids went to high school and what program they are being recruit to. I think you will find about 90% of those kids receive a fine PUBLIC school education and are highly recruited.

[Anonymous]

Mediocre private in a good conference > great public in any group

MD publics don't get much respect from college coaches.