Listening to my DD talk with her teammates/friends- they seem to not want to verbally commit early or at all. They want to see what kind of schools reach out into the fall. As parents- we want her to be able to see schools, meet coaches and team to get a feel for if this school is a right fit overall. |
Ugh. So much info, so fast.
How's this process going for everyone here? DD was out in SD for playoffs and there were coaches from the schools she was interested in and expressed interest - schools that she talked after 6/15. She has had calls after she got back, but is pretty bummed today that a school she had really high on her list and spoke with said that they are going in a different direction now with her position. Went to the ID, had really good feedback there, talked to the assistant and Head Coach and now poof! So, trying to work through that disappointment with her and keep for chin up and focused on the schools that are still talking and interested. Whole lot for a 16 year old. Good Luck to all! |
She can only control what she can. Having gone through the process, it's important to remember that and that it can take some time until she and a school match. Interest will come and go from many schools. My daughter had a very different list of schools at the end of her recruitment time than what she started out with. Hang in there and know whatever disappointment she encounters along the way will be forgotten by the joy when she commits! |
My advice;
Parent of a 2026 DD who received over a dozen calls on June 15th 2024. Stay extremely organized with the calls/emails. Take notes on every conversation and have questions to ask the coaches. Dont allow them to dictate the call. Assume every school is lying to you until they actually setup official visits for after August 1. Then you know the school has skin in the game. They are serious at that point. Keep your options WAY open. Almost every girl we know (dozens and dozens) that is committed, did not commit to their top school or schools. My DD had NO idea about the school she committed to. We went on the official visit and she loved it. She spoke to numerous other schools in early August to get understand exactly what their plans where. Wrote down all the pros and cons and committed a few days later. DO NOT wait around to commit once you have offers in hand. You are playing a risky game with injuries and 28 person roster size. I am willing to answer any questions |
I went through the process with my DD last year. She committed early and is very happy with her decision. I would be more than happy to answer any questions and give sincere (non judgmental) advice. |
Thanks for the feedback! Will keep that in mind. |
Thanks for the feedback. Yep, have folders for each school along with notes on the conversations. Master spreadsheet with contact info, last call, next call, etc. Agree about the 8/1 dates - she spoke with (2) of the schools on her top list on Monday and has two visits scheduled for after 8/1. Good there! Another school is sending a list of dates that she would visit in August as well. She was really hoping the school that pivoted today would have been about a visit rather than a change in direction. She has another call today and is hoping that a visit comes from that as well. What is really hard is not getting caught up in the commits that you see getting posted. We really want to get on campus to meet with the coaches, talk to the team, observe things. There can be a better way to do all of this - it just seems like being able to talk to players on 6/15 and not meet in person, but have offers go out verbally is all over the map. Then not be able to get on campus officially until 8/1. Ugh! Realize that we all need to keep an open mind and keep working. Thanks again and a lot of stuff to work through. |
You are way ahead of the game!! Yeah, don't get caught up with what everyone else is doing (especially if girls commit from her team). When you do get in conversation with the coaches and there is an official offer on the table, be as upfront with them as possible. 'Exactly how much is the scholarship?' 'Do you see her playing as a freshman?' 'Can she take any degree program she wants?' I dont know what your budget is like but it's all fun and games until the school says they will pay half and you still have to pay 35k a year. That was our situation but I have heard from too many parents with that scenario. |
|
Thanks! It's appreciated. Yeah, having played a a high level and had a chance it interact with players from around the country, my DD has a pretty wide network of acquaintances in the soccer community - and seeing players she knows or knows of commit is tough. My DD hasn't been afraid to ask where does she stand on their priority list and has started to get more specific about roles and playing time. The degree question is a good one - schools have asked what she's interested in and they have, obviously, touted the virtues of their schools programs in that field. There haven't been any that have said that her interest would not be possible. We have talked budgets with her and all the schools that she is looking at are feasible. Some schools of interest got moved to a back burner - she's a good student, but not a top of class student, so we need to be realistic with what academic aid is available in addition to athletic aid. |
Did she play as a freshman? What level team? I'm finding most girls go to schools and realize they may never player there. |
She is a rising senior (2026) so she has another year of the high school grind. She played ECNL (that got switched to GA this year). Im sure some can easily figure what team that is..lol. We asked a ton of questions. Her decision came down to not wanting to wait around and she also really liked the coaching staff. She always said she wanted to commit as early as possible and get it all over with. So she played all last season with no pressure. Now she is just working hard to get stronger and faster. As the parent, once they gave us the scholarship offer it was no brainer. No other school was matching that. Now I have to buy her a car because she did her part...smh |
Curious why sharing with your teammates or friends would be a bad idea? Let's say you are a goalie on your team what downside is there to sharing your recruiting progress with you left wing? Doesn't seem like that is at all a same universe kind of thing and even if you have another goalie on your team who cares if they both get attention from the same school? Am I missing something about the double secret lurker behavior? |
My daughter was somewhat open with some of her teammates and friends. We even did a visit with one of her teammates which made the whole experience much more fun.
Some college coaches are open about who else they're talking to - they'd mention some of her friends/teammates by name. |
My DD is planning to go to one of her out of town visits in August with a teammate. And she did have a coach ask her if she "got along" with another teammate because they were also talking to her. She thought the question was kinda funny - she was like, what am I going to say, other girl is a PITA? It was one of her closer friends on the team. It's all still a lot to manage and work through. Good Luck to all! |