Don't spend the money for the ID camp. Just go visit the school and sign up for a campus tour. Your child won't waste time on the pitch and you don't pay the soccer team to be on the campus.

I think that’s a waste of money. My son who had hoped to be recruited attended 2 different D1 camps and neither provided a campus tour, meals or overnight. In one case we did the campus tour on our own. In the other, the campus was a ghost town and no tours were being offered at the time. I’d just plan to visit the school independently of an ID camp or register for one of the overnight soccer camps that are offered. I know UMD has a good one so I’m sure lots of schools offer them.

Anonymous wrote:I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.

Camps done in the summer when students aren't there does not give a good feel for the school. Better to schedule a regular tour through the admissions office during the school year.

I would not use the soccer ID camps as a method for getting an intro to the college campuses.

My DD is a HS soph and is very much interested in playing soccer in college. We have gone to several ID camps and the are really focused around soccer and not much beyond that. While there was a tour component, most of it was geared around the athletic and not the academic faciliites.

Unless you plan on spending your own time setting up a campus tour or exploring campus after the sessions, your child isn't going to get a ton of feel for the school.

The sessions that my DD has gone to have been single day. No overnight or multi-day events. Heck, some of them didn't include lunch! And the ones that did were usually some sort of boxed lunch, not a meal in the cafeteria.

Anonymous wrote:I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.

You know your kid won’t get recruited but you still want to go to the college ID camps. If recruitment is not the goal, I would just go to a local camp like UVA camp at episcopal. They are residential and soccer for fun. That may be a good option. College ID camps are a bit more for kids who may be looking to be recruited and usually they already play at a higher level.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.

Some colleges will do residential camps for players that are 4/5 days. Years ago, I did them and it was great to stay in the dorms, eat in the facilities and walk the campus.

Not like your regular college recruitment ID camp.

I would love this if I were a teen. Sounds awesome.

DD attended school camp and is now recruited to play at said school this year. ACC school.

Might be 'money grab', or shows you're interested heavily and coaches know you've seen the school.. .means you're not saying yes to being recruited blindly. So you play soccer on a campus, see the campus, and spend time with the kid. Worth it in every way... plus you can actually get recruited. Shocker.

Anonymous wrote:I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.

it's early to be looking at schools. Also, if they aren't good, they will stick out and not have much fun. I would not recommend this path.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.

Some colleges will do residential camps for players that are 4/5 days. Years ago, I did them and it was great to stay in the dorms, eat in the facilities and walk the campus.

Not like your regular college recruitment ID camp.

Yes, I should have been clear, we've gotten emails for both types. I'm really just looking for opportunities for kid to get a feel for the vibes of various schools. And I suspect there will be more enthusiasm for soccer-related visits than formal tours, especially early in the process.

Anonymous wrote:I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.

Some colleges will do residential camps for players that are 4/5 days. Years ago, I did them and it was great to stay in the dorms, eat in the facilities and walk the campus.

Not like your regular college recruitment ID camp.

One of my freshmen has done some ID camps, but he hopes to get recruited. There haven’t been overnight stays or meals at most of them. There might be a campus tour or a presentation but it’s really focused on athletes.

Both my freshmen are planning to do 1-2 week programs related to their area of interest on college campuses. That seems more likely to give the information you want.

I will state as clearly as possible up front that my kid will not be a recruited athlete, and I know they're money grabs.

That said, if kid is into soccer, would it be a good intro to college campuses freshman year of HS? Just wondering if it might be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, and allow kid to start getting a feel for various schools he might be interested in (particularly if they include dorm stays/meals in cafeteria). I would obviously make sure kid knows the soccer part is just for fun.