- Jul 4, 2014
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DH and I are at an impasse and I would like to get your thoughts on dd's recruiting strategy.
Background:
DD is a Sophomore; Pitcher with very good grades. She already has a comprehensive list of schools she wants to attend - mostly D3s with a handful of D1s. She's done her research - size, location, climate, academic fit, major, test score requirements, grade requirements, etc. She's also written to every coach on her list and has heard back from half. DD's team hopes to qualify and attend Nationals in August. Since Nationals is taking place on the other side of the country, I suggested that we tie in a handful of college visits to the coaches whom she's heard from already. I also thought that it might be a good idea for her to invite these said college coaches to come watch her play at Nationals (Note: she's also doing Pennsbury and will be inviting these coaches to come watch her play). During the August Unofficial Visits, she also hopes to discuss her performance at Nationals / Pennsbury with these coaches.
I should also note that DD has expressed that she has no interest in attending schools that aren't on her list. She knows what she wants. We understand and respect her position since this is her future. (There's a chance that she may develop interest in a different school at a later date, but let's just go with what's she's expressed - that is, she only wants to go to schools on her list).
Rationale for my strategy:
To help DD pare down her list of schools (there's many), I thought that it would be a good idea for her to visit these schools unofficially in August. She can meet with Admissions and the coaches (so that they know that she's serious about attending and not just fishing - ie. sending out a bunch of emails to see who bites), she can tour the school and the softball facilities, maybe talk to other students and most importantly, meet with the coaches in person. By visiting these schools and meeting the coaches, I'm hoping that DD will get a better feel if she'd like to go there and play for the particular coach. By narrowing down the list, I also hope that she'll be able to focus her efforts on her chosen "few schools" during her Junior year - ie. attend their college camps, keep in regular contact with them, etc. The current list is too large for her to do a decent job of keeping contact and it would be way too costly to send her to all the school camps on her list.
DD loves my strategy. (But her and I think alike). DH's thinks that it's a little too early to be visiting and narrowing colleges. He thinks that my strategy is a little too calculated and that we should take a more "wait and see" approach.
Question: What are your thoughts on my strategy? Is it viable? Too calculated? Am I limiting DD options too early? If you don't agree with this strategy, what do you suggest instead?
Background:
DD is a Sophomore; Pitcher with very good grades. She already has a comprehensive list of schools she wants to attend - mostly D3s with a handful of D1s. She's done her research - size, location, climate, academic fit, major, test score requirements, grade requirements, etc. She's also written to every coach on her list and has heard back from half. DD's team hopes to qualify and attend Nationals in August. Since Nationals is taking place on the other side of the country, I suggested that we tie in a handful of college visits to the coaches whom she's heard from already. I also thought that it might be a good idea for her to invite these said college coaches to come watch her play at Nationals (Note: she's also doing Pennsbury and will be inviting these coaches to come watch her play). During the August Unofficial Visits, she also hopes to discuss her performance at Nationals / Pennsbury with these coaches.
I should also note that DD has expressed that she has no interest in attending schools that aren't on her list. She knows what she wants. We understand and respect her position since this is her future. (There's a chance that she may develop interest in a different school at a later date, but let's just go with what's she's expressed - that is, she only wants to go to schools on her list).
Rationale for my strategy:
To help DD pare down her list of schools (there's many), I thought that it would be a good idea for her to visit these schools unofficially in August. She can meet with Admissions and the coaches (so that they know that she's serious about attending and not just fishing - ie. sending out a bunch of emails to see who bites), she can tour the school and the softball facilities, maybe talk to other students and most importantly, meet with the coaches in person. By visiting these schools and meeting the coaches, I'm hoping that DD will get a better feel if she'd like to go there and play for the particular coach. By narrowing down the list, I also hope that she'll be able to focus her efforts on her chosen "few schools" during her Junior year - ie. attend their college camps, keep in regular contact with them, etc. The current list is too large for her to do a decent job of keeping contact and it would be way too costly to send her to all the school camps on her list.
DD loves my strategy. (But her and I think alike). DH's thinks that it's a little too early to be visiting and narrowing colleges. He thinks that my strategy is a little too calculated and that we should take a more "wait and see" approach.
Question: What are your thoughts on my strategy? Is it viable? Too calculated? Am I limiting DD options too early? If you don't agree with this strategy, what do you suggest instead?