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Jun 8, 2016
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My DD played at a juco, and it was perfect for her. She ended up at a great D1 mid major. @riseball 's daughter played juco and ended up at slightly better softball school than my DD--Alabama.

The truth is that my DD was not ready for D1. Had she went D1, she would have flopped, and probably quit softball. But, she went to a juco, had a great coach, and pitched against SoCal and AZ jucos. After two years, she was ready to play D1, and she did quite well.

Once your DD signs with a school, you have to shift from "softball mode" to "education mode". In college, her coach will be handling all things softball. What you need to do is keep track of your DD's education and how she is progressing to the ultimate goal of graduation.
When your DD went to a Juco did she have a list of 4 year schools she was interested in already? The reason I ask is that I think that it isn't guaranteed that all of your credits from a particular JUCO will transfer to all 4 year schools, at least that is how it is here at OU with Engineering.

Edit: For a liberal arts degree it may be more seemless, not sure.
 
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Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
When your DD went to a Juco did she have a list of 4 year schools she was interested in already? The reason I ask is that I think that it isn't guaranteed that all of your credits from a particular JUCO will transfer to all 4 year schools, at least that is how it is here at OU with Engineering.

Not always an issue of the credit transferring, but whether it will actually count towards something. Sometimes, it's just a matter of the right class selection. For example, not all college Chemistry and Physics courses are created equal. If you're an engineering major, take the right ones at the JUCO, or you'll do it again.

Other times, it's just how the 4-year school's curriculum is set up. DD took Comp I & II at a local JUCO during her senior HS year. The particular university she's attending did give credit for both, but treats a Comp I course as "remedial", so it didn't do anything for her. However, she did need that to get to Comp II, and the school fully accepted the Comp II course for its freshman English requirement.
 
Aug 10, 2020
53
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Also, keep in mind that more and more schools (especially DIII's it seems) have begun offering no-loan initiatives. Combine that with and any academic $$, other grants and it just might be the ticket for many.
Tatonka, what does this mean?
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Not always an issue of the credit transferring, but whether it will actually count towards something. Sometimes, it's just a matter of the right class selection. For example, not all college Chemistry and Physics courses are created equal. If you're an engineering major, take the right ones at the JUCO, or you'll do it again.

Other times, it's just how the 4-year school's curriculum is set up. DD took Comp I & II at a local JUCO during her senior HS year. The particular university she's attending did give credit for both, but treats a Comp I course as "remedial", so it didn't do anything for her. However, she did need that to get to Comp II, and the school fully accepted the Comp II course for its freshman English requirement.
Yeah, I guess my point is, if you go to a JUCO you had better do some HW up front to make sure you are not wasting too much time (and money) taking things which will not help you with your degree at a 4 year school and that may be dependent on the 4 year school which you go to...I suppose that was kind of obvious but who knows..
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
I always thought that if she put on a good showing at a showcase, she'd get offers. I now realize, if the school doesn't know you're interested, well they're looking at girls that they know are interested in their program. There are hundreds, if not thousands of girls to blindly look at. I still vividly remember one showcase. My DD hit the cover off a ball, over the fence. I literally heard a D2 coach say, "Did she hit the ball through the fence or over it?!" I thought, there we go, she'll go talk to my DD. NOPE. Never said a word to her. Now, if my DD had contacted that coach? One helluva impression.

One of many things I learned here, and this needs to be pinned at the top of every discussion about playing in college. I hear lots of parents of younger kids talking about getting to showcase tournaments to "get seen", as if that's all there is to it.

Most recruiting last year was virtual, and lots of that will stick. Many athletic budgets are tight, and coaches don't have the money or time to wander about trying to find needles in haystacks. Communicate and show them that you're a good player and a good fit for their program. Get HS & club coaches to call them and say great things about you. Attend their camps, or at least visit the school and talk to them. They might come see you prior to a final decision, after most other boxes have been checked.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Yeah, I guess my point is, if you go to a JUCO you had better do some HW up front to make sure you are not wasting too much time (and money) taking things which will not help you with your degree at a 4 year school and that may be dependent on the 4 year school which you go to...I suppose that was kind of obvious but who knows..

Many things appear obvious in hindsight, but until you see it, you often don't know what you don't know.
 
Apr 16, 2013
1,113
83
One of many things I learned here, and this needs to be pinned at the top of every discussion about playing in college. I hear lots of parents of younger kids talking about getting to showcase tournaments to "get seen", as if that's all there is to it.

Yup yup yup! Camps are important, but I find ONLY if you're a powerhouse, or if they're expecting you. If you can afford to show up at EVERY camp that school puts on, your chances are better. Even then it's usually a cattle call. These camps are also damn expensive. 2 or 3 a month? That's a mortgage payment, OR tuition... At this point I think showcases are the most important, but only after you've been doing your work and communicating. The kids have to do the reaching out first, THEN a coach might stop by and watch. Make multiple contacts, make those emails personal, and your chances keep going up. For the first time, this past weekend, my DD had at least one coach at every game watching her, often multiple. The reason was communication. She emailed them personal emails, then did the camp and introduced herself to them, following up on the email. THEN they took notice and started watching. I wish I'd known these things back in 14u.
 
Nov 18, 2013
2,255
113
Yup yup yup! Camps are important, but I find ONLY if you're a powerhouse, or if they're expecting you. If you can afford to show up at EVERY camp that school puts on, your chances are better. Even then it's usually a cattle call. These camps are also damn expensive. 2 or 3 a month? That's a mortgage payment, OR tuition... At this point I think showcases are the most important, but only after you've been doing your work and communicating. The kids have to do the reaching out first, THEN a coach might stop by and watch. Make multiple contacts, make those emails personal, and your chances keep going up. For the first time, this past weekend, my DD had at least one coach at every game watching her, often multiple. The reason was communication. She emailed them personal emails, then did the camp and introduced herself to them, following up on the email. THEN they took notice and started watching. I wish I'd known these things back in 14u.

The camps we went to were right around a $100. If you keep an eye on the schools you’e interested in it’s not hard to find cheaper ones. The big schools usually have the huge cattle calls or overnight camps that are pretty speedy. They’ll also often run weekly hitting and pitching camps in the fall or winter. Mid major D1’s and all lower level schools generally have very affordable camps and lots of time to talk with the coaches.

We didn’t attend any of the ones that bring in a bunch of coaches to one site so I can’t speak to those.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
When your DD went to a Juco did she have a list of 4 year schools she was interested in already? The reason I ask is that I think that it isn't guaranteed that all of your credits from a particular JUCO will transfer to all 4 year schools, at least that is how it is here at OU with Engineering.

Edit: For a liberal arts degree it may be more seemless, not sure.

My DD's Juco coaches (Kathy Rodolph and Cat Heifner now both at New Mexico State) were exceptional. They both were very keen on getting on academics, so there was no real problem. The problem occurred at D1 where the coach was only focused on softball.

As to the "four schools"--no. I was inexperienced and stupid at the college sports game.

My DD's very happy with the way things worked out...but, that was due to her overcoming my failure to properly advise her.
 

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