Recruiting question

[CoachKevin]

This thread amazes me.... First thing you go to college for the education... athletics is secondary. Many people lose sight of this while they are chasing that scholarship "carrot". I have seen the following scenario many times... Your DD makes a top tier TB Team, dues roughly $10,000+ a year, she plays on this team for 3 years and finally gets a scholarship that Dad can boast about. Oh wait, it's only a partial scholarship to a Mid D1. You have paid over 30,000 just to play TB.... There are many ex-scholarship College Students that used to play Softball.

I'm not saying to not chase that dream, but also keep everything into perspective.

 

[Acatchersmom]

I wouldn't worry a lot about how a HS calculates GPA. Schools send along their HS Profile when a kid submits an application to a college. They describe their grading system, how many AP and Honors courses they offer, info on rank (if they rank - our HS does not), average SAT/ACT scores, etc.

At our HS, there are years where no one has a 4.40. 4.6 is our AP/Honors course GPA for an A+ (98.5%+). There are very, very few A+ grades in AP courses at our school, and then consider that you must take some unweighted courses (PE, Health), and you'll see that it is near impossible to hit that GPA.

One question for Acatchersmom - Why is the January 2016 SAT the first SAT she is taking? That is the last sitting for the current 2400 SAT format. If she likes that format, she will not have the chance to take that format again. I'm not sure how I would handle testing for a 2017 with the changing SAT, but just something to consider.

Different schools give different amounts of leeway on test scores for a stud athlete. I recall at one D3 clinic at a NESCAC school the coach said the minimum they could work with was about 28 ACT or 1850 SAT. She said that it would make her life a lot easier if a player has 2100+ SAT or 32+ ACT. I know a kid who plays a sport at an Ivy (female, not softball) who is a stud player and got in with 1800 SAT (she did not do as well on the ACT). As a non-URM, without the recruited athlete hook, she never would get into an Ivy - probably looking at minimum 2200 SAT for an unhooked kid.

In the right sport at the right school, scores can be pretty low. The Duke basketball team reportedly has an average SAT score 400 points lower than the general student body (that is on the 1600 scale).

Thanks for your email. As far as taking the SAT for the first time is because I blew it. Too much going on that I didn't think about her taking it earlier. We figured she would give it a shot in Dec and HOPEFULLY do really well The new SAT from what I understand has more geometry in it and that was not her strong point! If she doesn't do well then she will have to take the new one too. Crossing our fingers she nails it lol


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[Acatchersmom]

This thread amazes me.... First thing you go to college for the education... athletics is secondary. Many people lose sight of this while they are chasing that scholarship "carrot". I have seen the following scenario many times... Your DD makes a top tier TB Team, dues roughly $10,000+ a year, she plays on this team for 3 years and finally gets a scholarship that Dad can boast about. Oh wait, it's only a partial scholarship to a Mid D1. You have paid over 30,000 just to play TB.... There are many ex-scholarship College Students that used to play Softball.

I'm not saying to not chase that dream, but also keep everything into perspective.

Trust me we do not look at a school unless it is somewhere she would want to stay if she got hurt and couldn't play anymore. Division and level aren't a factor (well she wants a competitive team) but more trying to find the right fit and yes - I hope to get some help with the tuition. I don't think that's being unrealistic


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[CoachKevin]

Trust me we do not look at a school unless it is somewhere she would want to stay if she got hurt and couldn't play anymore. Division and level aren't a factor (well she wants a competitive team) but more trying to find the right fit and yes - I hope to get some help with the tuition. I don't think that's being unrealistic


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The comments I made were not directly related to you, I'm sorry if you took it that way. They were just for general purposes is all.

 

[Acatchersmom]

The comments I made were not directly related to you, I'm sorry if you took it that way. They were just for general purposes is all.

Oh no not at all !!!!! This whole process has me crazy - sorry if I sounded sensitive!!!


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[Bartow12]

I agree with most everything above. Coaches cannot have contact with you or your daughter unless it is in a campus or camp setting. With the exception of JUCO or NAIA schools. BEWARE of the "Come back to my next camp" MOST camps are money makers not recruiting opportunities. Most camps are well worth the money once. I agree that if she wants to play at a particular school and has the ability you must stalk them. Constant emails, know what showcases they are going to go to and be there, and let them know you are going to be there for them to see. Then it is up to her to perform, and play a position they need. If she is not with a good Travel program with good relationships with college coaches you may be behind. Look for coaches that want her to visit campus, workout with them team, and talk with admissions at no charge. The school where my daughter ended up was not even on her radar. They saw her play as a HS Freshman, followed her HS and Travel career, then offered her the summer going into her Junior year. She visited the campus, worked out with the current college players, loved the coaches and players and campus and committed to a great offer a few weeks later. If it is meant to be it will happen for her. Make them tell you they are not interested. Keep an open mind to all levels as long as the education and degree is what she is looking for.

 

[JAD]

I agree with most everything above. Coaches cannot have contact with you or your daughter unless it is in a campus or camp setting. With the exception of JUCO or NAIA schools. BEWARE of the "Come back to my next camp" MOST camps are money makers not recruiting opportunities. Most camps are well worth the money once.

A great way to determine how serious a coach is when they invite you to "come back to my next camp" is to schedule an unofficial visit right before or after the camp. If they are "too busy" they were probably not very interested. If the assistant coaches show you around for an hour or two, they are interested. If the assistant coaches spend all day with you they are very interested. If the head coach spends all day with you are a top priority.

 

[Acatchersmom]

What exactly is an unofficial visit? My daughter is going back to a camp in a few weeks that she was asked to. How do we do an unofficial visit?


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[JAD]

What exactly is an unofficial visit? My daughter is going back to a camp in a few weeks that she was asked to. How do we do an unofficial visit?


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Unofficial means y'all are paying your own way. Once you are on campus the coaches can take you on tour of the facilities - athletic and academic. You can also meet with academic advisers and others. The unofficial visits have to occur before or after the official start of the camp.

 

[MNDad]

What exactly is an unofficial visit? My daughter is going back to a camp in a few weeks that she was asked to. How do we do an unofficial visit?


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JAD is correct. All I have to add is that having to pay yourself isn't a reflection on whether or not they want you. D1 schools aren't allowed to pay for official visits until their senior year. They can give you up to 3 tickets for sporting events on unnoficial visits. When DD attended camps we always asked for a tour and if there were any events going on where she could get a feel for the campus. They were usually very happy to show off their schools and the games are a great opportunity to talk more in depth with coaches.