D3 girls recruiting timeline

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Parents attend showcases and pay for summer ID clinics beginning freshman year at my daughter's club. Some d1 players commit early but most kids go d2 and d3 and commit senior year. Are people wasting their money for 2 years or does something need to happen for recruitment before junior year? I have an 8th grader and find it tough to accept that she needs to start thinking college next year.

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Yes, a D3 timeline would be helpful. Not all of our kids want to play D1 ball.

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Parents attend showcases and pay for summer ID clinics beginning freshman year at my daughter's club. Some d1 players commit early but most kids go d2 and d3 and commit senior year. Are people wasting their money for 2 years or does something need to happen for recruitment before junior year? I have an 8th grader and find it tough to accept that she needs to start thinking college next year.

So don't do it. Don't fall into the hype or the frenzy some of her teammates may be experiencing. No one should feel pressured to make important decisions before they're ready. Sure some spots might not be available but better to make an informed decision when ready than not. It's not a race

If she wants a good academic D3 then nothing needs to happen freshmen year other than to attend showcases with the team to get used to it. You can't avoid that expense becasue she has to play. However I would recommend seeing schools that early. Not so much to find her dream school but just to start getting a sense of big vs small, urban vs rural etc. There are so many schools within a short distance you can do this easily (when you have some free time which isn't always easy that's why I recommend starting early. Or if you're in a city for a tourney try and see a few then when not playing). Summer between Fr and So year have her do an ID camp, again just to get a sense of how it works, what the talent is like etc. Soph year she can start to hone in on schools she's interested in, start a conversation with coaches, start doing more serious visits and do Id camps that summer and into JR year.

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Talking Soccer

So don't do it. Don't fall into the hype or the frenzy some of her teammates may be experiencing. No one should feel pressured to make important decisions before they're ready. Sure some spots might not be available but better to make an informed decision when ready than not. It's not a race

If she wants a good academic D3 then nothing needs to happen freshmen year other than to attend showcases with the team to get used to it. You can't avoid that expense becasue she has to play. However I would recommend seeing schools that early. Not so much to find her dream school but just to start getting a sense of big vs small, urban vs rural etc. There are so many schools within a short distance you can do this easily (when you have some free time which isn't always easy that's why I recommend starting early. Or if you're in a city for a tourney try and see a few then when not playing). Summer between Fr and So year have her do an ID camp, again just to get a sense of how it works, what the talent is like etc. Soph year she can start to hone in on schools she's interested in, starting a conversation with coaches, start doing more serious visits and do Id camps that summer and into JR year.

Thanks for this. It seems reasonable. Besides the club college night I'd prefer another year of enjoying soccer for soccer and not talking college with a 14 year old.

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So don't do it. Don't fall into the hype or the frenzy some of her teammates may be experiencing. No one should feel pressured to make important decisions before they're ready. Sure some spots might not be available but better to make an informed decision when ready than not. It's not a race

If she wants a good academic D3 then nothing needs to happen freshmen year other than to attend showcases with the team to get used to it. You can't avoid that expense becasue she has to play. However I would recommend seeing schools that early. Not so much to find her dream school but just to start getting a sense of big vs small, urban vs rural etc. There are so many schools within a short distance you can do this easily (when you have some free time which isn't always easy that's why I recommend starting early. Or if you're in a city for a tourney try and see a few then when not playing). Summer between Fr and So year have her do an ID camp, again just to get a sense of how it works, what the talent is like etc. Soph year she can start to hone in on schools she's interested in, start a conversation with coaches, start doing more serious visits and do Id camps that summer and into JR year.

I will give you a general timeline for nescac schools. Junior year as soon as transcript comes out, late June early July, the coaches want to see your kids junior transcript, sat scores and AP scores. They will submit to thier admissions and get a read on her. You will her from the coach by end of July, early august they will start asking for your "commitment". Apply ed by mid nov and get official acceptance by mid dec of senior year.

So back that up, the coach needs to have seen your daughter play a few times, she should have been to campus at least once and she should have watched the team play at least once. Final sat scores for initial consideration would be winter of junior year. So realistically, she starts taking sat middle to end of soph year. Junior year showcases are a must. Late fall/early winter they will be out to see her. Then again in the spring. If you are serious about the school, she goes to Id clinic at end of soph yr or in junior year to show interest and be seen. Another good investment is the Danbury clinic in the dome for high academic schools. They will come to that. Always better to start earlier and differentiate yourself, and show interest. They started coming to my kids showcases soph year.

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Parents attend showcases and pay for summer ID clinics beginning freshman year at my daughter's club. Some d1 players commit early but most kids go d2 and d3 and commit senior year. Are people wasting their money for 2 years or does something need to happen for recruitment before junior year? I have an 8th grader and find it tough to accept that she needs to start thinking college next year.

The never ending D3 committ.

There is no D3 committ. Neither coach or player is locked into
each other. Yes, they can "committ" to each other, but at of day
it means nothing.

D3 is not D1.

Past the top 25 academic D3 schools, pretty much any high level player, read
ECNL/NPL as a benchmark, will easily play at the D3 level.

This absurd discussion has got to go away. Driven by parents desperate to justify
years of club investment.

Balance the sport v academics and she will land well.

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The never ending D3 committ.

There is no D3 committ. Neither coach or player is locked into
each other. Yes, they can "committ" to each other, but at of day
it means nothing.

D3 is not D1.

Past the top 25 academic D3 schools, pretty much any high level player, read
ECNL/NPL as a benchmark, will easily play at the D3 level.

This absurd discussion has got to go away. Driven by parents desperate to justify
years of club investment.

Balance the sport v academics and she will land well.

Agree, my oldest attended/played at a very high academic D3 school.

Teams at the top of conference were actually pretty
strong. But as you went down the conference ladder, some
really not good teams.

Even the best programs put 6-8 solid players on the field. Bottom programs
had 5-6.

No where near high level club play.

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OK, I'll bite.

After NESCAC, what are the next top 3 D3 conferences, academics wise.

I have a good, but not ECNL good 2001 club soccer player with a 4.1 that wants to be a doctor but likes to play to stay in shape, blow off steam, and have a a group of kids she can hang with.

I'm thinking she should look at Centenial Conference Schools but would like other ideas as my two sons who went before her were not athletes so it never factored into the equation.

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OK, I'll bite.

After NESCAC, what are the next top 3 D3 conferences, academics wise.

I have a good, but not ECNL good 2001 club soccer player with a 4.1 that wants to be a doctor but likes to play to stay in shape, blow off steam, and have a a group of kids she can hang with.

I'm thinking she should look at Centenial Conference Schools but would like other ideas as my two sons who went before her were not athletes so it never factored into the equation.

Here's a place to start -

http://www.d3soccer.com/landing/index

Another option is many schools have good club teams - they play other schools, even have playoffs. Good teams are filled with former top club players who maybe weren't quite good enough for varsity at that school or have decided not to play college soccer. Varsity soccer even at the D3 level is still pretty demanding so pre med science can be tough. Make sure to have frank discussions with coaches when you visit

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OK, I'll bite.

After NESCAC, what are the next top 3 D3 conferences, academics wise.

I have a good, but not ECNL good 2001 club soccer player with a 4.1 that wants to be a doctor but likes to play to stay in shape, blow off steam, and have a a group of kids she can hang with.

I'm thinking she should look at Centenial Conference Schools but would like other ideas as my two sons who went before her were not athletes so it never factored into the equation.

Personally, I like the UAA better then CCS, but here is a write up from mass sites

In the past I have presented these overviews in some rough order of academic selectivity, but I’m purposefully going to mix it up a little this time. I also am omitting Washington College and McDaniel College as I don’t know much about them, so if someone does please chime in with some comments.

Ursinus – A personal favorite. A very good under the radar school that is a top choice within the Colleges That Change Lives genre. Accessible for B/B+ students with solid academic backgrounds and stronger students have a good shot at generous merit aid awards. The academic environment is serious but very supportive. Outstanding first year Humanities program. Relatively new President who is outstanding with a Harvard background (and previously Prez at Butler University of Brad Stevens and Hinkle Gymnasium fame). Great coach who is young, enthusiastic and just won Centennial coach of the year honors. Ursinus has struggled near the bottom of the conference in recent years, but this past year had a stronger season with some big wins. A good player might have a chance to be an impact player or at least get meaningful playing time right away while playing against very good competition. Good location in safe, suburban area about 35 minutes outside Philly. Again, great choice for higher end student looking for good merit offer and perhaps chance to play where not otherwise IF one can get beyond the “I’ve never heard of that school” syndrome, and also for students who might have an academic profile just a bit too low to make lower end of New England elite accessible (Trinity, Conn Coll, Union, etc). Ursinus a couple of years ago had a Rhodes Scholar who now is at Harvard Med. Fun Fact: perennial national title contenders in Field Hockey.

Swarthmore – In the running for top academic institution in the country. Very similar to Chicago in academic reputation and difficulty, but smaller. Also like Williams and Amherst but without the New Englandish/ISL kind of feel. Not for the faint of heart. Very intense, but presumably with the kind of supports folks expect with an elite LAC. Not a school I would recommend using soccer to reach up for, as being an athlete and handling the academics I’m sure is not an easy feat. I know kids who have been accepted to Harvard and other Ivies who found themselves waitlisted here. Strong soccer tradition and often at or near the top of the conference. Attractive location in lovely suburban area but still close to Philly. There are going to be very few soccer players for whom Swarthmore will be a great match, and those kids probably know who they are. Fun fact: Jonathan Franzen.

Johns Hopkins – Another very intense and incredibly well-regarded academic powerhouse, and in terms of size more like UAA schools such as Chicago and Wash U (which makes sense as JHU used to be a UAA school), and with a science/pre-med orientation similar to Wash U. Like Wash U, also notorious for weeding out pre-meds and bringing them to their knees. The reputation for pre-med overshadows what are outstanding programs in the Humanities and government/international relations. Strong soccer tradition, although again being an athlete and handling the academics I imagine is quite a challenge and only to be attempted by extremely talented student-athletes. Very much in the city of Baltimore, which probably is a considered a plus by some and not so much for others. The Baltimore/DC corridor of course offers a rich array of opportunities. Fun fact: D1 lacrosse powerhouse.

Muhlenberg – Another under the radar gem perhaps slightly more well known than Ursinus. Strong academic atmosphere in a nurturing environment, and strong in the sciences. Also strong in theater and the arts. Nice campus nestled in mediocre, non-descript Allentown (but seems fine compared to a Hartford or Schenectady), and the Lehigh Valley area, while depressed, is an interesting area with a collegiate flavor as Lehigh and Lafayette are also right there. A strong soccer tradition with a longstanding coach who I believe is an alumnus. Strong students may access fairly generous merit aid and really strong applicants may have a good shot at the very good Muhlenberg honors program. B+ students with decent but not great scores (1700-1750 and above), especially if recruited, should like their chances with admissions. Often referred to the as the Pennsylvania Brandeis due to popularity with Jewish students (35-40%). Fun fact: every building has a red door.

Haverford – See above with Swarthmore, except considered perhaps slightly less intense and a bit more cozy. Out of all of the schools I’ve visited, Haverford is in the top 3 for where I would want to go if I could go to college again (and if I was fortunate to get in). Gorgeous campus, and very small size, which might turn off some, is offset to some degree by close affiliation with Bryn Mawr (within a mile) and proximity to Philly (@ 15 minutes by train). Haverford also has a proud tradition in soccer and has been strong recently with both the men’s and women’s teams getting NCAA bids a year ago. Superb school in all regards. No fakers allowed, and of course a tough admit where even recruited, within-profile kids have to sweat out admissions and may be heartbroken. Very big in social justice, and not to say this is not true of other schools, but Haverford kids are exceptionally smart and want to make a difference in making the world a better place (think Macalester, and of course Swat, but I personally prefer Haverford). Fun fact: varsity cricket.

Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, and Gettysburg – I’m doing these together because in my view they are very similar schools with similar profiles, and I am not an expert on the nuances between them. All 3 are generally considered top 50 schools (with Gettysburg perhaps slightly more borderline) and close cousins to Trinity, Conn College and Union in reputation and vibe. They lean “preppier” than the other Centennial schools, but they still are very strong academically. They are probably good fits for good to very players who are looking for strong academics with more typical college social scenes. F&M is strong in the sciences and pre-med, Dickinson is known for its international focus and study abroad, and one would suspect that Gettysburg has a strong history department. All 3 have had good soccer programs. F&M and Dickinson both earned NCAA bids this year, with F&M getting to the Elite 8 (courtesy of Ohio Wesleyan being upset earlier). They are somewhat more rural, although Gettysburg obviously is a historic town and Lancaster (home of F&M) just recently was tagged one of the top 10 “small cities” in the country. Fun fact: F&M coach is a Messiah graduate.

One of the things I like about these schools is that they are far enough away from home but still relatively convenient and driveable (although the last 3 described are more borderline on driveability as they drift into central PA). I think many tend to limit their searches thinking distance is a big issue, but most kids will not think twice about the distance once they are there for 2-3 weeks, and athletes especially won’t come home more than 2-3 times per school year regardless of where they go. The choices for being able to play, for social scene, for political vibe, etc increase significantly when one widens the search area.

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Parents attend showcases and pay for summer ID clinics beginning freshman year at my daughter's club. Some d1 players commit early but most kids go d2 and d3 and commit senior year. Are people wasting their money for 2 years or does something need to happen for recruitment before junior year? I have an 8th grader and find it tough to accept that she needs to start thinking college next year.

Stop thinking about it like all of these nut jobs. You should begin "thinking" about colleges ASAP. She likely has no clue what type of college or major she wants to do, so you should start showing her what is out there. You do not have to do official visits for sports or admissions, but you can start next summer by visiting different sizes and types of schools and campus sizes (urban/rural, small/huge, state/private, affluent/middle-class ......). I was very surprised at my daughters impressions when we just started walking through campuses (no tours or visits with coaches or admissions). It became apparent what types of schools she liked and didn't like. For us, it was finding the right campus and academic fit and then targeting soccer programs that fit into her ideal school. This takes a lot longer than you think and she ruled out some very strong schools and opted some lesser schools in. By the start of her junior year, she had a top 10 list, but we focused on her top 5 with correspondence and getting those programs to come to her showcases. We also sought out their prospect clinics to make sure that she got to meet and talk with coaches in the programs she was interested in. My advice is to start very informally and try to find the schools she wants to attend. Even if she has no interest in going to UCONN, walking that campus in mid-May will give her an accurate representation of most large state schools. Its close and its easy. Visit Conn College, Wesleyan, or Trinity for the NESCAC, Yale or Columbia for the Ivy. You have in there a good blend of rural and urban campuses, bigs vs littles ........ Sophomore year, you can also pick prospect clinics at two different levels of soccer and see if you can try to guage where she might fit in (put her in one decent D3 and then another mid-tier or higher D1 clinic). You are trying to build the puzzle for her future and there are so many pieces. Don't wait until the last minute to get her thinking. In the end, find a school that she loves and fits into and those places likely have soccer at the level she wants. Remember, it is the piece of paper that is important not the fact that she was on a good soccer team. Her experiences, friends and memories will last a lifetime, even if it is not a great D3 soccer program at a super school. Good luck!

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best thread in a long time on TS. Great question, thoughtful answers. And it addresses where many of the CT soccer players will go (ie. not D1).

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Stop thinking about it like all of these nut jobs. You should begin "thinking" about colleges ASAP. She likely has no clue what type of college or major she wants to do, so you should start showing her what is out there. You do not have to do official visits for sports or admissions, but you can start next summer by visiting different sizes and types of schools and campus sizes (urban/rural, small/huge, state/private, affluent/middle-class ......). I was very surprised at my daughters impressions when we just started walking through campuses (no tours or visits with coaches or admissions). It became apparent what types of schools she liked and didn't like. For us, it was finding the right campus and academic fit and then targeting soccer programs that fit into her ideal school. This takes a lot longer than you think and she ruled out some very strong schools and opted some lesser schools in. By the start of her junior year, she had a top 10 list, but we focused on her top 5 with correspondence and getting those programs to come to her showcases. We also sought out their prospect clinics to make sure that she got to meet and talk with coaches in the programs she was interested in. My advice is to start very informally and try to find the schools she wants to attend. Even if she has no interest in going to UCONN, walking that campus in mid-May will give her an accurate representation of most large state schools. Its close and its easy. Visit Conn College, Wesleyan, or Trinity for the NESCAC, Yale or Columbia for the Ivy. You have in there a good blend of rural and urban campuses, bigs vs littles ........ Sophomore year, you can also pick prospect clinics at two different levels of soccer and see if you can try to guage where she might fit in (put her in one decent D3 and then another mid-tier or higher D1 clinic). You are trying to build the puzzle for her future and there are so many pieces. Don't wait until the last minute to get her thinking. In the end, find a school that she loves and fits into and those places likely have soccer at the level she wants. Remember, it is the piece of paper that is important not the fact that she was on a good soccer team. Her experiences, friends and memories will last a lifetime, even if it is not a great D3 soccer program at a super school. Good luck!

Similar advice was already posted and it's good advice. With busy schedules you can suddenly find yourself behind the 8 ball and scrambling to fit it all in. I didn't know much of this with my oldest but was lucky my first wasn't an athlete so we didn't have jam packed weekends filled with sports. Planning on when to take standardized testing is important as well (although the OP's kid is way too young for that piece). Each test is only offered a few times a year, you have to register well in advance for your preferred test venue etc and you want them to have time to take it at least twice and have time for prep work as well. It all comes together but a little planning early on can greatly reduce stress and make it all go more smoothly.

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Similar advice was already posted and it's good advice. With busy schedules you can suddenly find yourself behind the 8 ball and scrambling to fit it all in. I didn't know much of this with my oldest but was lucky my first wasn't an athlete so we didn't have jam packed weekends filled with sports. Planning on when to take standardized testing is important as well (although the OP's kid is way too young for that piece). Each test is only offered a few times a year, you have to register well in advance for your preferred test venue etc and you want them to have time to take it at least twice and have time for prep work as well. It all comes together but a little planning early on can greatly reduce stress and make it all go more smoothly.

Oh yeah, and discount all of the spring weekends for clinics and visits if you plan to do several; they are taken up with club games and tournaments and other HS activities (like proms and the like). The more you do early, the better off you will be. As the OP said for this post, start doing a timeline for the standardized tests (and training for them) as well. You should be planning her courses in HS around these as well. A healthy dose of English, literature and writing classes as well as Algebra/Geometry/Stats just prior to taking them (or at least refreshers to brush up on these topics).

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I want to thank all the posters on this topic for all their thoughtful posts. It's very helpful and refreshing to see intelligent, well meaning posts. Thank you, thank you.