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Ask the Coach, Women's College D1

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    #16
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    What are the relative benefits and downsides of choosing a mid-range D1 with an average academic reputation versus a top, academically elite D3 school?
    I've read all the ridiculous fights on this page regarding this topic and frankly don't understand why it's even a debate.

    Bottom line, it's a free country, do what you want after deciding what your priorities are and weighing all pros and cons! That's a completely personal decision, and even when you take sports out of the equation, this is a decision lots of young students have to make on a regular basis. I remember a friend of one of my kids (non athlete) who LOVED UNH because of the great college town, and atmosphere. He had a party personality and wanted to have a big social experience too. He was also very smart and got into Middlebury which was going to cost twice as much. The parents couldn't' afford the Middlebury price tag, and ultimately he went to UNH, got into their business school, and landed a 6 figure job on Wall Street shortly after graduating. In the end, the choice worked out. Some will argue that the more reputable diploma will work out better for most, but being happy knowing you're at the right school is pretty important in my eyes .

    With sports, the logic is no different. If your daughter is D1 level and legitimately has a choice between D1 and D3 then weight the options:

    -How important is the level of soccer?
    -Is there a significant cost difference (sometimes not if you get a lot of academic money at the D3 school)
    -Most importantly, if soccer was taken away would she still want to stay at that school?

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      #17
      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
      Not sure why the insults, but the kneeling will obviously be an issue this year, and I'm sure our athletic department will have to weigh in on that, but no word yet. If we even have a season.
      What is your view on kneeling? Will you kneel? And do you think there will be a season?

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        #18
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        What is your view on kneeling? Will you kneel? And do you think there will be a season?
        I'd rather stick to soccer questions, as I don't want to start a political debate regarding the kneeling even though I have a strong opinion!

        Everyone is talking as if there will be a season, but I'm skeptical and time will tell. I know many players have returned in some conferences. We are supposed to begin early August but that still has not been confirmed.

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          #19
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          I've read all the ridiculous fights on this page regarding this topic and frankly don't understand why it's even a debate.

          Bottom line, it's a free country, do what you want after deciding what your priorities are and weighing all pros and cons! That's a completely personal decision, and even when you take sports out of the equation, this is a decision lots of young students have to make on a regular basis. I remember a friend of one of my kids (non athlete) who LOVED UNH because of the great college town, and atmosphere. He had a party personality and wanted to have a big social experience too. He was also very smart and got into Middlebury which was going to cost twice as much. The parents couldn't' afford the Middlebury price tag, and ultimately he went to UNH, got into their business school, and landed a 6 figure job on Wall Street shortly after graduating. In the end, the choice worked out. Some will argue that the more reputable diploma will work out better for most, but being happy knowing you're at the right school is pretty important in my eyes .

          With sports, the logic is no different. If your daughter is D1 level and legitimately has a choice between D1 and D3 then weight the options:

          -How important is the level of soccer?
          -Is there a significant cost difference (sometimes not if you get a lot of academic money at the D3 school)
          -Most importantly, if soccer was taken away would she still want to stay at that school?
          Will most of the scouting going forward be at ECNL showcases?

          Comment


            #20
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Will most of the scouting going forward be at ECNL showcases?
            The mishandling of the DA by US Soccer was highly disappointing because we did a ton of recruiting there. We will likely now attend the GA and ECNL and as a result of budget cuts many of us are looking at we’ll have to be more economical with recruiting I’m guessing. That may mean a bigger focus on Regional recruiting.

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              #21
              Grades v. Soccer ability? Where is the emphasis in recruiting.

              Comment


                #22
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                Grades v. Soccer ability? Where is the emphasis in recruiting.
                Not gonna lie, soccer ability! I'm mean we are searching out talent at games, not looking at transcripts then going to see them play. But, that's a loaded question because there's obviously a huge variance in how big a part it plays in admissions between schools. The Ivies require pretty high minimums, whereas some schools it doesn't matter at all. And, it's a pyramid at most schools whereby admissions will give our their slots based on grades, and the lower the academics, the fewer the slots, so you can't get a whole class of C students admitted. We have pretty rigorous admissions where there is a minimum SAT too, but the funny thing is that female soccer players by and large seem to generally be a strong academic bunch, so even with strict admissions, we never run into too many problems.

                Also, having said the above, the main objective is to get a good education AND play soccer, so while we try to get the best players, academics is also important. And, if you are a really good student and a good player, it's going to open up a lot more doors!

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                  #23
                  My player is an A student and an ECNL starter. It makes no sense to prioritize soccer over academics in college. My view is get into the best academic school possible while also being able to play soccer. I don’t understand why that approach is even debatable, but we have friends who are of the “D1” at all cost mentality. Thoughts?

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    My player is an A student and an ECNL starter. It makes no sense to prioritize soccer over academics in college. My view is get into the best academic school possible while also being able to play soccer. I don’t understand why that approach is even debatable, but we have friends who are of the “D1” at all cost mentality. Thoughts?
                    Who cares what a coach thinks? Do what's best for your daughter and what she wants.

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      My player is an A student and an ECNL starter. It makes no sense to prioritize soccer over academics in college. My view is get into the best academic school possible while also being able to play soccer. I don’t understand why that approach is even debatable, but we have friends who are of the “D1” at all cost mentality. Thoughts?
                      As I alluded to before, I've read the spiteful arguments about this on this site, and to me it's pointless. If your view is to prioritize academics, then use that as a focus in your search. The next filter is fit, so maybe your daughter is a high achieving student but doesn't want to attend a college smaller than a high school, so the NESCAC is out, and then you need to look for a bigger school with high academics. So much of what you get out of college is what you put into it, what your major is, etc. Everyone's priorities will be all over the map with regard to this, and it's why you do a thorough search.

                      For your friends who are D1 at all costs mentality, good for them! That's their choice too. And, there's no reason they also can't get a high level education as well. We have both types on our team. Many girls are soccer junkies 24/7 and if that's their driving force, and their goal is to play Pro, more power to them!

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        Who cares what a coach thinks? Do what's best for your daughter and what she wants.
                        Ha, yes. That's basically what I said. There is no right answer here, only what's right for you.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Five most important qualities you look for in a player?

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            Five most important qualities you look for in a player?
                            I think it's hard to list a top 5 qualities....if you read a couple questions ago, I provided some insight as to our general personal philosophy. I should have also mentioned that we put a lot of emphasis on cultivating a very specific culture--so personalities and the opinion of our players after the overnights DO matter a lot. If we were looking at a youth national team player who was an absolute baller then, yeah, maybe we have a more lenient threshold! But, in general, we have a lot of players to choose from out of a large pool, so we can afford to be a bit picky of personalities and how they will mesh within our team chemistry.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Being that many players are restricted to a particular league due to their location rather than their skill level, do you scout “lesser“ leagues such as NPL?

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                                Being that many players are restricted to a particular league due to their location rather than their skill level, do you scout “lesser“ leagues such as NPL?
                                Given the state of club soccer and the fact its so fractured compared to what it used to be, our recruiting demands stretch us thin, and it's honestly tough to get to NPL games. Our best bet for seeing those players is at showcases such as the Jeff Cup, or PDA Memorial Day.

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