If one sifts through all the arguing, posturing, and agendas, you can put together a sensible recruiting approach for your kid that draws on bits and pieces from all of the different viewpoints. I agree with my nemesis about excessive travel and the importance of having a realistic assessment of your kid's ability, athletically and academically, and then targeting accordingly. I think just about the worst plan is going to some tournaments hoping to draw interest from anyone and then basing schools of interest on which ones show interest (if any). That's how you can end up at Eastern Sonoma Rocky Mountain State bragging that you snagged a D1 offer and then 6 weeks into the first semester wondering what in the heck you are doing there. I agree summer before soph year, especially for a boy, is very early, unless you really do have a good read at that point about where your kid projects athletically and especially academically. I've know kids who talked about Duke or Williams or some specific school where by junior it is very clear they are not anywhere even near the ballpark of either getting in or being good enough.
At any rate, I think there are two primary choices....1) work down to a list of the schools you really want regardless of soccer and then if the final choices happen to work for soccer that's gravy; or 2) work down to a list that seems to be within reach academically and athletically, with perhaps a few where the soccer might tip admissions in your favor. Let's assume #2. If you are with a team that goes to the tournaments that folks love to criticize, there are indirect ways for your player to learn something even if no primary recruiting happens via that method. You might be approached by a school you aren't interested in but that might give you clues about where you might fit among the ones you are interested in (i.e. if such and such school thinks highly of you then maybe a similar school you like that is roughly similar in terms of academic and athletic levels may be more possible than you thought or worth focusing on more). You might see other kids draw interest and based on your realistic comparison to them you may be able to infer some things. It may be iin a tournament context that a family that was thinking the kid is D1 material really isn't by seeing players who really are a clear notch above.
Based on all the inputs, you can then decide what coaches to contact, what mini-camps to choose, which campuses to visit. At some point you get a read about where you fall for particular coaches. Yes, they are trying to get the best players they can, and there are horror stories about kids being highly encouraged and then you realize you are almost an afterthought, but sometimes it is matter of really listening and not just hearing what you want to hear. You also might get some great feedback from a coach where you aren't going or who has told you you don't fit, as they can give you an honest assessment and maybe even suggest similarly attractive schools where you may be a better fit. This happened for us at Wesleyan. The coach was very honest, very positive and very helpful even though Wesleyan wasn't one my kid's final choices.
You obviously can't control for every possible fly in the ointment, but you can definitely increase your chances of a good outcome if you target effectively based on realistic assessment of athletic and academic levels, pick schools you really like even if soccer doesn't work out or if and when the college experience takes you in a different direction. And if all that goes well, make sure you show up in the best shape of your life because actually playing even at D3 is very competitive with as many as 30 to 40 or more kids vying for spots and time.
At any rate, I think there are two primary choices....1) work down to a list of the schools you really want regardless of soccer and then if the final choices happen to work for soccer that's gravy; or 2) work down to a list that seems to be within reach academically and athletically, with perhaps a few where the soccer might tip admissions in your favor. Let's assume #2. If you are with a team that goes to the tournaments that folks love to criticize, there are indirect ways for your player to learn something even if no primary recruiting happens via that method. You might be approached by a school you aren't interested in but that might give you clues about where you might fit among the ones you are interested in (i.e. if such and such school thinks highly of you then maybe a similar school you like that is roughly similar in terms of academic and athletic levels may be more possible than you thought or worth focusing on more). You might see other kids draw interest and based on your realistic comparison to them you may be able to infer some things. It may be iin a tournament context that a family that was thinking the kid is D1 material really isn't by seeing players who really are a clear notch above.
Based on all the inputs, you can then decide what coaches to contact, what mini-camps to choose, which campuses to visit. At some point you get a read about where you fall for particular coaches. Yes, they are trying to get the best players they can, and there are horror stories about kids being highly encouraged and then you realize you are almost an afterthought, but sometimes it is matter of really listening and not just hearing what you want to hear. You also might get some great feedback from a coach where you aren't going or who has told you you don't fit, as they can give you an honest assessment and maybe even suggest similarly attractive schools where you may be a better fit. This happened for us at Wesleyan. The coach was very honest, very positive and very helpful even though Wesleyan wasn't one my kid's final choices.
You obviously can't control for every possible fly in the ointment, but you can definitely increase your chances of a good outcome if you target effectively based on realistic assessment of athletic and academic levels, pick schools you really like even if soccer doesn't work out or if and when the college experience takes you in a different direction. And if all that goes well, make sure you show up in the best shape of your life because actually playing even at D3 is very competitive with as many as 30 to 40 or more kids vying for spots and time.
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