SteveMA

Most of the coaches that are recruiting DD want to finish up their signing at the Nov. signing date. I'm ok with that because I just want to be done with all of this . She is sending applications this week and all of her schools are rolling admissions or EA for athletes so she will have her acceptances in hand probably by the end of Sept. So, what was the thought process behind making that final decision. I know the bottom dollar will factor into the picture for sure but what other things did you consider. She is expecting 10 solid offers (and acceptances) so she will really have some tough choices to make. She has a lot of great options and is the kind of kid that will bloom where planted. Our first question to her after every tour/meeting was "would you go her if you did not participate in your sport". She eliminated schools that way so all of the schools on her list are places she would be fine attending, some are just more fine than others .

Just looking for things we should consider that we may not have thought about. I know which 2 schools I would like to see her at .

Sue22

I'm sure you'll get good feedback from current students and parents but as a former recruit I'll add some long-term perspective.

It's rare for kids to participate in sports, other than on a recreational basis, beyond college. Most employers don't really care a lot about college sports unless you were part of a big, powerful program, and in many cases that's about the name of the school anyway. "Wow, you played for Duke (in their losing season)?" as opposed to "So you played for X State U. (when they swept the league)?" So while it's really tempting to make it all about sports while you're getting all this love from coaches it would be a mistake. Remember that you'll spend a whole lot more time in class and the dorm than on the field/court/rink. Put academic reputation, fit and opportunities first.

In addition to considering the "would you go her if you did not participate in your sport" question have your daughter try an exercise. Have her sit down and imagine that a month into school she's blown out her knee and even with surgery it's clear she'll never again participate in college sports. Have her imagine her day at the various schools. What clubs would she want to get involved in beyond sports? What kind of research opportunities are available?

How well is the sports schedule at the school integrated into the academic schedule? Do athletes miss classes? Are they expected to train year round?

Something I find useful to consider when looking at schools- How much do athletes and non-athletes interact? Do all the jocks sit together at lunch? Are they on a different schedule than much of the rest of the student body? Are they seen as meatheads or idolized by the artists and student government types or as just kids with different talents? It would be a shame if as an athlete her circle of friends were somewhat limited to other athletes and if she did become unable to play it would be sad for her to lose many of her friends.

Obviously she'll want to make sure she likes the coach and can interact well with her...

Good luck.

fogfog

Maybe other things to consider...beyond sport

academics--will she be able to change majors if her interests change

in'tl -- does she want to do a semester or year overseas..how does that affect team etc as some coaches require students only do that over a summer term

geography

weather

travel to/from home

region-- will she want to live in that region if hired by a firm there--Some schools have very strong influence regionally, others nationally

dorm life-- available all 4 yrs or will she have to move off campus

athletic preference for course selection

athletic preference for dorm selection


Coaches' carousel means she potentially won't have the same coaches 4 yrs... Is she ok with the team/school with a coach change

Hope these help jog other ideas for you. Good luck. She is blessed to have an abundance of options.

SteveMA

So far we have a good handle on most of these things. Schools that did not fit academically were ruled out before any recruiting happened. She also narrowed down schools based on competition schedule so she would not miss too many days of classes. The most she will miss is 6 class days over 16 weeks or so of competition. Training year round is a given so not really a question.

She is thinking about medical school and sports are a way to help pay for undergrad so she doesn't have to take out loans, no aspirations of playing after college.

Geography is her hardest decision. She "likes" the program closest to us but we think for all the wrong reasons. It's the program we like the least for her (and it's our alma matter so that is saying something). The school is a great fit, the coach and the team is not. If she wasn't playing sports, we would be fine with her going there except she can't afford to go there without sports.

No idea about preference for courses or dorms. All of the schools she is considering are small enough that it won't make much, if any, difference.

She will defiantly study abroad, but probably a summer trip somewhere, which, playing her sport, makes affordable for her because she won't have to pay much, if anything for tuition, etc.

Stuff outside of sports has been carefully looked into. Our oldest ended up in a situation where the campus was a ghost town on weekends, lesson learned there.

I guess it is just more of the unknown about how all of this happens having never had a recruited athlete in the family. Right now her favorite coach is at her least favorite school and her favorite school has her least (or our least anyway) coach. Too bad they can't switch schools. MY favorite 2 schools have both--being that I am not 17, I can see these things a little better than her .

varska

It isn't all that unusual to get a call one day from a coach saying, "I just wanted to let you know, I took a new position at..."
That can be a really bad day if the coach was her main reason for choosing the school.

fogfog

One thing to consider...
If you are expecting 10 admits...then why apply to ten at all?
That is a lot of essays (assuming they require supplements)
Lots of fees, sending scores etc...
Seems unnecessary.

Why not be one and done...or one favorite and a couple of safety schools.

stalkermama

My daughter picked one school and she is applying ED.She already passed her pre-read. I hope it happens because all are egg is in one little basket.

SteveMA

fogfog-along with the athletic aid, merit aid will play an important factor in this decision so she is applying to several schools to increase her chances of getting more aid. We have twins going off to school so costs are an issue as we will not qualify for aid yet having 2 in school is going to be more than we can pay outright.

None of the schools she is applying to have an app fee or they waive the fee for online apps or because we visited. About half of them have essays. All of the schools accept test scores sent on her official transcript so there are no fees to apply (except for the $5 to the counselor's office at the high school for copies of the official transcript).

Any verbage in the offer letters we should be looking for, etc.?

GolfFather

Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing.

stalkermama

I know! What is up with the coaching carousel? Why does this happen?

varska

^Well, event and position coaches are usually looking for the next opportunity or step up the ladder. Head coaches can be a little more stable, if they're winning...and they like the administration...and their spouse is happy living there...etc.

MereMom

Varska and GolfFather are so right. Our DD went to the school that she loved the most. The upperclassmen on the team were great, the coach not so much. She chose in spite of the coach because of the overwhelming positives she found in the school and student body.

End of D's sophomore season, her coach was let go. New coach is a GREAT match for her, a real professional with big goals that meld perfectly with DD's. So in our case, change was the best thing possible.

It is really important to choose the school where your D fits into the wider community and that has the best fit for major/research/networking/non-sport extra-curriculars. The turmoil on the team has not affected DD, and now things are better than ever. If things had happened in reverse for the team, I think she would have still been okay staying because of the positives she found in the school.

goplay

D has 5 OVs lined up, with the first one being next Friday. She has not applied to any school, yet. I thougt that comes after finishing OVs and deciding on which school to commit. Has anybody else already turned in applications like SteveMA's D did?

SteveMA

She has only turned in 3 applications. Those schools have a policy of not allowing coaches to discuss money with athletes until they apply so she did. We have visited 8 of 10 schools she is considering so she knows she likes them enough to apply. The 3 she applied to, 2 of them come in at the bottom of her list, the other is top 3 or 4.

stalkermama

we applied ED...submitted already. Love the coach,the school,the city.