overit

Would appreciate advice on process. S (junior) is not too interested in looking at colleges right now. He has gotten several recruiting letters by mail. Apparently coaches can't call until after July 1? He is sort of quiet and would probably do better in a smaller school, but the "names" in his sport (swimming) are all huge state schools. Are there any blogs about coaches: you know like rate my professor? It might be possible to get a good fit if the coach and team were "right" but how can you know since I understand that official visits are big dog & pony shows? His scores will be just average and he is a B(+) student.

Upstater

Overit, my son was heavily recruited for basketball among several ivy and patriot league schools. Fortunately, he had the combination of athletic talent and excellent grades in a rigorous curriculum. We went on 14 (yes, 14!) unofficial visits, so he could get a feel for the school and the coaching staff. Visiting the school and talking with the coaches is by far the best way for your son to evaluate the school and the athletic program. My son was then able to narrow down where he wanted to take his "official" visits. The one thing we kept telling him to ask himself was, "If you weren't playing basketball would you still be happy attending this school?" He is very pleased with his decision and will be matriculating in September.

MomofWildChild

I agree that the first decision point is what level of academics is your son seeking. There are several swimmer-parents on this forum. My son was an athletic recruit, but in a different sport. He chose to use his sport to boost his admission chances to highly selective academic schools. Clearly, you still want a good fit with the coach and team, but the primary thing is the academic fit. The coaches will give you a good idea as to how much "pull" they have with admissions. It really can vary, especially if you get into D3 schools.

overit

Thanks for the replies. I don't think he would use swimming to get into a "better" or reach school because the swim team time commitment is so great it wouldn't make sense to overburden him that way. I think D3 schools are out too because he already has an NCAA B cut in his event. MWC How would I find other swim parents on this board?
BTW Upstater yes I agree that making unofficial visits would be the way to go but honestly I don't think I have the funds/time to fly all over the country for a school that only might be a fit. I am in NY and indiana, florida, michigan, arizona are schools that might potentially be swim "matches" if there is a good coach/team chemistry.

MomofWildChild

The two I have in mind both had swimmers go to Ivy schools, but one is Dizzymom. I'm sure there are more.
Go to the NCAA swimming site and look at the top swimming schools and see if one might be somewhat smaller. I know SMU used to be a powerhouse- not sure anymore. I have a co-worker with a swimmer daughter at UMinnesota and she is very happy. Your son will have to contact the coaches or wait for the letters and calls based on his times, and then see which schools he wants to visit. Are there swimming message forums which discuss different programs and coaches? I know there are for running.

exploringoptions

I presume that you are aware of this site CollegeSwimming.com::Index

overit

Yes I am aware of the collegeswimming site. It is good for finding rankings and they recently started posting times, but it is still difficult to get a grip on the personality of the coach/team. I would imagine that many recruited athletes have a similar problem: if you don't know anyone on the team and you can't logistically visit all of your schools, how do you determine athletic personality fit.

On this board you can find out alot about the personalities of the different schools: who is preppy, who is overworked, who has grade inflation. There is a little bit of that info on collegeswimming but it is often nothing more than who is going to win such and such a conference and what I really want to know is what coach really cares about his athletes and gets the most out of them athletically while not letting them slack on academics. I don't really want to post on collegeswimming because it's such a small world swimming wise, I don't want to be seen as a helicopter sports mom (which I probably am )

us_uk_mom

what I really want to know is what coach really cares about his athletes and gets the most out of them athletically while not letting them slack on academics.

If you're looking at D1 schools, academics are not going to be priority for coaches - your son will be swimmer first, student second. That is the big difference between D1/2 and D3. I'm a swimmer parent, but my daughter is still a freshman, so too early to tell where she may end up. I strongly suspect that she won't be good enough for D1, and it's probably for the best.

Don't dismiss D3 schools, just because your son already has a B cut. There are several very strong swimming teams in D3, and students come to these schools for academics first.

Another site related to college swimming - d3swimming.com

overit

Thanks! I think we will make a list of 3 categories of schools: swim matches, academic matches and schools that have a combination of both (D3) and see where we go from there. A swimmer has to be careful because programs get cut left and right: Arizona State just cut men's swimming, tennis and wrestling yesterday. This is on the heels of URI cutting their program a few weeks ago.

hikids

If you have not, make a "swimming resume" and send it out, prior to the coaching contact date. D was in a non team sport also, but heavily recruited, primarily due to her scholastic profile. You would have to get the info together anyway. You can then see who is interested, but you should do it now so you can talk after July 1. Also, do the NCAA clearing house just to be safe (matters for div 1 sports), also you can check the rules. The high school should have some examples of sports resumes to use as a guide. It will also have his academic stuff on it (ecs, awards). Keep in mind, some coaches have to run the basic data by admissions before they can actually recruit.

Good luck.

hotapp

I am a swimmer and I emailed the coaches of the schools I was interested in. Keeping in touch with the coaches will help you get a better sense of the school's swimming program. And after I got accepted I visited the schools and hung out with the swimmers on the team. I highly recommend visiting.

I decided to go to a D3 school because I would be able to balance academics with swimming. D1 schools have way to demanding practices and depending on your major, it will be difficult to juggle both academics and athletics.

exploringoptions

Syracuse University was to end men's and women's swimming after this season but the sport was extended for three more years allowing current freshman swimmers to complete their collegiate athletic careers at the 'cuse. Save Syracuse Swimming and Diving