D1 Unofficial Visits as a Junior

riverrunner
Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:31:37 +0000

fogfog as I reflect on our junior year visits, the chemistry between kid and coach was the most important part of choosing the team part of the college choice. Really take note of how your child perceives each coach, and how long it takes your child to relax and be himself (if ever).

The other thing I tried to tune in to was the things my kid was saying spontaneously about schools/coaches team. It’s so tempting to say, “well, did you like college x?” They may have trouble responding to the question. But if you listen, just in casual conversation, you might hear things like, “the kids seem too serious” or “it seems like there are too many old people (grad students) here” or “the food is terrible.”

I felt like these trips helped me understand what was really important to my kids as we visited schools (two through this process now.) Some kids completely don’t care what the campus looks like, but are very sensitive to perceived friendliness of the students. Some kids need to see a mountain from the campus. Directly asking for a list of what your kid wants can be intimidating, but observing them on visits can tell you so much about what their gut is telling them they want.