D1 Unofficial Visits as a Junior

mayhew
Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:44:55 +0000

Any advice I give is hardly expert as this was our first really structured all-day unofficial, but I will tell you what I think was helpful! My daughter had been thinking of questions to ask for a few days before the visit, and reviewed her list with me on the way to campus. We were lucky as the coach put us at ease right away, very friendly, had clearly brushed up on my student’s file (emails/transcript/SATs) so made references to subjects mentioned during their months-long history of email letters. My student had done the same, but perhaps with not quite the same focus as this coach -!
Class was fabulous, etc. as was watching the team practice, listening to coach addressing the team at start of practice, etc. but the highlight was the sit-down with the coach. As the parent, I was not sure what to do, but we figured unless the coach asked to be alone with the student, then I would be the silent tag-along. I am SO glad I sat with them so that I could hear it all - my student had hoped I could stay just to be a second pair of ears. I was able to prompt my daughter near the end of her questions when she forgot a couple of ones that were important to her. By that point, the coach had begun to look at me too while talking, being inclusive - made me feel more a part of it all. It was VERY VERY helpful to have heard the conversation, expectations, enthusiasm first-hand. As I mentioned earlier, if I hadn’t heard it all myself, I would have been somewhat suspicious/confused/bewildered - too much room for misinterpretation, etc.
All I can say is that it was something I won’t ever forget, even though absolutely none of it was about me!! The biggest surprises to me were how natural the visit seemed, with a focused but relaxed feel, if that makes any sense. (Perhaps because the coach does these so often!) Secondly, I was surprised by how upfront the coach was, no sense of “game playing”, and how very open & direct they were about their interest in my child - closer to anything approaching a verbal than I ever dreamed of. Very open about academic/testing requirements too for admissions, how many “slots” they have, etc. Very valuable information, needless to say. If my daughter ended up being on this team, it would be a really great fit - and her athletic ability would have absolutely helped to propel her into a very top school.
No matter what happens though, this was a really good experience …