This was not swimming but if it helps, my D was fairly heavily recruited by D1 schools. She did not do her official visits and commit until Fall of her Sr. Yr. We visited unofficially a few before then, met with coaches, etc. but did not make any official visits, overnights or commit to the school until mid Oct of her Sr. Yr. She ended up at a top Ivy.
@Wombat921 I have a son who was being recruited for track and field. He received lots of correspondence spring of his Junior year. We made some unofficial visits to some New England schools before the summer. During the summer he was invited to several T&F Open House events ( all prospects invited) at Ivies. He also talked and texted with 15-20 schools of interested over the summer, D1,D2,D3. In July multiple schools asked him if he wanted to do a Pre-read with admissions. He did that. After getting back positive feedback from several schools he decided to OV at his #1 choice. He had offers from other schools to do OVâs, and he managed others by visiting during the school week as they were close by. All OVâs were scheduled in Sept-October, but some schools said he could visit later if he had conflicts.
At the conclusion of his OV at his #1 choice the coach reiterated that son would have his full support if he applied ED. So, he did that. And it worked out. We had mapped out a Plan B in case his first choice didnât pan out, but it never got to that thankfully.
All in all it was a fairly straightforward process. Most coaches were upfront and communicative. There were a couple that were not, and that skewed my sonâs perception of those institutions. I think he ended up at a great option for him, although he couldâve gone in numerous directions and it probably wouldâve worked out fine too.
This is really helpful @RightCoaster and @recruitparent. Thanks!
My D was a recruited swimmer. She was in phone/text/email communication with about 15 D1 schools, beginning in December of her junior year. She was not a top recruit, but she did have several Summer Junior National cuts. She went to 3 or 4 Junior Days in the spring at nearby universities, which she found very helpful in figuring out the team dynamic and size and location she was looking for. She did pre-reads with 6 or 7 schools in July and August and accepted invitations to 5 official visits. I have to say, it was a lot of work for her to get to that point - communicating with that many coaches was an extra-curricular activity in and of itself!
She liked the first official visit, disliked the second, and loved the third. The third school offered her a spot on the team and a likely letter with no pressure or time limit while she was at the official visit. She accepted at the third school the day after she returned from the official visit (mid-September) and canceled the remaining official visits (both Ivies).
In her experience, the official visits were vital. She liked the first school far more than she thought she would and disliked the second school far more than she thought she would. The third school was just right. It was not the fastest swim team or, arguably, the most prestigious academically, but the blend of swimming and academics and team vibe and location won her over. I see that top swimmers currently in their junior year are committing now. I think thatâs a shame, since the combination of Junior Days in the spring and official visits in the early fall gave my D the time to really evaluate the programs and solidify what she was looking for. She wouldnât have been able to make such an informed decision in the middle of her junior year. On my Dâs club team, swimmers at her level who are juniors donât seem to be following the accelerated time-table, so it seems it is only the very fastest swimmers who are committing as juniors.
It was a fairly straightforward process for my D. Most of the coaches were clear in their communication and expectations, with one notable exception which completely turned my D off of that program. There were a few experiences that were confusing - a few programs where she would have been one of their fastest swimmers just didnât seem interested, but she just shrugged it off and moved on. Luckily, she didnât have her heart set on one particular school early on. In the end, sheâs thrilled with her choice.
@Figgy2, That is called the serendipity of athletic recruiting. It comes from early planning, keeping an open mind and letting the right thing happen. Congrats!