# Campus Visits?



## Mystery Train

Need some info from those of you who have been through the process and have kids playing or have played in college.

Now that June 15th has passed and my DD will be a junior this coming fall, she's had a couple coaches reach out directly to her, encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit.  Never been through this before.  What usually happens on these visits?  What sort of contact and interaction will our DD get with the coaches and/or players?  Should there be an in-depth phone call before with the coach?  Any particular advice with regards to the type of questions she will face, and questions we should ask?  Especially curious to understand at what point in the conversation should scholarship money be brought up, if it hasn't already been mentioned.  

We've been to one of the campuses already for an ID camp, but nothing official.  Have not even seen the others yet.  All insights greatly appreciated.  Good experiences, bad ones, what to expect, etc.  

Thanks


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## espola

Mystery Train said:


> Need some info from those of you who have been through the process and have kids playing or have played in college.
> 
> Now that June 15th has passed and my DD will be a junior this coming fall, she's had a couple coaches reach out directly to her, encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit.  Never been through this before.  What usually happens on these visits?  What sort of contact and interaction will our DD get with the coaches and/or players?  Should there be an in-depth phone call before with the coach?  Any particular advice with regards to the type of questions she will face, and questions we should ask?  Especially curious to understand at what point in the conversation should scholarship money be brought up, if it hasn't already been mentioned.
> 
> We've been to one of the campuses already for an ID camp, but nothing official.  Have not even seen the others yet.  All insights greatly appreciated.  Good experiences, bad ones, what to expect, etc.
> 
> Thanks


My younger son was invited in his junior year to many sites across the country, by e-mail and telephone.  We also got some less-specific inquiries by mail.  I let him sort out which ones to pay attention to - although I may have inadvertently scotched one when I told the recruiting assistant from Akron that I didn't know they had a D1 program (they won the NCAA tournament the following Fall).

We actually attended 2 at local colleges, and he stayed overnight at one of those.  Those coaches knew him by reputation as a high school and club player (there is a lot of overlap among those camps) and because he was an ODP selectee.  There was enough talk among them that both coaches knew about the visit to the other school before we went.

Over the summer we made a day visit (technically an unofficial visit, but we got a tour lasting several hours from the head coach) at a big midwestern school because we were in the area for a tournament.  My son had set that up with the recruiting assistant who had seen him play at an ODP event.  

In the Fall of his Senior year, we visited two UC schools, which had been in his target band all along, and where there were friends and/or former teammates already in attendance, one of them playing as a Freshman.  He stayed overnight both places while I camped out at a nearby hotel.  

The older son didn't get much college attention - in his Senior year he was among 16 Seniors, all of whom started some of the games that year.  He was asked by the coach at the CC he attended after HS to try out, but he stuck with his local club team that was playing U19 that year.  He did well enough at that to get an invitation to his coach's D2 alma mater.  We traveled there for two events (an ID camp and a Spring fundraiser/tournament).  He made the team and the coach pushed his case through the admissions office, but he chose not to go after the coach and a couple of former teammates left the school after the school year.


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## CaliKlines

Mystery Train said:


> Need some info from those of you who have been through the process and have kids playing or have played in college.
> 
> Now that June 15th has passed and my DD will be a junior this coming fall, she's had a couple coaches reach out directly to her, encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit.  Never been through this before.  What usually happens on these visits?  What sort of contact and interaction will our DD get with the coaches and/or players?  Should there be an in-depth phone call before with the coach?  Any particular advice with regards to the type of questions she will face, and questions we should ask?  Especially curious to understand at what point in the conversation should scholarship money be brought up, if it hasn't already been mentioned.
> 
> We've been to one of the campuses already for an ID camp, but nothing official.  Have not even seen the others yet.  All insights greatly appreciated.  Good experiences, bad ones, what to expect, etc.
> 
> Thanks


MT,

Best wishes as your daughter enters the meat and potatoes of the recruiting process. You should be able to learn alot from each visit, especially how much interest the school has in your player. In each of my daughter's visits, she met with the coaching staff in the athletic office, and then took a tour of the athletic facilities, and then the rest of the campus. She spent 2+ hours with the head coach of a Pac12 school and that coach even walked her all over the campus. No assistant coach was involved...that indicated a serious interest. A Big West school had the assistant show her around, and she had about 20 mins with the head coach. And at a Big10 school, she barely got a 1/2 hour meeting and a 15 min snapshot of the campus with the assistant. Very little interaction with the players in our experience. (She met some of the players at the Pac12 school during a tour of the conditioning facilities.)

She spoke with each coach prior to the visit to set it up. Much of these phone conversations revolved around specific game performances, and what they were looking for, and how she would fit in. The face to face meetings were a continuation of these conversations. History of the program, and their expectations of the future. Here are some of the stock questions we took with us to get answered:

-What style of play do you utilize, and how do you describe your personal coaching style?
-What is the team GPA?
-How does the school support their student athletes academically?
-What is a typical day in season? Out of season?
-Where do you see me playing?
-When is your coaching contract up?

The ACC coach at the school she picked met with her for an hour in his office in the athletic building. He spent another hour with her walking around the practice facility, soccer stadium, and student union. He answered all of her questions in a very forthright manner and made her feel very comfortable. We talked about scholarship opportunities briefly and he mentioned that they would be able to provide a substantial offer.

After the visit, she indicated her high level of interest in the program. After a couple of additional tournaments attended by the coaching staff, they made the offer, which was accepted about 2 months later. She never attended a college-sponsored ID camp, but she did participate in the Legends College Showcase and January College ID Camp. She also never made a video of game performances. Every route is different. After she made a list of college characteristics with her mom and myself, we made a list of interested schools that matched her preferences. Those are the schools we targeted, and it just worked out that she ended up at her #1 choice.

Hope you find this useful...Good luck with the process.


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## mirage

Mystery Train said:


> Now that June 15th has passed and my DD will be a junior this coming fall, she's had a couple coaches reach out directly to her, encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit.......
> 
> We've been to one of the campuses already for an ID camp, but nothing official.  Have not even seen the others yet.  All insights greatly appreciated.  Good experiences, bad ones, what to expect, etc.
> 
> Thanks


By the statement "encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit" are they officially inviting for the player to come during fall season?  Or essentially saying that you should come by and talk to us and see the campus type of comments?

The official visit is structured such that the player stays with one the players during the fall season in the dorm room and attend some classes as well as a home game.  There is no training, scrimmaging or instructions/eval by the coaching staff.  It can last up to 48 hours over the span of a weekend and depending on the school, they may pay for the parent to travel with the player.

Also, the player usually ends up going to one or more of social activity that the college players are already doing.  In my kids case, one of the visits, they took him to a off campus party.  I know several other kids who experienced the similar situation of attending some party on Friday night.

The other kind of invite goes something like come to the game, we'll put tickets for you to attend and spend a bit of time at campus - all at your expense and on your own.  An unofficial visit  with a planned interaction.  We had few of those too but didn't go to any of those.

Since you've mentioned June 15th, after 10th grade, it must be D2? Or NAIA?  Not sure how much travel costs D2/D3/NAIA pays so its maybe that you have to absorb the total travel costs.

In our case, the official visit was essentially the "seal the deal" event and served as the final decision support activity for the both sides - coaches and us.


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## CaliKlines

mirage said:


> By the statement "encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit" are they officially inviting for the player to come during fall season?  Or essentially saying that you should come by and talk to us and see the campus type of comments?
> 
> The official visit is structured such that the player stays with one the players during the fall season in the dorm room and attend some classes as well as a home game.  There is no training, scrimmaging or instructions/eval by the coaching staff.  It can last up to 48 hours over the span of a weekend and depending on the school, they may pay for the parent to travel with the player.
> 
> Also, the player usually ends up going to one or more of social activity that the college players are already doing.  In my kids case, one of the visits, they took him to a off campus party.  I know several other kids who experienced the similar situation of attending some party on Friday night.
> 
> The other kind of invite goes something like come to the game, we'll put tickets for you to attend and spend a bit of time at campus - all at your expense and on your own.  An unofficial visit  with a planned interaction.  We had few of those too but didn't go to any of those.
> 
> Since you've mentioned June 15th, after 10th grade, it must be D2? Or NAIA?  Not sure how much travel costs D2/D3/NAIA pays so its maybe that you have to absorb the total travel costs.
> 
> In our case, the official visit was essentially the "seal the deal" event and served as the final decision support activity for the both sides - coaches and us.


For non-committed girls, the visits are always unofficial. The official visits are usually reserved for committed girls during their senior year, when all of the commits are brought in the same weekend for bonding. The school paid for her plane ticket, provided her with lodging, and gave her the NCAA approved per diem. All of the commits stayed with freshman/sophomore members of the team, and they had limited interaction with the coaching staff during the weekend. They attended the Saturday football game as a group with field access, and the girls soccer game on Sunday. It was like an extended slumber party that exposed the commits to the dorms, food, and facilities of the school. My player had the time of her life that weekend.


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## Zerodenero

CaliKlines said:


> For non-committed girls, the visits are always unofficial. The official visits are usually reserved for committed girls during their senior year, when all of the commits are brought in the same weekend for bonding. They all stayed with members of the team, and they had limited interaction with the coaching staff. They attended the Saturday football game, and the girls soccer soccer game on Sunday. It was like an extended slumber party that exposed the commits to the dorms, food, and facilities of the school. My player had the time of her life that weekend.


I concur (_omg, we actually agree on something_)


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## espola

CaliKlines said:


> For non-committed girls, the visits are always unofficial. The official visits are usually reserved for committed girls during their senior year, when all of the commits are brought in the same weekend for bonding. The school paid for her plane ticket, provided her with lodging, and gave her the NCAA approved per diem. All of the commits stayed with freshman/sophomore members of the team, and they had limited interaction with the coaching staff during the weekend. They attended the Saturday football game as a group with field access, and the girls soccer game on Sunday. It was like an extended slumber party that exposed the commits to the dorms, food, and facilities of the school. My player had the time of her life that weekend.


I don't believe the NCAA would agree with that interpretation.


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## Mystery Train

mirage said:


> By the statement "encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit" are they officially inviting for the player to come during fall season?  Or essentially saying that you should come by and talk to us and see the campus type of comments?
> 
> The official visit is structured such that the player stays with one the players during the fall season in the dorm room and attend some classes as well as a home game.  There is no training, scrimmaging or instructions/eval by the coaching staff.  It can last up to 48 hours over the span of a weekend and depending on the school, they may pay for the parent to travel with the player.
> 
> Also, the player usually ends up going to one or more of social activity that the college players are already doing.  In my kids case, one of the visits, they took him to a off campus party.  I know several other kids who experienced the similar situation of attending some party on Friday night.
> 
> The other kind of invite goes something like come to the game, we'll put tickets for you to attend and spend a bit of time at campus - all at your expense and on your own.  An unofficial visit  with a planned interaction.  We had few of those too but didn't go to any of those.
> 
> Since you've mentioned June 15th, after 10th grade, it must be D2? Or NAIA?  Not sure how much travel costs D2/D3/NAIA pays so its maybe that you have to absorb the total travel costs.
> 
> In our case, the official visit was essentially the "seal the deal" event and served as the final decision support activity for the both sides - coaches and us.


Thanks.  I didn't know the difference between unofficial and official visits.  One coach specified the visit during the summer, but wants to speak with her and us during the visit. 

D3 and NAIA have no restrictions on communication, so she's already had direct comm with some coaches at that level.  These are D2.


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## espola

Mystery Train said:


> Thanks.  I didn't know the difference between unofficial and official visits.  One coach specified the visit during the summer, but wants to speak with her and us during the visit.
> 
> D3 and NAIA have no restrictions on communication, so she's already had direct comm with some coaches at that level.  These are D2.


That's almost right --

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/May2016DIIIAMARecruitingBroch20160523.pdf


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## Mystery Train

CaliKlines said:


> For non-committed girls, the visits are always unofficial. The official visits are usually reserved for committed girls during their senior year, when all of the commits are brought in the same weekend for bonding. The school paid for her plane ticket, provided her with lodging, and gave her the NCAA approved per diem. All of the commits stayed with freshman/sophomore members of the team, and they had limited interaction with the coaching staff during the weekend. They attended the Saturday football game as a group with field access, and the girls soccer game on Sunday. It was like an extended slumber party that exposed the commits to the dorms, food, and facilities of the school. My player had the time of her life that weekend.


Thanks for the clarification.  Sounds awesome.


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## Mystery Train

espola said:


> That's almost right --
> 
> https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/May2016DIIIAMARecruitingBroch20160523.pdf


That's odd to me that the NCAA even mentions NAIA schools in that blurb.  As far as I know, NCAA has zero jurisdiction/control of NAIA schools.  Anyway, they must be pretty lax on enforcing those contact rules at the D3 level.


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## espola

Mystery Train said:


> That's odd to me that the NCAA even mentions NAIA schools in that blurb.  As far as I know, NCAA has zero jurisdiction/control of NAIA schools.  Anyway, they must be pretty lax on enforcing those contact rules at the D3 level.


I wasn't responding to NAIA restrictions, which, by the way, is very little like NCAA D3.


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## Mystery Train

espola said:


> I wasn't responding to NAIA restrictions, which, by the way, is very little like NCAA D3.


I know.  In my initial comment I said there were "no restrictions" and you were correcting that point.  Yes, there are some restrictions, they just don't have the June 15 Junior year thing.  In reading the link you supplied, I noticed that the NAIA schools were mentioned.  I found that odd.  That's all.


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## Sheriff Joe

Mystery Train said:


> I know.  In my initial comment I said there were "no restrictions" and you were correcting that point.  Yes, there are some restrictions, they just don't have the June 15 Junior year thing.  In reading the link you supplied, I noticed that the NAIA schools were mentioned.  I found that odd.  That's all.


Just some friendly advise, don't ever believe Espola.


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## espola

Sheriff Joe said:


> Just some friendly advise, don't ever believe Espola.


...and loser joe has promised to post lies and insults every day, and he is true to his word -- as demonstrated above.


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## Sheriff Joe

espola said:


> ...and loser joe has promised to post lies and insults every day, and he is true to his word -- as demonstrated above.


Mystery is my new buddy, STFU.


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## beachbum

Mystery Train said:


> Need some info from those of you who have been through the process and have kids playing or have played in college.
> 
> Now that June 15th has passed and my DD will be a junior this coming fall, she's had a couple coaches reach out directly to her, encouraging her (and us) to come for an official recruiting visit.  Never been through this before.  What usually happens on these visits?  What sort of contact and interaction will our DD get with the coaches and/or players?  Should there be an in-depth phone call before with the coach?  Any particular advice with regards to the type of questions she will face, and questions we should ask?  Especially curious to understand at what point in the conversation should scholarship money be brought up, if it hasn't already been mentioned.
> 
> We've been to one of the campuses already for an ID camp, but nothing official.  Have not even seen the others yet.  All insights greatly appreciated.  Good experiences, bad ones, what to expect, etc.
> 
> Thanks


Official visit to my knowledge means the university pays for everything and those are usually reserved to committed players and the visit is sometime during their senior year with as many girls in that class that they can get there.  All other visits are unofficial and the cost is born by the player/parents.  I also don't think with the new rule you can have a unofficial visit until after Sept 1.  

For my daughter they were all fairly similar.  She visited mostly power 5 schools from 4 of the 5 power conferences.  You will usually get some type of itinerary from the university of what will be happening on the visit.  Most of them included the following: 1. visit with academic coordinator - they will tell you what their policies are.  They will give you an idea of what coordinator does and how often the player reports into them, tutoring requirements or not, study hall or not etc.  2. Tour with one of the coaches or multiple coaches of the athletic facilities they are all very similar at that level, but some do something that might be different that  they will point out.  3.  Some will have a coach take you on a tour of the whole campus as well and maybe take you to the college that your player might be interested in.  4. watch a team training season may be on the pitch or in the weight room depending on when you visit. 5. Lunch with coach/s, you have to pay, they can't pay on unofficial visit.  sometimes they will have your dd eat with the team and you will sit with the coach's   6.  Some will have you meet with Strength and Conditioning coach.  7. many times they will try to schedule your visit when their games are going on or other athletic events.  Generally they will try to get you on the field for football games during warm up and they will do the same and have you on the field during their warm ups.  Once the game starts you have to go to the stands.  8.  We always asked to see the dorms that they were in the first year, most would accommodate that.  There is a wide variety of of dorms from the old school prison type dorm room with communal bathrooms to 2 bedroom suites with  a common bathroom for the suite. 9.  Some had my dd stay with players in their dorm others did not.   10. some will have you go to a class with a student.  11.  At the end of the visit all of them had a final meeting where the head coach was always there and driving the meeting.  They would tell us what their interest was and this interest was generally expressed to my daughter with an offer.  We believe that most of the schools knew at least vaguely what my daughters offers were from other schools as most were similar if not identical.  They obviously had talked with her club coach's.  For my daughter most of her offers were made and left out there.  we believe this was due to the fact that she was made her first offer at the very beginning of her freshman year.   we let them know that she would not be making a decision until the following summer.  There were 2 or 3 that didn't make offers  but told us to let them know when she was close to making a decision and they would make their offer at that point. She ended up choosing one of the schools that didn't make the initial offer and frankly didn't seem as interested. Once she let them know that she was going to make a decision they came on strong.

Caliklines questions are good except the one that asks the style of play.  You should already know that if you have an interest in going to the school IMO.  your daughter should come up with questions that are important to her, and most of them will be asked in the normal course of a visit.  The coach's and my daughter would drive most of the conversations.  the exception was for the academic adviser,  i wanted to make sure that they were keeping an eye on her and of course they are.  They don't want to lay out $'s to have kids be academically ineligible.  From that standpoint they were all great and probably keep a better eye on them,  maybe more so than many parents would, so as a dad  i love that.

Hope this is useful. Good luck to your daughter and your family.  Have fun with the process and take pictures and make notes.


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## dyzio03

beachbum said:


> Official visit to my knowledge means the university pays for everything and those are usually reserved to committed players and the visit is sometime during their senior year with as many girls in that class that they can get there.  All other visits are unofficial and the cost is born by the player/parents.


This is not correct. In the past, official visits in women's soccer were not allowed until the start of the student's senior year in high school. By then, most of the kids were committed, so it seemed like it was only for committed players - it was not. The rules were changed this year to allow official visits after the start of the junior year. It doesn't matter if your kid is committed or not, an official visit simply means that the schools is inviting your daughter and you on campus for a visit of up to 48 hours in duration and are covering both of yours travel/lodging/food expenses during the visit (http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/resources/recruiting-calendars). For division I schools I believe you are allowed up to 5 official visits, 1 per school. D2 and D3 don't seem to have those restrictions.

Most kids talk to the coach on the phone prior to the visit, but it's not strictly required. In my experience the visit typically involves a tour of the campus and the athletic facilities, opportunity to talk to and spend time with the current players on the team, a visit to a sporting event at the school, and finally an opportunity to talk to the coaching staff about your daughter's fit for their program and possibly an offer of a scholarship.


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## soccerobserver

MT this is an exciting time in the process. In contrast to what some others have said, Please realize the "official"and the "unofficial" visit have nothing to do with being "committed" or "not committed"

See the NCAA website for confirmation here: http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/eligibility-center/what-official-visit

The executive summary is basically that the "unofficial" visit is on your dime and is a great chance for you and your daughter to bond and see the school and learn more about the campus environment and the soccer program in person. At the D3 level it is also a way to signal to the coach that your player is taking the school seriously. The "official visit" involves an overnight stay and travel and the costs and expenses covered will differ from school to school. If you are looking at D1 they can roll our more perks and $$ for the travel. If it's D3 then they will cover travel to and  from the airport to campus but no airfare. This is where a D3 coach will be showcasing the school and soccer program and your player will not be with you at all during the visit. You get some "Dad time" while she interacts with the players  and coaches and stays in a dorm overnight. I am speaking in generalities. In general there is a big difference beteeen D1 and D3 so please keep that in mind as you hear other people's experiences since they may or may not apply to your situation. Best wishes as always. This was a lot of fun for our family and provided some great bonding experiences.


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## espola

soccerobserver said:


> MT this is an exciting time in the process. In contrast to what some others have said, Please realize the "official"and the "unofficial" visit have nothing to do with being "committed" or "not committed"
> 
> See the NCAA website for confirmation here: http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/eligibility-center/what-official-visit
> 
> The executive summary is basically that the "unofficial" visit is on your dime and is a great chance for you and your daughter to bond and see the school and learn more about the campus environment and the soccer program in person. At the D3 level it is also a way to signal to the coach that your player is taking the school seriously. The "official visit" involves an overnight stay and travel and the costs and expenses covered will differ from school to school. If you are looking at D1 they can roll our more perks and $$ for the travel. If it's D3 then they will cover travel to and  from the airport to campus but no airfare. This is where a D3 coach will be showcasing the school and soccer program and your player will not be with you at all during the visit. You get some "Dad time" while she interacts with the players  and coaches and stays in a dorm overnight. I am speaking in generalities. In general there is a big difference beteeen D1 and D3 so please keep that in mind as you hear other people's experiences since they may or may not apply to your situation. Best wishes as always. This was a lot of fun for our family and provided some great bonding experiences.


D1, D2, or D3 - How much expenses the school will cover depends on the school budget and customs and how badly the coach wants to impress your kid (and you).


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## Mystery Train

soccerobserver said:


> MT this is an exciting time in the process. In contrast to what some others have said, Please realize the "official"and the "unofficial" visit have nothing to do with being "committed" or "not committed"
> 
> See the NCAA website for confirmation here: http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/eligibility-center/what-official-visit
> 
> The executive summary is basically that the "unofficial" visit is on your dime and is a great chance for you and your daughter to bond and see the school and learn more about the campus environment and the soccer program in person. At the D3 level it is also a way to signal to the coach that your player is taking the school seriously. The "official visit" involves an overnight stay and travel and the costs and expenses covered will differ from school to school. If you are looking at D1 they can roll our more perks and $$ for the travel. If it's D3 then they will cover travel to and  from the airport to campus but no airfare. This is where a D3 coach will be showcasing the school and soccer program and your player will not be with you at all during the visit. You get some "Dad time" while she interacts with the players  and coaches and stays in a dorm overnight. I am speaking in generalities. In general there is a big difference beteeen D1 and D3 so please keep that in mind as you hear other people's experiences since they may or may not apply to your situation. Best wishes as always. This was a lot of fun for our family and provided some great bonding experiences.


Thank you, my friend.  This has all been very helpful. I'm trying my best to enjoy the ride and take it all in.


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## Dubs

CaliKlines said:


> MT,
> 
> Best wishes as your daughter enters the meat and potatoes of the recruiting process. You should be able to learn alot from each visit, especially how much interest the school has in your player. In each of my daughter's visits, she met with the coaching staff in the athletic office, and then took a tour of the athletic facilities, and then the rest of the campus. She spent 2+ hours with the head coach of a Pac12 school and that coach even walked her all over the campus. No assistant coach was involved...that indicated a serious interest. A Big West school had the assistant show her around, and she had about 20 mins with the head coach. And at a Big10 school, she barely got a 1/2 hour meeting and a 15 min snapshot of the campus with the assistant. Very little interaction with the players in our experience. (She met some of the players at the Pac12 school during a tour of the conditioning facilities.)
> 
> She spoke with each coach prior to the visit to set it up. Much of these phone conversations revolved around specific game performances, and what they were looking for, and how she would fit in. The face to face meetings were a continuation of these conversations. History of the program, and their expectations of the future. Here are some of the stock questions we took with us to get answered:
> 
> -What style of play do you utilize, and how do you describe your personal coaching style?
> -What is the team GPA?
> -How does the school support their student athletes academically?
> -What is a typical day in season? Out of season?
> -Where do you see me playing?
> -When is your coaching contract up?
> 
> The ACC coach at the school she picked met with her for an hour in his office in the athletic building. He spent another hour with her walking around the practice facility, soccer stadium, and student union. He answered all of her questions in a very forthright manner and made her feel very comfortable. We talked about scholarship opportunities briefly and he mentioned that they would be able to provide a substantial offer.
> 
> After the visit, she indicated her high level of interest in the program. After a couple of additional tournaments attended by the coaching staff, they made the offer, which was accepted about 2 months later. She never attended a college-sponsored ID camp, but she did participate in the Legends College Showcase and January College ID Camp. She also never made a video of game performances. Every route is different. After she made a list of college characteristics with her mom and myself, we made a list of interested schools that matched her preferences. Those are the schools we targeted, and it just worked out that she ended up at her #1 choice.
> 
> Hope you find this useful...Good luck with the process.


Was this all during your daughter's Junior year?  My daughter is going through the process, but she just finished her Freshman year.  We have had an "unofficial visit" to the school she wants to go to prior to the rules change.  They have indicated they want to commit her, but we haven't gotten an offer yet.  In fact, I was told they would be making decisions on $$ after watching her at ECNL play offs.  I'm wondering if/when that offer might come?  Nervous times


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## MakeAPlay

Dubs said:


> Was this all during your daughter's Junior year?  My daughter is going through the process, but she just finished her Freshman year.  We have had an "unofficial visit" to the school she wants to go to prior to the rules change.  They have indicated they want to commit her, but we haven't gotten an offer yet.  In fact, I was told they would be making decisions on $$ after watching her at ECNL play offs.  I'm wondering if/when that offer might come?  Nervous times



Not to answer for Cali “the guru” Klines who has a very narrow perspective, however, an offer comes once the coaching staff has a consensus on whether your kid will fit and when they figure out how much money it is going to take to get your kid on campus versus her potential value.  It is an inexact science but you are pretty close to party time so congratulations. 

My one recommendation is that even if it is her first choice school that offers take at least the rest of the evening to consider the offer and reach out to her other top choices and inform them of the offer and whether you are considering taking it.  Sometimes surprising thing happen when you do this.  Good luck to you and your player.


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## Sheriff Joe

MakeAPlay said:


> Not to answer for Cali “the guru” Klines who has a very narrow perspective, however, an offer comes once the coaching staff has a consensus on whether your kid will fit and when they figure out how much money it is going to take to get your kid on campus versus her potential value.  It is an inexact science but you are pretty close to party time so congratulations.
> 
> My one recommendation is that even if it is her first choice school that offers take at least the rest of the evening to consider the offer and reach out to her other top choices and inform them of the offer and whether you are considering taking it.  Sometimes surprising thing happen when you do this.  Good luck to you and your player.


I imagine many people take the 1st offer and regret it later. Must be pretty stressful, especially if your player is good and not great.
This info is invaluable.


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## espola

MakeAPlay said:


> Not to answer for Cali “the guru” Klines who has a very narrow perspective, however, an offer comes once the coaching staff has a consensus on whether your kid will fit and when they figure out how much money it is going to take to get your kid on campus versus her potential value.  It is an inexact science but you are pretty close to party time so congratulations.
> 
> My one recommendation is that even if it is her first choice school that offers take at least the rest of the evening to consider the offer and reach out to her other top choices and inform them of the offer and whether you are considering taking it.  Sometimes surprising thing happen when you do this.  Good luck to you and your player.


I liked the first offer (alma mater), my wife the second (she went to the same church as the assistant coach's wife), the third was a joke, the fourth was good enough, but the kid wanted the fifth - which worked out well enough for him.


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## Dubs

MakeAPlay said:


> Not to answer for Cali “the guru” Klines who has a very narrow perspective, however, an offer comes once the coaching staff has a consensus on whether your kid will fit and when they figure out how much money it is going to take to get your kid on campus versus her potential value.  It is an inexact science but you are pretty close to party time so congratulations.
> 
> My one recommendation is that even if it is her first choice school that offers take at least the rest of the evening to consider the offer and reach out to her other top choices and inform them of the offer and whether you are considering taking it.  Sometimes surprising thing happen when you do this.  Good luck to you and your player.


MAP, thank you for the feedback.  It is very helpful.  I feel like we are close, but I don't really have a good read at this point.  I know her coach told my DD to reach out and ask to connect (post playoffs) which she did.  Coach also said they would reach out, but haven't heard anything back yet.  If/when the offer comes, we will definitely take the time to review and do what you suggest, in terms of reaching out to the other schools on her list.   Thank you again for your suggestions.


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## MakeAPlay

Sheriff Joe said:


> I imagine many people take the 1st offer and regret it later. Must be pretty stressful, especially if your player is good and not great.
> This info is invaluable.


Sometimes they do.  I am a firm believer in getting the most info and options possible that fit your players needs.  If my player had taken the first offer or even the 6th it would have been the wrong school, although she would have won a natty last year instead of finishing as the runner up.  Still in her opinion the best decision she ever made.

Good luck to you and your player sir.


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## espola

espola said:


> I liked the first offer (alma mater), my wife the second (she went to the same church as the assistant coach's wife), the third was a joke, the fourth was good enough, but the kid wanted the fifth - which worked out well enough for him.


I didn't count what should be 3A - after the assistant coach (recruiter) for college #3 took a head coach job elsewhere, one of his first acts was an email to the kid to see if he was committed anywhere yet.


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## espola

MakeAPlay said:


> Sometimes they do.  I am a firm believer in getting the most info and options possible that fit your players needs.  If my player had taken the first offer or even the 6th it would have been the wrong school, although she would have won a natty last year instead of finishing as the runner up.  Still in her opinion the best decision she ever made.
> 
> Good luck to you and your player sir.


And alma mater had nothing to do with it?


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## Sheriff Joe

MakeAPlay said:


> Sometimes they do.  I am a firm believer in getting the most info and options possible that fit your players needs.  If my player had taken the first offer or even the 6th it would have been the wrong school, although she would have won a natty last year instead of finishing as the runner up.  Still in her opinion the best decision she ever made.
> 
> Good luck to you and your player sir.


How is the knee after her come back?


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## MakeAPlay

Sheriff Joe said:


> How is the knee after her come back?


It is back to 100% unlike last season.  She is very excited about finally getting back out on the pitch.  It has been 6 months since she last was on the pitch.  It’s a relief that she has her outlet again.  It takes her focus off politics....

Thank you for asking sir.


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## Sheriff Joe

MakeAPlay said:


> It is back to 100% unlike last season.  She is very excited about finally getting back out on the pitch.  It has been 6 months since she last was on the pitch.  It’s a relief that she has her outlet again.  It takes her focus off politics....
> 
> Thank you for asking sir.


Great news, maybe I should take up another hobby.


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## push_up

My relief is tactical shooting at night in low light conditions with my 9mm and AR15.  I put pictures of old, fat, washed up, mentally ill football players with obvious CTE on the dummies and shoot the hell out of them.  It is fun.


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## push_up

Sheriff Joe said:


> How is the knee after her come back?


Are you both looking forward to the next national anthem?


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## Sheriff Joe

push_up said:


> Are you both looking forward to the next national anthem?


Now, you know better than that, why are you trying to start something?


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## Ricky Fandango

MakeAPlay said:


> Sometimes they do.  I am a firm believer in getting the most info and options possible that fit your players needs.  If my player had taken the first offer or even the 6th it would have been the wrong school, although she would have won a natty last year instead of finishing as the runner up.  Still in her opinion the best decision she ever made.
> 
> Good luck to you and your player sir.


Mine could have won one too, with two different schools, but the most important things are not as flashy.
She has been a part of a rising program that has won its first ever back to back conference titles.
Every person has a different vantage point.

I have another kid in d-2 who wants to be a doctor.
Straight As in medical biology.
Soccer gave her the opportunity, and its a tool to facilitate her dreams.


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## CaliKlines

Dubs said:


> Was this all during your daughter's Junior year?  My daughter is going through the process, but she just finished her Freshman year.  We have had an "unofficial visit" to the school she wants to go to prior to the rules change.  They have indicated they want to commit her, but we haven't gotten an offer yet.  In fact, I was told they would be making decisions on $$ after watching her at ECNL play offs.  I'm wondering if/when that offer might come?  Nervous times


Dubs,

The unofficial visits occurred during freshman year, and the summer between 9th/10th grades. The offer was extended in Oct of her sophomore year. The good Sheriff said it correctly...don’t jump at the first offer. And the good offers will not put an artificial deadline of acceptance on the offer. My daughter waited until she all the information under her belt and then she went with the one that was at the top of her list. She committed to the program about 5 weeks after the offer was extended.

Also, make sure your player keeps up a good flow of communication with the coaching staff...inform them of upcoming tourneys, league performance, and other pertinent details to let them know of her continued interest. And most of all, enjoy the ride. This part of her life is fleeting and will be gone too soon. I hope she has fun with the process and the same for the rest of the family.


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## MakeAPlay

Keep talking.  Let me know when you want to leap.... @push_up


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## MakeAPlay

push_up said:


> My relief is tactical shooting at night in low light conditions with my 9mm and AR15.  I put pictures of old, fat, washed up, mentally ill football players with obvious CTE on the dummies and shoot the hell out of them.  It is fun.


Give me your phone number and we will see if you are all talk...


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## MakeAPlay

push_up said:


> My relief is tactical shooting at night in low light conditions with my 9mm and AR15.  I put pictures of old, fat, washed up, mentally ill football players with obvious CTE on the dummies and shoot the hell out of them.  It is fun.


Not to mention that sooner or later your  daughter is going to tell somebody about daddy’s little games he likes to play.  I knew that there were a lot of pedophiles in Arizona but you are the worst.


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## MakeAPlay

espola said:


> And alma mater had nothing to do with it?


Nope.  You’ve been on the campus haven’t you?  Her coach is the best tactician in the women’s game too.


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## Dubs

CaliKlines said:


> Dubs,
> 
> The unofficial visits occurred during freshman year, and the summer between 9th/10th grades. The offer was extended in Oct of her sophomore year. The good Sheriff said it correctly...don’t jump at the first offer. And the good offers will not put an artificial deadline of acceptance on the offer. My daughter waited until she all the information under her belt and then she went with the one that was at the top of her list. She committed to the program about 5 weeks after the offer was extended.
> 
> Also, make sure your player keeps up a good flow of communication with the coaching staff...inform them of upcoming tourneys, league performance, and other pertinent details to let them know of her continued interest. And most of all, enjoy the ride. This part of her life is fleeting and will be gone too soon. I hope she has fun with the process and the same for the rest of the family.


Thank you for that.  It's been difficult because she's feeling stress.  I try to explain that it's a marathon, but she's 14 and that's not an easy concept to internalize.  Honestly, my feeling is that this offer will not be what we as a family are looking for.  However, the school is amazing, close to home and the soccer program is nothing to sniff at either.  If we decline the offer and say we are looking for more, does that potentially kill her opportunity at that school?  I feel like we're kind of on an island here, in terms of knowing what to do.  All the feedback/advice on this forum has been invaluable, as we don't really get a lot of good strategy from her coach and there's no way I'm paying for a service, so  I really appreciate the help.  But, it's true... Everyone's journey is their own.  I'll keep you posted as we move along. Hopefully there's something to talk about soon.


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## espola

Dubs said:


> Thank you for that.  It's been difficult because she's feeling stress.  I try to explain that it's a marathon, but she's 14 and that's not an easy concept to internalize.  Honestly, my feeling is that this offer will not be what we as a family are looking for.  However, the school is amazing, close to home and the soccer program is nothing to sniff at either.  If we decline the offer and say we are looking for more, does that potentially kill her opportunity at that school?  I feel like we're kind of on an island here, in terms of knowing what to do.  All the feedback/advice on this forum has been invaluable, as we don't really get a lot of good strategy from her coach and there's no way I'm paying for a service, so  I really appreciate the help.  But, it's true... Everyone's journey is their own.  I'll keep you posted as we move along. Hopefully there's something to talk about soon.


Depends on the school, the coach, and your kid's abilities, or at least how those abilities are seen by the coach.


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## push_up

MakeAPlay said:


> Not to mention that sooner or later your  daughter is going to tell somebody about daddy’s little games he likes to play.  I knew that there were a lot of pedophiles in Arizona but you are the worst.


Hi douche.  Are you having CTE problems?  I thought you already knew who I am.  I guess not.  CTE and low IQ are a bad combo.


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## Fact

Dubs said:


> Thank you for that.  It's been difficult because she's feeling stress.  I try to explain that it's a marathon, but she's 14 and that's not an easy concept to internalize.  Honestly, my feeling is that this offer will not be what we as a family are looking for.  However, the school is amazing, close to home and the soccer program is nothing to sniff at either.  If we decline the offer and say we are looking for more, does that potentially kill her opportunity at that school?


I would not say you are declining the option. Being 14 is a great excuse to use.  We said that right now this is exactly the type of school she likes but she has not yet even decided on a major or school size (which is a big one for a lot of kids) and thus we would be doing the school is disservice to commit now.  Being so young no one took it as being immature (or at least they did not say that to our faces.)


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## CaliKlines

Fact said:


> I would not say you are declining the option. Being 14 is a great excuse to use.  We said that right now this is exactly the type of school she likes but she has not yet even decided on a major or school size (which is a big one for a lot of kids) and thus we would be doing the school is disservice to commit now.  Being so young no one took it as being immature (or at least they did not say that to our faces.)


Fact x 2! It’s always good to have one in the back pocket.


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## MakeAPlay

push_up said:


> Hi douche.  Are you having CTE problems?  I thought you already knew who I am.  I guess not.  CTE and low IQ are a bad combo.


The only thing that you need to do you pu$$y is give me your phone number.  You won’t because you are a coward and you know that I would use it and that would expose your vagina.


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## push_up

Hi douche.  I am not sure if your last post is related to your low IQ or CTE.  Probably both.  You are pathetic and so mad.

Push_up - 99
Map - 0


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## Monkey

MakeAPlay said:


> The only thing that you need to do you pu$$y is give me your phone number.  You won’t because you are a coward and you know that I would use it and that would expose your vagina.


If you know who push_up is, it is easy to find his phone number and go to a game his kiddo is playing in. Mystery Train asked a legitimate question that many of us are interested in. If you can answer it great, otherwise stop the nonsense. It is sad you feel the need to talk derogatory about people's children and make the conversation about you and yours, especially when we all know who you and your kid are.


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## Monkey

MakeAPlay said:


> Not to mention that sooner or later your  daughter is going to tell somebody about daddy’s little games he likes to play.  I knew that there were a lot of pedophiles in Arizona but you are the worst.


Honestly what is wrong with you?


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