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Sped
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I have to know why...?
Recruiting Tips for Parents Just Starting the Process
- Thread starter MakeAPlay
- Start date
For these schools, I would also encourage requesting (1) a "likely letter" from the admissions offices, and (2) an early read of the school's financial aid. The coach has a good sense for admissions, but you can be confident that the coach vetted it with the admissions office if you get the likely letter. The Ivys also have a matching financial aid system - which is pretty spectacular these days. The best offer you receive will be matched by the other schools. The general belief is that HYP provide the best packages so even if you are interested in say, Columbia, get a financial aid offer from an HYP school so that Columbia has to match it.
I attended SDSU and I saw it as the best local choice. Creighton was suggested by one of my son's coaches, their major fall sport is soccer (no football), and they had given a soccer friend a full-ride scholarship. On the other hand, my wife saw USD as the best local choice. We got more or less equivalent offers from SDSU and USD. Creighton didn't respond until he had already committed to UC Davis - they might have had the inner track if they had been active sooner.
My son wanted to get out of town. Davis was near to where his girlfriend was going to school (San Francisco State), and he had several friends there. Financially, the Davis offer was about the same as from SDSU and USD, so I had no issue with his choice. The school has excellent academics and a small-town atmosphere just across the street. The first day we visited there, as soon as I stepped out of the car near his friend's on-campus apartment I could smell the cow barns down the street, which reminded me of where I grew up.
Davis worked out well for him in a soccer sense - he missed only 6 games in 4 years. When he needed 2 extra quarters to get his degree, the Athletic Department gave him an hourly job that netted about the same as his scholarship. He now has a job and apartment in San Francisco that make me jealous.
I vetoed UCLA because I was afraid he would get lost in their big athletic program, and UCSB because of the reputation of its coach. It made me happy that 2 of his goals were game-winners against UCLA and UCSB.
MakeAPlay
DA
Congrats on your daughter getting called into the U17 trip to Brazil! The kids enjoy those international trips. Let's hope that BJ is really serious about opening up the GK job. He called in 5 keepers and has made some changes recently so she has a solid chance to make the team.
They are playing Brazil in Michigan.
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/u17-wnt-roster-for-friendlies-vs-brazil_aid39525
Not sure you want to head to Brazil to play friendlies when the Olympics are going on. Michigan is a better choice.
Thanks! its actually in Michigan, and they are playing friendlies with Brazil. Who know whats in store for her? We thought he had his mind made up but apparently between injuries, etc., anything could happen!
f1nfutbol fan
SILVER
I am very happy that this thread exists / was created. Go socalsoccer forums!
Zerodenero
GOLD
FF1 - Here's an informative read we used as a guideline. Grades/aptitude + athletics + any other qualities that set your kid apart from the pack = opprotunity - best of luck!!
https://play.google.com/store/books...US&gclid=CMDc48Xym84CFQtvMgod21ACsg&gclsrc=ds
MakeAPlay
DA
It is not worth it if you don't think that your kid can compete. To honestly advocate that kids shouldn't take a rigorous course load in order to prepare for college is ludicrous. Maybe it's not worth it if your kids eyes are set on Arizona St. or Grand Canyon but if they are trying to get into Yale, Stanford, Duke or another top school the coaches demand academic rigor. Even Mallory Pugh took calculus this past year.
I am repeating myself but if you have not looked at the Common Data Set for the schools you are interested in you are not past step 1. Do that.
A's in AP Calc A/B and 2300 SAT will not get your kid the opportunity (acceptance rate) at an Ivy (or similar) that an ECNL player (or equivalent) with an AP Calc B and 1,800 SAT.
Sure - all Bs, a few Cs and they are likely out. But give me academic HS rank 5%-30% starting ECNLish player over academic rank 1%-2% any day for getting in.
A's in AP Calc A/B and 2300 SAT will not get your kid the opportunity (acceptance rate) at an Ivy (or similar) that an ECNL player (or equivalent) with an AP Calc B and 1,800 SAT.
Sure - all Bs, a few Cs and they are likely out. But give me academic HS rank 5%-30% starting ECNLish player over academic rank 1%-2% any day for getting in.
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I didn't think it mattered how smart my DD was (in a certain range) - that was/is my point. Find a school where kid is at least 25th percentile - that is a whole bunch of schools for most SoCal soccer families.
And we never spoke of it in the application process. We knew, Randy Waldrum (coach) knew talking to her and it did not need to be discussed other than to say "they're fine".
Could she have been accepted without soccer - stats say less than 50%.
With soccer - she applied to just one school.
While I'm not opposed to sharing my DD's calc grades (or any others), she really was not interested in math. We did not use grades for getting into college, we used soccer.
And we never spoke of it in the application process. We knew, Randy Waldrum (coach) knew talking to her and it did not need to be discussed other than to say "they're fine".
Could she have been accepted without soccer - stats say less than 50%.
With soccer - she applied to just one school.
While I'm not opposed to sharing my DD's calc grades (or any others), she really was not interested in math. We did not use grades for getting into college, we used soccer.
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Zerodenero
GOLD
Make: I might be redundant here, but I think there's merit to both and It really depends on what the end game is.
Uncommitted parents:
If a kid is a STUD on the field but but a DUD in the class....obvi the Ivys or top tier academic D3's are out......but also the Dukes/stanford/ucla/Virginia/Mich/ND are prob not a good fit.
The good news is that there are many good universities/college options for girls across the academic spectrum. We've found it to be about finding the right fit (academically, emotionally, geographically, demographically, financially). Which is why doing a triage of investigation and thorough due diligence about your college is so very important.
As Z has clearly described, for many parents on this forum.....soccer is the golden ticket to get your kid to the front of the line - Find the right line.
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MAP believes that unless your kid is a Power5 conference commit (and takes calculus in HS) with an athletic scholarship she is as worthless as a dung pile. She also believes if your DD is uncommitted as a freshman you are a failure as a parent and should have your DD quit playing soccer.
This post, of course is from our family values.
If kid is trying really hard and doing the best they can and barely getting Cs - that that soccer time back and get them to high C/Bs.
If they are on the YWNT and getting C's, any success in the final end game, is going to be difficult.
Other than those two (so kid is pretty good ECNL bench and C/B student) I can't imagine a setting soccer would not help.
-Use it to get in and make your kid as likely for entrance as an B/C student.
-Use it to get money
-Use it to keep you kid in a controlled setting their 1st year
Still, always select a school where they want to be without soccer, as most - esp at the power 5 - will not be playing after a few years (Notre Dame had 1 senior on the team DD's 1st year.).
If kid is trying really hard and doing the best they can and barely getting Cs - that that soccer time back and get them to high C/Bs.
If they are on the YWNT and getting C's, any success in the final end game, is going to be difficult.
Other than those two (so kid is pretty good ECNL bench and C/B student) I can't imagine a setting soccer would not help.
-Use it to get in and make your kid as likely for entrance as an B/C student.
-Use it to get money
-Use it to keep you kid in a controlled setting their 1st year
Still, always select a school where they want to be without soccer, as most - esp at the power 5 - will not be playing after a few years (Notre Dame had 1 senior on the team DD's 1st year.).
MakeAPlay
DA
Nope. I just believe that you are a piece of crap and you better hope that the apple is picked off the tree and planted in another state because tools like you are one of the big reasons Arizona sucks.
MakeAPlay
DA
Nope again. I will repeat. Whenever I quote you or your 3 other aliases I am simply pointing out that you are a piece of crap. Let's hope that your wife is a much better parent and much less of an A-hole.
MakeAPlay
DA
I think that you might be a little pessimistic about the power 5 conference schools Zoro. My players team only loses one or two players a year and it is playing time related 99% of the time. They have a 7 member senior class and from our interactions with the coaching staff they are clear to ALL of their recruits where they fit into the picture even the recruited walkons. One common thread among all of the recruits in her class is great grades and a rigorous course of study. Her incoming recruiting class has over a 3.9 average with every player taking an AP curriculum (other than the foreign players) and there is only one player player committed in any class that I wouldn't consider an exceptional student and soccer will get her in.
Glad to see you made it to the new forum you are very informative.
Zerodenero
GOLD
So I think this is the part that is really so cool......let's pick a sport.... for my dd-soccer, for others....basketball, softball, volleyball, football etc. .....schools like Stanford, duke, ucla, Virginia, ND, NW that have high academic standards AND yet are still perennial athletic powerhouse programs is amazing.
There you go again. My kid is the best, my kid's school is the best, my kids grades are the best, my kids upperclasswomen are the best, and I am the best while every other kid is dumb, their parents are dumb, where they live is dumb, and their opinions are dumb. You are a class act, MAP.
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