Early Committments: A TERRIBLE idea!

I tend to agree with Dukedog4

Most of these girls are getting what % of their education paid with said scholarship offer? From what I have heard it is likely 25% or less, unless you are an absolute lights out pitcher. The coaching turnover alone should be a major reason to wait as long as possible to make a decision. I would think the details of the offer would impact the decision too. Say school A is offering a 1/4 scholarship, while school B is offering a 1/2 scholarship. Many variables to consider...

 

My son received an "offer" in the summer after his soph year....on campus.

But remember, commitments aren't binding until the ink dries on the NLI.

 

To me, the only reasonable explanation one could make about committing early is beacuse they are committing to the school of their dreams. Otherwise, the advantages to committing early weigh strongly towards the coach and their schiool.

 

I agree but...

I agree with you, but there is always that chance that something will change before the DD gets there anyway. Like at the program my DD was recruited to and chose, but the head coach resigned 2 weeks prior to classes starting, can you say big bummer? But she survived! But I do think the girls should take the visits!

 

...ask for an "unofficial visit". .....

......beleive me, when "the meeting" takes place, if there an offer that the coach is willing to make, you'll damn sure hear it.


And, a very good friend of mine and many of yours as well, was in the unique situation of having a D1 AD for a sister-in-law. The AD told him that on the unofficial visit it was up to him to start the "money" conversation with the coach.

" hey coach, obviously my DD is very interested in your school and the opportunity to play for you, if she decides to come to "insert school", what type of financial options might be available to us to help pay for her education?" ...

Thats what he told me, I'm just passing it along.

...Oh, she signed, D1.

 

Great advice...

A lot of times you find out more if they don't know you are there watching anyway! Like, go to some of the teams games, without them knowing. You get to see the team in action as well as the coach in action. Stand close to the dugout and listen to how the team talks to eachotherand treats eachother and how the coach talks to and treats the team. You learn a lot that way! Both good and bad points! Both of which you need to know in order to make an informed decision.

 

Of all the Lady Blues signed since 2003, only two were signed after Nov 15 of their senior year. All had made visits to several schools, made sure their majors were available and were satisfied in selection. Now things change just as with jobs, bosses change but do homework and things will workout.

 

Absolutely! Do all this and . . .

and then take those visits . . . . verify, verify, verify

 

Agree

If you child bleeds blue, red or green and has the good fortune to have the opportunity to play in her favorite color then it probably makes sense to commit. Would she go there even if she couldn't play? If the answer is 'yes' then there's no reason not to do it.

 

I agree that committing early should be done with caution and a lot of research, but I don't think that committing early is always a terrible idea. My daughter (2009) verbaled to a D1 college this past weekend while at the Cardinal Classic. She has communicated with the coach via emails for about 8 months, and several times a week by phone since July. She spent a week at the school for a camp where she was able to meet and spend time with the players and other coaches as well as spending time at the campus and surrounding areas. She has always dreamed of attending school and playing ball in the Northeast, which is where this college is. They offer one of the best programs in the country in the major that she is planning on studying. Their softball program has been to the NCAA playoffs 9 of the last 14 years and they offered her full tuition and room and board. After taking all of these things into consideration, she decided that there was no need for her to look further. The coach never pushed her for an answer. While he did tell her that he would prefer to have her sign in November, he was completely okay with her waiting until the spring if that is what she wanted to do. She's going back up in September for her official visit and will be meeting the other new 09 recruits. Hopefully, she will be as in love with the school after that visit, as she is now.