Top 10 List on choosing the right college

ACFan had a good idea about what we've learned about the recruiting process and what we would like to pass on to those who are now going through it or hope to in the near future.

1. Make sure you choose the college based on education first. Softball second. A lot of times they are one in the same but be sure they are.
2. Be as involved as you need to be in the recruiting process but let the final decision be your daughters. They are the ones who can make it work.
3. This refers back to number 2. Go over all the facts as you know them at that time and help your daughter come to the best decision for her not for you.
4. The timing of this has nothing to do with my previous post. lol
5. I do not have a total of 10 yet. I will keep adding as I go along.

 

Where to go?

Find a least five schools you are interested in. Visit all and talk with the

coach. Then you will know which one you want to attend. Trust me you

will! Now worry about money, distance, and playing time. If you are

happy you will enjoy your college experience and remember the good old

days, the rest of your life. If you are not happy you won't preform well on

the field or in the classroom. This is the biggest decision a softball player has

had to make their whole life. Once you make a decision do everything

possible to make sure it is the right decision. Don't worry about if it's DI,

Who is giving more money, or where you have the easiest chance of

starting. A good education and being happy in a good environment is the real

issues! Good luck!

 

Great response. I really thought ACFan had a great idea on this to help those who are coming next in the recruiting process.

 

I know Lblues1 will be on here soon enough! But just in case he forgets this one: he told me if possible go and watch potential coach in action during a game, like scouting the coach ha ha. May not be the style you like.

 

That is good advice-my daughter talked to a former college player who told her the same thing. She suggested requesting a practice with the team she might be interested in just to get a feel for the coaching style.

 

A lot of teams have the recruit try out with the team. Not sure if this can be done with D1 schools or not but for sure D2 and 3. But, that wont give you as good a feel for how a coach as going to see him/her in a game situation. But, it all really goes back to the college itself and do they have the curriculum your DD wants for her education.

 

Tryouts are not allowed at DI or DIII schools. They are allowed at DII schools but some restrictions apply.

 

I wasn't sure about d3 since no athletic dollars are involved. I know they allow recruits to practice with them.

 

According to the NCAA guidelines on tryouts a recruit cannot tryout or practice with the team at a DIII school. Here is the link to the NCAA site which deals with this situation -- http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/membership_svcs/eligibility-recruiting/faqs/amateurism_tryouts

 

Time Is Short

For rising seniors ('06), parents and kids need to keep in mind that the NCAA Early Signing Period is only seven months away. A LOT has to be done in that time. Contact, videotape and visits (unofficial and official) a few crucial things that need to happen. And, if a kid is not on coaches' lists when they attend tournaments, getting noticed is tough with 300+ kids playing over 60 games in two or three days of play. Getting on the recruiting radar screen is paramount. That's reality. Yes, kids are occasionally discovered out of the blue, but most coaches already have a list of kids they are going to evaluate first before they go into search mode. And, as the months slip by, lists get narrower and narrower.

As for choosing the right college, while I have long preached the importance of selecting a college for the educational benefit, location and whether or not you will actually get to play have to be a consideration, too. A college coach with over 25 years of experience at the collegiate level recently told me that if a kid who is a star in high school goes to college and does not play, she will most likely be unhappy at school, too. Because few coaches can, or will, commit to playing time up front, it's crucial for parents and kids to look at the current team's roster and to find out if there are roster spots available.

Too, if a kid is athletic, it is entirely possible a coach will slide her into a position that needs filling while an upperclassman plays out her days at a new recruits primary spot. Kids need to be prepared to play where needed.