Thanks

So is appropriate to call the coach and tell them you would like to plan an unofficial visit and you'd like to meet with him?

My daughter called, said she was interested in the school academically and would be visiting the area could she come by. They enthusiastically welcomed her and put together itineraries for her. Only twice did she have to sign an unofficial visit statement. I was overwhelmed with how nice and encouraging all the coaches we contacted were. My daughter felt special. That confidence later showed on the field and paid off for her.

By all means, call the coach ahead of your campus visit and tell him/her that your family will be on campus.

Be sure to have your child/player make that phone call. Not only is the player looking to make the decision, but the coach will want to "interview" him/her to gauge interest and fit with the program. It is not unusual, even during an unofficial visit, for a coach to ask a student about grades, campus interest, and such.

Remember as a junior, the coach cannot return your direct phone calls if you do not connect. (As a senior, the call can be returned. See the NCAA Rules and Regulations link for more details.) When in doubt, always make the phone call or visit the coach's office. Also, be sure to follow up with an e-mail as a matter of good practice.

This is extremely true during the latter half of your child's junior year, the intervening summer months, and the first half of senior year. The visits will tend to put all of the on-field soccer work, the in-classroom performances, and the reality of a college setting into perspective.

The visits (unofficial or official) are actually a very exciting part of the college selection process. Be sure to take a campus tour and take a meal in the campus facilities if at all possible. Walk around not just on a tour with the coach, but as a family to look for what is appealing (or not appealing) about the whole setting.

should the student make a "phone call" or email? I have heard that it is very difficult to get a coach on the phone.

The student should in almost every situation be the one to make the phone call or send the e-mail (as opposed to the parent). The parent and/or coach role should be to review any material ahead of time to make sure that it is accurate, clear, and well-written.

Yes, it can be difficult to get a coach on a direct connection in many cases. Keep trying and always follow-up a phone call with an e-mail message. Be sure to have a wide net of communications cast.

Depending on the prospects "paper" qualifications and school of choice, a coach or assistant will always return calls/emails.
IE:if player is 2.7 GPA, playing on d2 team, the Harvard coach may not return that inquiry.

Each propsect should have 3 "reach" schools, 3 "sweet spot" schools, and 3 "slam dunks"...at minimum.


Casting wide net is good advice

Considering that some clubs consider 13 and 14 year olds "old enough not to have their parents involved" except for paying the $$$, of course the player should make the contacts. Nothing is worse than a parent "going to bat" for a 17 or 18 year old officially.

A good link to info on Div. 1, Div. 2, and Div. 3 differences:

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/athletic-scholarship-for-div-3-athlete.htm

(it's about softball, but should hold for all other sports)

As for casting a wide net, it appears from this article that players have to be careful if a Div. 3 school is "promising" a starting spot and financial aid grants (instead of loans) because there are no official scholarships. Div. 1 and Div. 2 have to promise officially it seems, and can't pull the rug out from under players before school starts.

When we started the College Forum in the 2008-2009 College, Coaches, and Recruitment thread, among the first ten posts was a discussion as to how to build college visit lists. That question from February 2009 is replayed below and will help provide more detail than the classic 3-3-3 model.

Originally Posted By: Anonymous

when should I start looking at schools (visiting them, talking to representatives, etc...) and i have heard the player should contact the coaches of the schools he/she wants to go to, if this is true when should I start contacting the coaches?

The first step in visiting schools is your own family's preparations and deciding which schools to visit.

Start by constructing two lists : the first list is a purely academic list of schools that have your son/daughter's majors/interests. The list should contain about ten to twelve schools broken into three buckets : stretch schools (100-200 points above your current SAT scores), on-par schools (those that match your GPA or SAT/ACT scores), and safety schools (those which are an obvious acceptance where you would be in the top quartile of the student body). When you do this academic listing, think to yourself "suppose I could never play soccer again - where would I go?" (CollegeBoard.Com is a great resource for these types of searches.)

Now, construct a second list of the ten soccer programs that would interest your child. Be sure to consider all NCAA divisions as the commitment level will vary greatly. Construct this list without any notion of money/scholarships, but give thought to whether your son/daughter would be a bench-sitter or an active player. For some families, a Division III opportunity with a starting role is worth much more than a Division I limited action role until the junior year.

You will have at most 20 schools at this point. Now, figure our where the overlaps might are between the two lists. This overlap list might have between five and eight schools - which is your initial target market!

It is ideal if you already have these lists, but working on these before your junior year Winter Recess or Easter break is critical. Those are the High School vacation periods where you really need to start your campus tours. Try to visit campuses while student activity is active - you get a much better sense of the campus "vibe". Take the tours, eat a meal at the campus, and speak with students.

Importantly, start e-mailing the head coach and assistant coach at each school. Send a copy of your soccer profile along with your e-mail to the coaching staff. Express your interest in their schools and do not hesitate to show some enthusiasm. Fill out any on-line recruitment material. Schedule a visit with the coach to see the athletic facilities.

Whether developing a simple 3-3-3 list or following our more detailed approach, the results will mirror the amount of work put into the search and preparation. Good luck!