Thanks @gointhruaphase for that insight. So far I’ve found that a good number of players are decent but there are also a fair number of weak players even at major recruiting events. My guess is that unlike sports like soccer, the quality of girls’ lacrosse coaching and the access to good teams varies so much in different areas of the country - we come from Maryland so we’re always pleasantly surprised by the way our “average great” player shows at these things.
Either way, I agree that you have to want it and go after it!
One of the things that we learned about the camps is that it is a money maker for the coaches, so take it with a grain salt when the coach invites you to his/her school camp. As stated upthread, they are serious about you when they are the ones pursuing you to commit and trying to get a sense of where you stand. I think if you get an invitation to go to a school specific camp that it is a perfect opening to ask where you stand in the recruit list. In fact, if you are a top recruit, there is less incentive to get you to go to camp because they have already concluded that you have the athletic chops and they will more likely try to get you to do an official overnight where they can sell you on the school and see how you fit with your potential teammates. In our experience, the best use of camps (larger and school specific) is to go summer of freshmen and/or sophomore year for purposes of measuring where you stand, establishing a relationship with coaches and getting on their radar screen.
Agree with your comments @BKSquared . My S’s experience was very similar. Offer in mid Aug and commitment in mid Oct with immediate communication to other coaches who gave him an offer.
I do not see any reason to be nervous re getting the ED decision. Make sure the ED essay is solid and requisite forms are complete and there should be no reason at all for being denied. After all - that is what commitment is. We were not nervous at all. Otherwise the institution and the coaches would lose their integrity.
You’ll find a tremendous difference in skill in college, and even on the same team.
Being from Maryland, you expect top level play and think that any college team would be better than a high school team. Nope. Even in the same conference, the level of play can be wildly different. We have a couple of teams in our conference that can’t beat high school teams, even average teams. When the #1 team in the country plays in conference against new teams, or teams that don’t put the money into coaching or recruiting, it is a blood bath.
Anyone can sign up for a college recruiting camp. Every single one of those campers can be recruited if they are willing to go to the school that wants them.
@LMC9902 we just went through this with my DD for lacrosse (she is a rising senior). Definitely cast a wide net. It would be good for her to start getting a sense of the schools out there, what they offer, what their rosters look like. With the change in recruiting everything has slowed WAAAYYY down across the board. The D2 schools are taking longer to see what D1 recruits shake out which means that D3 schools are taking more time now too. In our experience recruiting tournaments and showcases were much more helpful than camps or clinics. However, I do know that NESCAC schools do a lot of their recruiting through the clinics they host. We went to one earlier this year and they were very clear in their expectations and timelines. Pre-reads are occurring now and spots are very limited for coach support of the application. Good luck in your journey!
Many would be shocked by the mediocrity of many of the players playing in college at every level–and this is not just in lacrosse but in other team sports where club/travel has taken over as the big business of putting kids into college. Schools are recruiting whole swathes of teams --forgetting that kids who have played together for along time in 100s of games show better than random players put on a random team at a school camp. We had the experience at some of these camps where the kids from various teams were put together on the camp teams–it becomes very hard to compete. I am deeply skeptical of these money making camps where if you arent already on radar it can be just a waste of time and money.
@laxmom4life thanks. Your daughter’s class was the last one to have true early recruiting so I’m curious if she always planned to play D3. Many of my daughter’s high school teammates who are rising seniors have been committed to D1 schools since 8th or 9th grade which I can’t imagine now that my daughter is starting the process. I agree the showcases can be good for being seen if you’re casting a wide net but my sense is that because NESCAC is looking for both top students and top athletes, they have better luck with people who seek them out at their own clinics because many of those already have the academic stats (or are more likely to) they want. Maybe I’m wrong about that but it’s the sense I get after talking to parents on the sidelines of Lacrosse Masters events.
@RightCoaster congrats on your son’s pre-read being done!
NESCAC like kids to come to their clinics because those coaches don’t have a large recruiting budget and many of the coaches can’t attend the IWLCA showcases. They have access to the videos, but that’s not the same as seeing girls live.
@LMC9902 My DD knew she was not interested in D1 because she wants to major in Bio and have some time for campus activities. She knew she could not do that in a D1 program. She actually just committed to a D2 school. The D2 schools all told her that their timelines were significantly shifted this year after the new legislation passed. They fell they can now take more time and don’t have to rush as much. I think this has been an overall positive effect. I could not imagine my 13 or 14 year old committing to a college. If that were the case she likely would never have even heard of the school she fell in love with and ultimately decided on…
And yes, you are absolutely right. If you are looking for NESCAC clinics are the way to go but you can certainly start to get on their radar at the showcases. My DD always included her GPA, any honors and AP classes taken, and test scores in every initial email she sent a coach. Many replied back that they appreciated that because it helped them assess if she would be a good academic fit for the school. I’ve seen them at quite a few of the New England showcases.
Providing personal experience and thoughts re: discussion above about attending camps (at the college)
Ended up being top recruit at a Liberty League college having NEVER attended a camp at the college. Got first seen by the head coach at a huge showcase tournament (hundreds of college coaches) the spring of Junior year. This was a school we were very interested in, saw they were attending this tournament and reached out to them via email a few weeks ahead of time. That was first and ONLY time that coach saw us play. Did campus visit over the summer before senior year. Got invited to and attended an overnight in September of senior year.
The summers before junior and senior year we also:
Attended camps at four other colleges (on their campus). Some with none, but a couple camps had 1-2 other college coaches there (not necessarily from the same conference, but from the area). About 80 players at each of these camps. Exposure to coaches was good in that we quickly learned if a coach was interested or not. We targeted these specific schools because they seemed to meet our criteria (location, academic rigor, size, major, etc.) and decided to attend the camp.
Our priority was always first on finding the right school, then seeing/hoping that the coach would be interested. Academic/social fit was always the priority for us, with athletics coming next. Others may have a different priority list so that might affect how you choose camps, how many, etc.
@laxmom4life, there are also a lot of schools without coaches yet this year. A LOT of shifting, so when one is hired, another school appears on the list needing coaches.
@laxmom4life thanks for the thoughts and I’m glad your daughter found a great fit. I agree that sharing academic stats with NESCAC and top D3 schools is important and my daughter did that on her resume and in her intro emails. Right now she has no testing but her school is well known by many colleges for it’s top academics so having great grades at a school like that has been helpful in getting engaged.
This is just the beginning of the process so who knows where things will end up but either way I think it has been good to start early. She is going to a prospect day this fall at one of her target schools, then Presidents Cup in the November and then a FL clinic in January. I agree that next summer before junior year she should do what @InquiringMom3 had her daughter do and find 3 or 4 camps with the schools she wants to attend. There are lots of potential fits for her socially and every school she’s looking at would be an academic fit so that’s where we started with our target list - otherwise I think it would be too overwhelming!
So our experience-two recruited athletes NESCAC and Centennial “High Academic”. My DS was recruited heavily by Williams, Middlebury and other NESCACs. Williams coach didn’t offer a pre-read(and we were newbies) but made remarks like " I can pick my players." DS is all in.
Amherst coach said he like DS but he wasn’t his top recruit, would give soft support but wanted DS to retake ACT and get a 32, as he had a 31. When we learned to ask, and pushed Williams for a pre-read, we could never get a straight answer-admissions very busy, all on the road, etc etc. meanwhile ED deadline looms. Middlebury and Carleton want DS, positive prereads. DS wants to go to Williams. Mom is worried and suspicious. Finally , 1 day prior to ED deadline Williams coach calls, confesses preread was negative. Didn’t tell DS because “we didn’t want to see him competing against us”!!!
Luckily we called Midd and they said we still love DS, he applied ED and got in…
Fast Forward 8 years-DD recruited by several NESCACs and others(Smith, Yale, Haverford, etc) with varying degrees of intensity. Amherst seems to like her, but mid August of rising senior year, their starting catcher quits and coach states that she can’t offer any hard support(DD obviously not a catcher). Bowdoin really likes her, offers roster spot with soft support-her stats seemed “pretty good” with her 34 ACT and 97 average. No pre-read offered-“we only do that if offering a slot”, and they only have 3 slots, DDis “number 4”. She really likes Bowdoin. Positive pre-reads at Haverford and Hamilton, Midd coach doesn’t need her position, and Amherst is interested but can’t offer hard support. Yale loses interest mid-August. Smith gets annoyed she hasn’t made up her mind and “we don’t have a spot for you any more”.
She applies ED to Bowdoin and was deferred. Wouldn’t do ED2 because she still wanted Bowdoin. Coach apologetic but still cautiously optimistic. She gets rejected RD. I think that was really rotten of them, because the AdCom has to know that they could be messing up her chance to get support ED2 somewhere else…
Anyway happy ending, multiple other acceptances and excited to be attending and playing at Haverford.
Lessons learned are: cast a wide net. Things change. Beware the “soft support” and adjust expectations. It’s very stressful. Be sure your DS or DD is able to cope with rejection. Also there are frequent coaching changes. In our 3 year process, the coaches at 2 of her main prospects left. That left her in a quandary about whether she would be valued by the new coach.
I am so grateful for advise and support I received from CCers. @gointhruaphase@CrewDad@Heights@twoinanddone and many others have held my hand and given so much useful advise! Don’t hesitate to ask for help!
Glad things worked out, x2, @OldbatesieDoc I think those are some mean, but cautionary tales. What Williams did is inexcusable.
One thing you mentioned was the coaches changing. I don’t think there is one coach my daughter talked to still at the schools they were working at 5 years ago. The coach at the school she did play for quit without much notice this summer and there is still no replacement. The asst. coach is very inexperienced and will not be promoted although she might be able to handle fall ball. In the last 4 years while my D was in school, I think there have been at least 75 coaches changing schools (or new programs), not counting the asst coaches. Not kidding.
My child had to decide between Pomona and Bowdoin. Following a positive pre-read, Bowdoin offered full support. While the Pomona coach and athletic director both offered support, Pomona Admissions expressed misgivings at the rigor of the senior schedule (my child had taken summer school to free up training-time senior year, leaving only four classes with no AP English, which also concerned Pomona Admissions).
The Pomona coach suggested we had a strong chance… but that wasn’t secure enough for us. My child went with the full support at Bowdoin (which was expressed very clearly), gaining admission through ED1.
I agree with much advice given on CC regarding NESCAC: cast a wide net and seek clarity. In conversation with several NESCAC coaches, they were honest when directly asked where the recruit stood: full support, tip, or no support. Be direct (and diplomatic of course), and you will likely get the info you need to make a good decision.
I would say Bowdoin coach was not at all dishonest. DD knew she was taking a chance. I’m just mad at the AdCom for not getting her rejection over with.
Williams was totally dishonorable and I’m still disgusted with that coach.
Yes, OldbatesieDoc, I gathered you were willing to take a chance at Bowdoin and were not misled. While a “tip” versus solid support can be risky, I would have thought your daughter would have been admitted, given her profile/scores. Glad she found an outstanding alternative.
I’m starting to wonder if Bowdoin gives anyone real support. Our S19 is. XC runner and, from what I can see looking at the roster, would fit quite well on the team but he wouldn’t be a top runner there (yet). He filled out the recruit form and got an email from the coach the next morning praising his “stellar stats” and telling him he would be “a valuable varsity athlete if he were admitted”. She said athletics don’t play a role in admissions. Maybe just for a sport like XC since it’s not like football or soccer with positions? Or maybe because his times aren’t super fast? My College counselor friend thinks it’s because they think he can get in on his own merit and then they can put him on the team. They don’t need to use a spot (if they have any) for an applicant like him. I don’t know what to believe. He will update them with new times this fall and see if the coach says anything.