College ID camps

Athletic Recruits
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It’s certainly been a crazy few months. Communication started in June 15th and she has had quite a few phone calls, text messages and zoom calls. The season ended with a showcase in florida and the beginning of July and about 75 coaches were at each game. Since then she has removed all southern schools from her list and has recognized that the west coast may be too far from home - although she liked the Gonzaga and Seattle coaches. She has done 3 camps so far and really like Kenyon. We head to NYC later this week for Fordham, stony brook and then byrn mawr. Still torn between a d1 or D3. Really likes the Colby coach and Colby on paper but it’s really small and isolated.

She hasn’t had any 2023s commit at her club yet, but it is coming and when that happens I am sure she will feel added pressure but she is hoping to be done by spring of her junior year.

She has gotten a few “rejections” by D3 coaches not looking to add a GK to their 2023 class because they picked one up in 2021 and 2022 classes, but generally d3s seem to be telling her they are still working on their 2022 class. D1 and D2 are much further along and really focusing on 2023 it appears.

So no clear answers yet but we are having fun and she is playing well so we are just enjoying the ride

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If the small and isolated of Kenyon doesn’t bother her, the small and isolated of Colby is unlikely to be a problem.

With that said, if she is fine with Kenyon but doesn’t like another school and says it’s because it’s small and isolated, she probably just doesn’t like that school but can’t articulate why. Which is just fine!

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@GKmom23 As an athlete your daughter must appreciate the amazing new athletic facility Colby just opened.

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It looks incredible!

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Yes the facilities look great and D really liked the coach - they also have very generous aid packages, if she goes D3, it is a top contender at this point. But we are being careful not to have D fall in love with a school since, if she wants to play, so many things out of her control need to align.

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Ohio Wesleyan - attend ID camp and did a tour, head coach left right after camp, assistant reached out and is interested in continuing the relationship - however, a no from my daughter

University at Buffalo - daughter’s first D1 camp, solid training but lots of focus on 2022s and the already committed athletes that attended. did a campus tour, a no from my daughter and no feedback from the coaches

Pitt - didn’t attend

Kenyon - attended yesterday, lots of personal interaction with coach and assistant coach, campus tour, lots of great feedback, focused on 2022s right now but want to continue the conversation, top school in ohio for my daugther

Fordham - touring Thursday, camp Fri/Sat
Stony Brook - camp Sun, trying to secure a tour
Bryn Mawr - camp next monday, daugther says no to all girls but likely lots of small d3 schools will also be in attendance
DePaul - attend 8/1, will tour other chicago schools during visit, change in head coach so sort of starting from zero

Maybes are -
Seattle pacific,
Colby - continues to talk to coach, depending on conversations may do a visit
Bates - removed, not looking for a GK in 2023 class
university of Tampa - removed, did not like tampa as a location for school when we were at national playoffs at the beginning of july
Temple - no solid communication from coach so not planning on visiting
Swarthmore - will visit when at Bryn Mawr camp

in addtion to the ones above conversations have been ongoing with Brandeis, Wooster, Wash U St. Louis, Dartmouth, Brown, American U, St Bonaventure that I can remember

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For a 2023, I would recommend that if you’re talking to one school in a conference (especially for D3) that you expand and start reaching out to other schools in that conference that meet your basic criteria. Even with attending ID camps, your lists and their lists will be dynamic over the next year. Schools that show a lot of interest now and seem like they might be “real” options may drop off at any point and similarly schools that had not been very communicative may come out of the woodwork towards the end.

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^^ strongly agree. This is very good advice.

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@GKmom23
Yes, D3 schools told my dd that they are focusing on the 2022, but will wrap it up by end of summer. At the same time, they are keeping tabs on the 2023. She received positive feedback from coaches, but nothing feels certain until next July.

You are right about when the first wave of 2023 commits are announced that girls will get very anxious. When two girls she knows committed, she wanted to get off the D3 pathway and go all D1. I had to talk her off the ledge and had her refocus what she wanted from school and soccer. I suspect it will get worse as more girls get committed and D3 schools dance around her.

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Colby and Kenyon both are great schools. Both campuses are lovely. True, Colby just open an amazing athletic facility, but don’t forget that Kenyon’s is none too shabby either - just a few years older. Colby has a larger student body (+/- 2000) than Kenyon (+/- 1750), and Waterville is larger (+/- 16500 than Gambier (+/- 2500). Kenyon has a terrific writing program and has merit aid. Colby has some very inventive programs, including a new AI program, great art museum and the Davis Connects program (for help getting internships, etc.). If there are particular courses of interest, I would make sure that they are offered by the school under consideration. When we looked at Kenyon, a foreign language of interest was not offered.

There are so many terrific schools, that you might want to focus on schools where the starting keeper will graduate the year before yours will matriculate. If she is a very good keeper, she is not going to want to sit on the bench for any period of time. All schools will say that the best player will play, but if the coach is happy with the incumbent, the benefit of the doubt will go to last year’s starter.

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Big trip to NYC with 4 states, 7 campuses, 3 camps, and 23 hours of soccer for my DD.

Fordham - #1 choice overall at this point, loved the campus, D loved being in the Bronx, D loves the coaches and felt really solid at camp and with the feed back from the GK coach, only summer study abroad. Got an email and text day after camp thanking D for attending, letting her know that they were now focused on 2023 and that they want to have her back out to campus and continue to talk with her. Fordham GK coach ended up at the Bryn Mawr camp (she had worked for the Bryn Mawr coach previously) that my daughter attended yesterday. Her and my DD chatted quite a bit. DD really likes her

St. John’s - great feedback from coach who was at Fordham camp, likes location, need to do more research but may be on the list

Stony Brook - loves the location, likes the campus, good facilities, likes the coaches and players, good positive feedback from GK coach, worried about poli sci at a science/math/research school but she can do spring study abroad. email back day after camp from coach asking to have DD back out to watch a game and letting her know they were talking about 2023s this week and they would get her more specific feedback soon.

Bryn Mawr - aren’t likely to recruit at GK in 2023 class, I love the campus, D loves the coach and the campus and academics. Haverford, Fordham, Hood, Villanova, and Wilmington were also there.

Haverford - no established relationship with the coach/players, nice campus, solid academics, just went to check it out after Bryn Mawr since so close

next up are DePaul, Loyola, University of Chicago (major academic reach), University of Illinois - Chicago

Tops right now are Fordham, Colby, Stony Brook, Kenyon, Loyola, DePaul, George Washington

Removed - Bates, University of Tampa, Temple, Swarthmore, Wooster,

Still hoping to visit in the fall - Wash U, American, George Washington

Still talking with coaches but no plan to visit - Brandeis, Dartmouth, Brown, Seattle Pacific, Gonzaga

I am exhausted and ready for a break - glad things slow down around here in a week or two when fall ball and cross country start!

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Is there a reason why Swarthmore is out? So close to Bryn Mawr and Haverford. Bad vibe, didn’t mesh with coach, etc?

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You probably don’t want to add schools at this point, but I was thinking Macalester might meet her criteria

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lukewarm response from the coaching staff at swarthmore so not on the list at this time

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Hey GKmom23!
I too have a 23, field player, and have just finished up a similar summer to yours! My 23 is also smaller (5’3") and feels that her height is negatively affecting her. So be it, someone will love both girls for what they can offer! Good luck on the remaining process, we’re hearing the same from coaches about finishing up 22s.