Prep School College Athletic Recruiting

<p>I know very little about this topic; I hope more experienced parents will weigh in. I have heard some of my children's friends and classmates are or have been "committed" to play sports for certain colleges since sophomore year. </p>

<p>When does this process begin? Middle school?? Freshman year?</p>

<p>How should a parent plan the process, when the student's a boarder?</p>

<p>How important are summer sports camps?</p>

<p>What questions should parents of sporty kids ask during the admissions process?</p>

<p>For parents whose BS children are now in college, was your child's coach or school helpful?</p>

<p>It really depends on the sport.</p>

<p>This really varies widely depending on the sport and whether the student is being recruited for D1, 2, or 3. The Athletic Recruits board offers a wealth of sport-specific information and advice. About the only thing I could generalize is that athletes who want to be recruited by high caliber schools need to start the process early, be proactive rather than waiting for coaches to come to them (though that can happen too), and keep grades and test scores high. Summer activities are important, but choosing the right venue to be seen is important too and, again, varies widely by sport.</p>

<p>In general, I’d say that most kids who are on the ball start unofficial visits and informal contact with coaches (who often can’t contact them) somewhere around the summer before junior year. The email contact can officially start at the beginning of junior year, and the recruiting process picks up pace, so unofficial visits with coaches and school tours over summer and–in particular–spring vacation become really important. I think the parent’s main role is making sure that happens and maybe helping the student craft an initial email/athletic profile to coaches. Other than that, though, the parent’s role is mostly sounding board and financial adviser.</p>

<p>Classicalmama sums it up well. My older D was recruited D1 straight from prep school, and for her, the process began her sophomore spring (in terms of unofficial coach interest) and really picked up speed first semester of her junior year. However, this is very sport specific - there seem to be many unique timetables. As to how much help the boarding school provides, I think that will vary across the board. My older D’s coach did very little to help, and was rather inexperienced with the process, whereas the boarding school that my younger child currently attends would definitely be much more involved and proactive, I believe.
An extra challenge for boarding school students being recruited for D1 is taking Official Visits in the beginning of the senior year. My D took all 5 NCAA allowed OVs, and that was very challenging for her in terms of time it took to travel from school to each university and how that interfered with weekend school activities and academic responsibilities.
Please feel free to PM me with any questions.</p>

<p>To answer your questions:</p>

<p>When does this process begin? Middle school?? Freshman year?
The whole Athletic Scholarship process, in my opinion, begins with the entry to High School. Why? Grades from the start, as well as other activities only add to an athletes “recruitability”. For my two children, we did not begin the true contact process until early Junior year. At the start, we built out a game plan, constructed our Target and Goals list based on their college criteria, and began our contact program. Initial emails and calls to coaches began fall of Junior year.</p>

<p>How important are summer sports camps?
Camps throughout the High School years can be a great way to get feedback, focus on strengths and weaknesses, and round out an athlete. Attending camps at target schools can also help build a relationship with the coaching staff and athletes.</p>

<p>What questions should parents of sporty kids ask during the admissions process?
You should investigate the schools reputation in the Athletics realm, as well as the coaching staff.</p>

<p>For parents whose BS children are now in college, was your child’s coach or school helpful?
The bulk of the work for the athletic scholarship process will always fall on the parents and student. Only you know what type of environment will be good for your son/daughter, and will always have their best interests at heart.</p>