<p>S is a junior who is deciding between playing club at a D1 school or joining the team at a D3. Would greatly appreciate info and personal anecdotes about the process of being recruited to play men's soccer at academically selective D3 schools.</p>
<p>I don't know too much about it, but a friend's son went through the process last year. His parents helped him put together a highlight video that they sent to the colleges he was interested in. They called the coaches & sent them the video.</p>
<p>Our S/D - competitive junior tennis players and seniors, are currently in the midst of the what I think of as the D3 dance. Rules for D3 are very different as your probably know that in D1. No official visits in D3- no formal letters of intent, etc. S did receive some calls and letters from a couple of D1 ( smaller) schools. After talking at length with several coaches, S finally realized that to play in D1- at any sport- means the school and team "own" you. For example, one coach explained to S that team practice minimum 3 hours per day and after that went as a group with coach to study hall. I did like the school's committment to academics, but S realized he would little time for any type of social life, etc.</p>
<p>D3 schools place emphasis on academics over athletics, even though there are tons of very competitive D3 schools ( at least in tennis). One thing that has impressed me so far with coaches from D3 is they seem to want to know your child and how he/she will fit in with the overall team-vis-a-vis team dynamics, balance in academics and sports, and student's adjustment to college. I have felt that most D3 coaches would be excellent mentors for our kids.</p>
<p>D3 works under the same rules for practice that the D1's do. 6 days, 21 hours in season. Just because they don't give scholarships doesn't mean they don't expect a commitment from anyone who decides to play.</p>
<p>What areas are you looking to attend school?</p>
<p>My S is a freshman at an academically competitive D3 school and playing varsity soccer. Looked at D1, NAIA, and D3 and ended up choosing the college he wanted rather than the team - although the coach and team dynamic certainly played a part. Visited / overnighted with 10 teams and coaches in the process and is now very happy. Like Georgiatwins, he quickly deduced that he did not want the feeling of Sport First, Academics Second. some kids DO want that - it's just good to know what you are looking for. He visited, interviewed and hung with the team at a couple of D3 national champ and past national champ teams and felt like they were quite similar to the D1 environment - including hearing from students that they weren't able to graduate in 4 years.
Ask more questions - we'll try to help - there are several folks here who have been through the process.</p>
<p>oD was on a D1 team as a "walk-on" (had no scholaships, but was good enough to be there plus decent GPA). We were vacationing in Hawaii as a family one August, and the poor girl brought a suitcase full of running gear, run for 2 hrs every morning, did weights in the hotel workout room, and kept a log of her activities as part of her "pre-season training". The biggest benefit of being on D1 team for her was that all athletes were given first priority for class registration (at our Big State U classes fill up fast). She also had access to the athletic department's medical clinic and other facilities.
yD wants to play for D3 teams. She filled out athletic questionnaries on her target schools' websites and talked to coaches when she visited campuses. Some called her back, some said they had no word in the admission process even if she were an Olympic champion. Overall, I got the impression that D3 teams can be very competitive, training can be intense, but majority of games/competitions happen on weekends or after classes on Fridays, so academics always come first. Good enough for me.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. S is interested in schools in the midwest and the east coast, but is open to anywhere (we live in CA). So far he's been attracted primarily to D1 schools where he would not play soccer (UMich, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Georgetown). I'd like him to see a few D3s so he can visualize what life would be like attending a smaller school and playing soccer. </p>
<p>orjr,
At this point should he be contacting coaches? Hasn't received PSAT scores yet. Should video highlight reel include both club and varsity games?</p>
<p>Georgiatwins-- Have your kids checked out Kalamazoo College's D3 Tennis teams? Men's program is especially strong.</p>
<p>neurotic-- If you're planning visits to U-Mich/Northwestern, Kalamazoo College (S.W. MI) is midway between the two schools. Solid D3 Men's Soccer program, excellent LAC, if you're looking for a comparison to the big D1 schools.</p>
<p>He should find schools he is interested in and contact the coaches via email now. Get on the radar. Follow up with an email maybe in January just before the break is over. As has been stated, the coach may or may not have influence with admissions. DS is attending a school now that he was in the bottom 25% statistcally for admission, but doing fine. The coach definitley got him in there, gave him that last little boost.</p>
<p>Judging from your son's list, there are schools that are academically selective in the general geographic areas of the schools you mentioned, but are still D1 if he wants that level of competition - have your considered any Patriot League schools? Or Davidson if he is interested in Vanderbilt? I have interviewed soccer players for my alma mater (Lafayette) who ended up with a fine education and NCAA tournament experience to boot, best of both worlds...</p>
<p>He is considering Patriot League, as well as NESCAC, but is hesitant to contact coaches now because he still seems more interested in the D1 rah-rah experience. But I guess he has nothing to lose. Another Q - He is a very good player, but short (5"7'). Will that prevent coaches from being interested?</p>
<p>neurotic - your last question hit a nerve with me - my S is also 5'7" and what got coaches interested were his run times. What position does your S play? There is basically no such thing as a 5'7" D1 defender, but if he's good enough, fast enough, and scrappy enough - a mid or forward is possible. Our personal experience is that the "little" guys have to prove themselves. Is your S doing ODP? Is his club team playing in college showcase tourneys?
The college showcase tourneys were a fantastic tool in our experience - great exposure for the kids and great learning for both kids and parents. Check your club's schedule and see.
I second Davidson as a smaller school, but with D1 soccer and if he likes Vandy, he might like the feel of Davidson, too. But academically very selective. What is your club team?</p>
<p>Why not contact both D1 and D3 coaches? That way he can get a sense of interest?</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestion, Momof2, but S is definitely not interested in playing D1 - At this point he is only slightly interested in D3 because he wants the D1 spectator sports experience.
orjr,
I know there are a many excellent "little" players, but I thought that perhaps college coaches would prefer bigger guys. (I know virtually nothing about sports, but do finally understand the offside rule after being a soccer mom for 13 years). S plays center mid on his club team and forward on his varsity team. Not doing ODP, but I do think his club team is playing in at least one college showcase tournament. Club team is a Coast Soccer gold team.</p>
<p>Here is a quick update: S received a personal letter today from head coach of D3 team in a school in the Old Dominion Conference that will be considered a mid-reach for him. From a recruiting website run for tennis players, I know there a number of excellent players with a strong interest in playing there- but do not know if there GPA's will support it. Long story short, coach wants S to fax a copy of unofficial transcript, plus the recruiting form and other info. and then schedule a time for phone call and to talk. I am surprised by this, but S is excited-even though the school is a bit on the party side for both kids.</p>
<p>Have your S fill out the athlete recruit questionnaire for the D3 schools he might look at- the parents on this thread are VERY knowledgeable. My S has even decided to use Facebook as a way to locate other players from different school's teams to see if he can inquire about what team/school atmosphere is really like. Will fill in with more information next week.</p>
<p>The college showcase tourneys are great because you can find out ahead of time which coaches will be there and your son can e-mail the ones he might be interested in playing for. He can complete the prospect form for them online as Georgia suggests, attach his "soccer resume" and say hope to see you at the tournament. There are also workshops for both parents and players usually - about financial aid, scholarships, what the routine is like for an athlete, etc. Great stuff!
My feeling is that coaches are looking for speed and strength. If you have those two - along with the technical skills, of course - the height won't be as much of an issue. If you aren't strong enough to not get thrown off the ball, it would be a problem which they might attribute to size.
CA is well known for great soccer, so if your S is all league, all state, etc. that may be interesting - even without the ODP connection.
Good luck
And Georgia - sounds like fun! Hope your S enjoys the dance :) Sometimes it just feels good to be noticed!</p>
<p>My son's friend, who only dreams of being 5'7", started contacting college coaches a few months ago and now has several D-1 schools recruiting him. Not TOP schools, but he can play at that level if he wants. Send ALL of the schools, even the ones you do not think he is interested in, a packet. I would suggest snail mail, followed by a phone call. (Depending on your son's year in school, the coach may not be able to call him back.) Include unofficial transcript, test scores, video (club and hs), phone numbers of coach. Recruited athletes learn a lot about themselves and others just by going through the process. I would encourage my child to at least listen to one D-1 pitch before deciding it wasn't right for him. Good luck.</p>
<p>neuroticparent,
there was a series of interesting articles written about Haverford's recruiting process that might be helpful. try a google search on n.y. times haverford recruiting.</p>
<p>Have you already read this thread from this past spring? <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=340886%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=340886</a> There were some very helpful suggestions in it.</p>
<p>If you go to the NCAA Sports Sponsorship website (<a href="http://web1.ncaa.org/onlineDir/exec/sponsorship?sport=MFB&division=2%5B/url%5D">http://web1.ncaa.org/onlineDir/exec/sponsorship?sport=MFB&division=2</a>) you can plug in the sport and division and get a list of schools that offer them at each division level. You (your son) might find a couple of extra options there.</p>