Unofficial visits over the summer

I know that ideally I would be able to schedule these to take plenty of time and occur while school is in session. However, S19 is already missing 2 weeks of school for an international competition in the spring, and I can’t justify pulling him out of classes for another week to take unofficial visits. And I would really like to get on the radar of some of these coaches before his junior year, in particular before he competes in 2 major national competitions in late summer/fall. So I’m trying to cram some visits in during the summer beween his sophomore and junior year when he will already be traveling to the East Coast for competition.

Ideally, he’s looking at probably Williams, Wesleyan and some Ivy’s. The exact schools will depend on what kind of a response he gets from the coaches. I’m looking at probably a Mon-Thursday time period. How much time should be allocated at a particular school? I have a couple goals here. Obviously to meet the coaches and get on their radar. Also to help him figure out what he wants. He might have to follow whereever the coach interest is, but at least he can see the difference between Harvard Yard and Williamstown.

I don’t really know much about how unofficial visits work. Is this something where we just talk to the coach for 10 minutes and then do a campus tour? Is he allowed to work out for the coach? I’m sure some depends on the coach and his level of interest. I guess I mostly want to know if this is going to be spending a couple of hours at a school, if a coach is going to want an overnight, or something in-between, which is my guess but I would like to hear from someone who has done this how it works. I am hoping to see as many places as I can in 4 days, but I also don’t want the coaches to feel like we are just trying to check them off of our list either. There are probably less than 20 schools that fit his athletic abilities and academic desires, so I certainly don’t want to burn bridges with anyone. Thanks.

There will be differences between D1 (Ivies) and D3 (NESCAC) schools in terms of timing and process, and process will vary depending on sport. At least for NESCAC type schools, our experience was, in 10th or 11th grade, kid did regular 1 day or 1/2 day visits to schools, with tour, info session, and had contacted coach to schedule meeting during that visit at which coach spent time talking about the program, needs etc. Before scheduling the visit, kid had sent film, athletic and academic resume to coach so coach could gauge compatibility with needs. After campus meeting, depending on mutual interest, kid might attend coach’s recruiting camp, and be invited to return to campus for “official” visit in the fall of 12th grade, when kid spent time with team, coach, attended class, interviewed etc. D3 athlete cannot practice with coach/team, as I understand. At some schools, my kid was able to participate in a class, which happened to be indoor phys ed class in his sport, with team members who were taking that class – the deal is, as told to us, the class has to be open to everyone, and not be a “team” activity.

D1 schedule and process likely different, especially depending on sport.

I’m guessing – perhaps wrongly – that sport may be fencing or squash, since there are not a lot of collegiate sports with international competitions. You might get more useful information if you specify the sport, so that parents who were involved in their kid’s recruiting in that sport, can provide more specific information.

Unofficial visits do not include an overnight (nor would a summer visit). There are limits to what the school can offer on an unofficial visit at a D1, and some D3 try to follow the same rules. We went on several, just went on the general tour and spent 30-90 minutes with the coach after the tour Look for the rules on recruiting before and after July 1 of the junior year summer.

Unfortunately, there is really no way to gauge how long an unofficial visit will take. My son went to some that were basically a handshake with the coach and then an hour tour of the facilities and campus, and others that lasted all day with tours of the facilities, campus, etc and meetings with various coaches and current players. Honestly, the variability in visits was a good data point as to the level of interest the schools had in him. We budgeted a full day for each unofficial, and no school offered an overnight at the unofficial visit stage. Most of his visits were with Ivy’s, although he did visit a couple NESCACs.

Personally, I think quality over quantity is the key. My son did not go on any unofficial visits to schools where there was not a pre existing relationship with the recruiting coach. So if you are talking about using unofficial visits to “get on the radar” rather than visit schools that are already talking to your son, your experience may be different.

And recruits are barred by NCAA rule from working out on campus for a coach unless it is during an open camp.

D3 coaches do these student meetings because Admissions expects it. My kid began with a few visits in 10th grade to start to figure out the process and meet coaches at schools of high interest. Still, there were some schools where, there was practically an assembly line of young men waiting outside the coach’s office to get the same 30 minute spiel about the program. Having a pre-existing relationship with the coach, from camps, tournaments etc., will help personalize the experience.

Thanks for the info. Sport is wrestling. The international competition is a slightly different style than in college, but very similar and most coaches are very interested in how well prospects compete in the international styles. The plan is to contact coaches, including sending academic and athletic a link to video, in March, right after their season ends. Then follow up with them and see if there is any interest. If not, we may skip the visits altogether. I am hoping that there is some, I’ve been told by one DIII coach that as a high school sophomore he would probably make their starting line up, so I’m hoping that he will at least be seen as worthy of a conversation. His academics are probably a bit low but acceptable for Ivy/NESCAC. Then if he places in the end of July big national tournament again, they will be familiar with my son. he won’t be just another name on the list, he will be that kid that was interested enough to take a visit.

I don’t know wrestling BUT test scores open doors…I had my DD study for, and take the ACT right at the beginning of Junior year. Her score made a lot of coaches answer those emails back more quickly-The NESCAC and IVY coaches don’t want to waste time on kids that are never going to get in. I can quote the Williams coach for you-“You can’t fix stupid!”
If you son does poorly on the first ACT, that will motivate him to study more!
Georgetown coach-“Give me something with a 3 in front of it…” That doesn’t mean that lower scores aren’t accepted, but the coaches need to balance prospies so they meet a certain average, depending on the school.
Yale parent-“After my D got a 32 on her ACT, they were a lot more interested.”

He won’t compete in August and September, and won’t even have any organized practice in August, so the plan is to hit that early ACT next fall. Our school has a mandatory pre-ACT that he will take in April. I know that score is meaningless, but I am hoping it will project him with a 3x score for the real ACT. He is also taking the Math SAT II in January, so hopefully if he is in the high 700’s or 800, that will be an indicator for the coach that he will “pass” his ACT/SAT when the time comes.

I am most familiar with D3 recruiting so I can’t speak to D1. Most of the D3 interest for my son’s year started after the coaches had already tied up their previous year’s class. He did a few campus/coach visits during the fall of his junior year and most of them during the summer between junior/senior year. At that time the coaches who were interested asked for a transcript and test scores. Wrestling may happen earlier but for lacrosse and football most of my kids recruiting happened summer after junior year.

I don’t know where your guy is headed this summer, but my understanding from wrestling parents I know is that Fargo is a pretty significant event on the recruiting calendar for a lot of programs.

I don’t expect to be as big of a priority as the class of 2018, but I want to get on the radar of Ivy/NESCAC coaches now. This isn’t fencing or lacrosse. Most wrestlers don’t have the aptitude or interest in those schools, so I want the coaches to know he is capable and interested. There are over 4000 entrants at Fargo, with 26 mats going at the same time. So even the placers can get overlooked if the coaches aren’t watching for them. I know they can and do watch video, but if they can watch him live that’s better.

DS placed at Fargo last year, hoping to do so again. I saw Penn State coach (probably top recruiter and coach in the country) watching about 10 seats from me last year at one point, hiding up in the rafters. I know it’s meaningless to most of you, but in our world that’s like having Nick Saban come watch you play.

Dadof4kids,

I think what you are doing is very sound. With several of mine playing more than one sport, I felt it was virtually impossible to see all the schools, compete in tournaments and go to the showcases. Select the things you do carefully Make sure to get the most bang for your buck with the limited time available. Having unofficial meetings with coaches is probably the best way possible to get on their radar screens. It shows far more genuine interest in the school and program than a simple email, but it can be exhausting.

Since most D3 recruits apply ED, you really need to be ahead of the game as compared with the timeline of a non-recruit. These early unofficials are a way to start the college process earlier than if he were not a recruit.

I agree with OhioDad, that the meetings are not predictable. We had people keeping us all day, one actually expected an overnight, and then there is always one that doesn’t show up at all. I would plan on a minimum of 1 hour, and be prepared for the whole day. Don’t plan on two colleges in one day, unless they are really close together. If possible, schedule something else like a college tour and plan to explore the town.

Be prepared. Take recruiting tapes with you, if you have them. Take an unofficial transcript and college cv with you and give them to the coach. Tell your son that he must have a five minute elevator speech prepared so that he knows what to say if the coach says “tell me something about yourself.” Make him prepare three questions before the meeting.

Remember, a coach is supposed to meet potential recruits – it’s part of the job description. Ask questions. Ask what weight classifications the school is likely to need (or better yet, get a sense of that from the team roster on-line first). Ask about how recruiting works. Don’t be afraid to ask the coach if he thinks your son might be a match for the team.

I don’t know any specifics about your son’s sport, but for my son’s sport, he would not have been able to meet with coaches over the summer because they would not have been on campus - the coaches are off campus at summer tournaments recruiting.

We did not have quite that same experience. It is true that you be flexible and plan well in advance, but most coaches live near the college and will meet with you if they are available. If you can schedule several schools this summer, I think that would be a good thing. You are going to watch your son mature as he learns how to plan for and meet with a coach. I sometimes think that you should not have your first meeting with a coach at your kid’s number one school – take a practice run first.

I’m hoping to get one or 2 practice runs in first. There are a couple of schools that would be decent matches that aren’t that hard to get to. I may try to work one of them in while school is in session this spring if we have a high school day off when the college is in session. Otherwise I will just try to make our first stop the one he cares about the least, so we can make adjustments the rest of the week if that one doesn’t go well.

I agree with the other posters that your son should visit colleges that are lower on your list first to get comfortable. If you are doing UVs during the summer, I hope your son will be able to visit his favorite schools again before making a decision-either a late spring of junior year visit or a fall senior year visit. When he is only meeting with the coach, he is only getting to see facilities and find out the coach’s philosophy. It is important to watch practices, real matches, and meet teammates. My son was able to do that on one UV last year. The coach had activities planned over a day and a half. However, my son and husband stayed at a hotel near campus. One day he had athletic tour, met with athletic support staff, watched a practice, and hung out with guys after wards. The other day he attended an orientation with one of the schools within the university and later watched a game. In some sports, recruiting is happening earlier so coaches may try to make a UV very similar to an OV with the difference being the recruit pays for everything and stays off campus but the experience can be very close to OV. For UVs where son only met coach, he had to return to campus again.

My plan is for him to meet with the coach for as long as the coach cares to meet, and to do the info session and tour through the attendance office. If any coach offers more, then we will probably take that as more serious interest on the coach’s side, and follow his lead. Right now, I just want them to know my son and start following his progress. Anything else is just a bonus. I hope he has the situation that Harvard, Princeton and others are breathing down his neck trying to get him to commit. In that (probably unlikely) case, he will probably do OVs, or more extensive UVs at the programs where he is being recruited. In the mean time, I just need to get his name out there so he can have at least ONE coach interested.

My kid did unofficial visits between 10th and 11th grade in the summer. All visits lasted about two hours, where the coach met with us in their office and then gave us a personal tour of the campus. Some included lunch. These were all D-3 schools including some NESCAC.

My daughter is an admitted athlete at Emerson College. We took her to 2 camps in Boston during her Sophomore and Junior years. She toured the school, met with the coach and played at the camp for 2 days while the Emerson coach attended and watched her play. He recruited her for about a year. The summer before her Senior year, he invited her for an “official visit”. Since we live out of state, she flew alone to Boston, was picked up at the airport by the coach and spent the weekend in the dorms with the team. She also sat on the bench for a game that weekend. She verbally committed while she was there and then just had to wait to be accepted into the college for it to be official. My advice would be to pick a school and focus on the process for that particular school and coach. It’s a pretty long process.

^^ Worked out for you. Doesn’t always work out that the coach is still interested or that the school admits the recruit.