<p>My S has a good friend in the same sport that is looking at the same schools. What does the forum think about them taking a "road trip" to visit schools (this is D3, so the visits are "unofficial" and talk to coaches by themselves. They have both been on visits already, so they know (at least somewhat) what to ask the coaches and what to look for.</p>
<p>Pros/cons?</p>
<p>I would not send two friends off to meet with a coach without parents along. I don’t think it looks good and the coach might view them as a “package deal” and what if he doesn’t want both. I’m not a fan of taking friends on college visits anyway though.</p>
<p>It can work in some cases. Son and his teammate were both being recruited by the same D1 and they went together to watch a practice, meet with coaches, etc. The day was more informational than anything, and each received their offers over the phone a week or two later.</p>
<p>You have to cut the apron strings at some point. </p>
<p>If you are afraid the kids will somehow screw up their chances with the coach, don’t worry. First the coach has seen plenty of HS kids and plenty of college freshman.</p>
<p>If you are afraid they won’t ask all the right questions and get all the information, don’t worry. If the kid is going to get recruited by this school there will be plenty of opportunities to ask followup questions by phone or email.</p>
<p>Just got back from an UV today. I think it depends on the coach and maybe the sport…I was looking for signs from the coach that maybe he wanted to speak to D on her own, but he invited me into his office warmly and said he really liked it when parents came to these visits because parents were usually much more cautious about the coach’s words of encouragement, and served to balance the recruit’s enthusiasm a bit. :)</p>
<p>I was ready to go take a walk around campus but ended up really enjoying the hour or more we spent with him, and it was good to be able to hash out what was said with D.</p>
<p>Another thing, D has a friend who is looking at the same schools but is not as strong an athlete. She often feels bad/guilty that she is getting recruiting interest where her friend is not. I would be just a wee bit cautious if there is any chance the schools might be interested in one kid and not the other, for whatever reason.</p>
<p>I would absolutely let them go. They will get a better sense of the school without parents coming along. All coaches prefer to talk directly to the athletes, they just deal with us parents because they think we expect it. The whole rest of the college experience is dealt directly with the athlete. So much better if the focus is on the athlete and not the parents.</p>