<p>OK...my son has been unofficially invited to some schools. Now that he is on spring break ,we are taking advantage and heading up to see 3 during this break, tomorrow(Friday). We have no idea what to expect. He is going to be meeting the head and assistant coach. What goes on during this "meeting:". Is it like an interview? What should we expect? Will they just want to talk to me son or us too?</p>
<p>Please anyone that can help us with what to expect, should he go with questions. If so what kinds of questions are appropriate. Is this the time to ask where he is on "their list" in terms of how serious they are or is it not the right time. Can we ask what the cutoff is for SAT/ACT scores,etc.....?</p>
<p>What will they be asking him? As we are learning about this process as we go along, this is one area we really know absolutely nothing. Though he is a lacrosse recruit, I am sure that all sports go through a similar process with regard to the visits.</p>
<p>I’m assuming he’s a junior. Unofficials tend to be casual. Coach will probably walk him around the facilities, introduce him to some other staff members, etc. The coach will want to know about his academics. If your son has everything on a resume, that can be a good way to segue to the question of whether his academics are in range of the typical recruit.</p>
<p>He can see how the conversation goes - but, personally I think it’s a little premature to ask the coach where he stands on the recruiting list. I know things happen early in LAX, but this is really a ‘get to know each other’ meeting.</p>
<p>I think it’s a good idea to email the coach post-meeting to thank him and reiterate his interest (if he’s interested, of course). Relax, take it in, and try to get a feel for what it might be like to attend school there.</p>
<p>I agree with Varska about the importance of sending the thank you, and would emphasize that is should be sent immediately. I know I’m a bit old school, but I would suggest a handwritten thank you sent by regular mail. I think emails tend to get overlooked and lost, and particularly these days a handwritten note gets more notice and attention and may give the appearance of a bit more maturity and seriousness. (Expect some resistance from S on this, but be firm. The importance is in timely sending the note, the content is secondary.)</p>
<p>At this point, I would be very careful about expressing anything less than total enthusiasm for the school unless, of course, there is absolutely no way S could ever see himself ever being interested in attending that school. Things change, coaches come and go, schools that seem interested in S suddenly lose interest, S hears something from other kids about a school that changes his mind, etc. Best to keep options open, express interest, get an offer, and control the decision to attend or not.</p>
<p>Finally, impress upon your son that while the meetings may appear informal and focused on catering to S, he is being observed and evaluated at all times while he is on campus and/or in the presence of any coach, player, administrator, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for these responses. So we will refrain from asking where he is on their list. What questions should we be prepared to answer? Also, when you say resume…can anyone point to me how that should look. I could have my son write something up, not that’s that much to write at 17 years old:-)</p>
<p>What types of questions are appropriate for him (and us) to ask? The 3 schools he is going to are all schools he would be overjoyed to attend. So we want to be sure they know of his sincere interest, and finally great tip on WRITING a thank you note. Excellent advice! Thanks.</p>
<p>the academic support that athletes get? (ie; are there designated team study hours/nights etc?) </p>
<p>if there is special housing for team athletes (ie; do the coaches want/encourage teammates to live together Freshman year?)</p>
<p>does ED/RD play a role in recruitment? (ie; are the vast majority of recruits signed on ED?)</p>
<p>Like others have said, the initial visits are casual…and while I agree that any meeting with a representative of a prospective college is an opportunity to make a good impression, I was pretty surprised to see how the coaches really went out of their way to impress US as well. If you son is on their radar this early in the game, they know that he’s probably going to have some good options…and as much as he has to “work it”…they do too. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Make sure you son is the primary one doing the talking. Definitely have him prepared with questions. He should also do a little research about each school you are visiting so he can point out things he already knows about the team and their successes etc.</p>
<p>re: how an athletic resume should look - do a google image search of ‘athletic resume’ and you’ll get some examples. </p>
<p>Others may disagree, but I would caution against the resume being too polished. Include all relevant info, of course - but I would refrain from doing a bunch of photos, special paper, etc. Coaches can tend to be leery of kids who they feel are really mass-marketing themselves. Like all of us, coaches want to feel special :)</p>
<p>It might be a nice touch to personalize the resume for each of the 3 schools.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>a page of Athletic Accomplishments (by school year, e.g., Junior Year - team captain, starting midfielder, All County First Team, State Regional Champions, etc.) with a Youtube link to his highlight film, and </p></li>
<li><p>a page of Academic Accomplishments (first listing any test scores (ACT, SAT, PSAT), weighted and unweighted GPA, class rank, etc., then any honors or awards you can think of - listed by school year, e.g., Sophomore Year - County Science Fair runner up, Dean’s list - and followed up by a list of AP and honors courses taken. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>S need not bring a physical copy with him, he can have a pdf on his phone and offer to email it to them if they want it.</p>
<p>And most definitely yes ^, work under the assumption that they will be forwarding anything you give them to Admissions.</p>
<p>Sounds like a page of separate things is more complicated than a single page of just a breakdown of his academic/lacrosse accomplishments (its not that long) I mean seriously how can a 17 year old have a real resume? This alone is intimidating! I think a single page synopsis if you will of what and who he is sounds like the way to go. Should a picture accompany this?
I cannot see any downside to this making it to admissions…am I missing something?</p>
<p>^about half the coaches where D took unofficials thanked her for the resume, but had her go ahead and fill out their questionnaire anyway. Probably because it made it easier for their data entry and to ensure they had all the info they needed. A pic isn’t a bad idea - we didn’t but I don’t think it could hurt.</p>
<p>and there’s no downside to the resume making it to admissions, just make sure the scores and GPA are consistent with the info admissions will receive.</p>
<p>We are headed out tom to see 9 schools with k2</p>
<p>Although all coaches get the athl res…- all prefer the questionaire as it connects with their recruiting software…so k2 completed all of those as well.</p>
<p>Hope every is having a good spring break touring schools</p>
<p>It is wise to be prepared to talk about the sport itself. The coach may ask about positions on the field that Dor S can/prefers to play. Review the completed schedule (online) for the team for the previous season. Ask about travel and academic support (including professors) for absence due to travel. Ask about the majors of current team members and be sure your choice of majors is possible to complete. Ask about financial support (usually at the end of visit with parents present) & how this changes over 4 years (if it does). Ask about potential for study abroad/internships & whether or not other team members are encouraged to participate. Ask about the graduation rate of athletes in 4 years. Ask about housing provided for 4 years. Ask about number of athletes who play on team for 4 years. Ask about requirements for summer and year round play as well as fitness training. What happens with injuries… Doctor, rehab, maintaining position on team. Coaches take visit most seriously when both parents sit down at end of visit for discussion. Also discuss timeline for making decision. This may be negotiable. Be sure student emails coach on a regular basis after visit.</p>
<p>Hi well we are back. Met 3 they went well. Son brought a basic resume, not padded just a real glimpse into who he is and accomplishments. Funny one coach looked at it and said how refreshing to see a resume that a kid actually put together and not an overly polished one!
They were very nice, accommodating, asked a lot of questions and we asked a lot too, let me son do most of the talking since that’s what they like. He had written many down. We were shown around and spent about an hour plus with each coach. They were quite nice.
Of the three, two seem extremely interested in my son and stated so. The third was honest in that he is nearly done with his potential list of recruits and my son is in the mix but not at the top. All three said by end of summer/early fall they will have a good solid list of the players that they would like, but that most actual decisions are not made until ED.</p>
<p>I was happy to hear that for such high ranked schools, they work with the athletes on board scores, etc…and do allow for flexibility. Phew! Doesn’t mean its a sure thing but they recognize the time factors that are pressed on these kids and are realistic. So overall it was a good visit that got us thinking about this journey and that if its meant to be it will happen. Of the two we visited, he is super interested in one in particular so he is very goal driven now more than ever. Wishing everyone else luck who is in the same boat.</p>