I thought I would share my experiences here. Maybe they can help others by telling our story. I haven't been able to get on this site in a while. Glad my work changed some settings and for now, I am back.
My DD- She is a 2017 P, who has been playing up in age group for the past 3 or 4 years. I consider her really good, but not great. We play against top level Gold teams. She can hold her own. Most teams are impressed she is only a 2017.
Her TB team is a mid level 18U Gold team. The team focuses on showcase events and does not compete for any of the alphabet titles. Her coach has a lot of DII and smaller DI contacts.
Getting discovered- If you are waiting for some school to walk by your DD and "find" her, there are going to be a lot of stressful evenings in your future. My DD has an idea of what she wants to study and we have a list of about 20 schools that would work for her chosen path. She wants to be a Physical Therapist, so sending emails to business schools is pretty much a waste. She sends on average, 10 emails to schools on her list for every showcase we go to. Most of them are bigger DII or DI schools. Very few ever respond. At first I was put off, but have since learned they are not allowed to respond yet. They can send her info on their camps, which they have all done. It is when you actually go to the camps on their campus where you will see if they are interested. I will say that quite often at her games, the schools she sends her schedule to, will be there watching.
The money- Here is where it gets scary. I now believe that in some cases, it makes sense to be a preferred walk on, with zero athletic aid. We live in a state where all but one state school is DI. There is one DII state school. That means that all the other DII schools in the state are private. I may not be a math major, but 50% of $40,000.00 a year is still $20,000. So let's say my DD gets an offer to a private DII that is only 25% the first year. She is on the hook for $30k. She gets a walk on offer at a DI, with no money the first year. That may only cost $20-$25k. She would still get all of her academic money at each school. So the better deal could be the DI with no athletic money the first year. Also, take a serious look at junior colleges. We live in Florida, where the JC's are all DI. They have money to give. Typically the JC's will pay 100% for your DD. What is even better, your DD keeps any academic money she may have earned.(bright future's, pre paid college, etc) So you can go to school for two years, buy a car and walk away with zero student loans. Now you have options on continuing play at a 4 year school or focusing on finishing a 4 year degree. It really is a great deal for kids that do not have the money or don't want to leave college with a ton of student loans. Some of the JC's in our state can compete with most DI schools on the field. Loaded with talent and get their kids placed in 4 year schools. This is not the way we are leaning, but nice to know it is there to fall back with.
How to get your kids name out there- You really have two options. If you are looking for a Top 25 DI school, you really should be playing on a high level TB team that will be playing either ASA Nationals or Premier Nationals. Most of those teams have a relationship with the top schools and can really point your DD in the right direction. Your other choice is to attend the camps of the schools of choice. You need to be the squeaky wheel. Send emails that you are coming to the camp. Thank them afterwards. Send your game schedules for every showcase they will be attending. Send occasional follow up emails, just to check in. They should ALL come from your DD. Finally set a time to tour the campus and meet with the coach in their office. Make sure they will be on campus when you are there. They can talk to you on campus.
The biggest thing we have learned is that there is a college out there for just about all the girls who want to put the time in. You have to work hard to find the right one. You will make mistakes. Keep at it. Never do anything to close a door. Watch your kids facebook and other social media. The coaches will look. I will continue to update my DD's journey. She has two holiday camps scheduled at two of her colleges of choice. One is a DI and the other is DII. We do expect something to happen shortly. If it doesn't, we have plans for other schools in place and are not in panic mode. It is a long journey. I wouldn't change a thing.
My DD- She is a 2017 P, who has been playing up in age group for the past 3 or 4 years. I consider her really good, but not great. We play against top level Gold teams. She can hold her own. Most teams are impressed she is only a 2017.
Her TB team is a mid level 18U Gold team. The team focuses on showcase events and does not compete for any of the alphabet titles. Her coach has a lot of DII and smaller DI contacts.
Getting discovered- If you are waiting for some school to walk by your DD and "find" her, there are going to be a lot of stressful evenings in your future. My DD has an idea of what she wants to study and we have a list of about 20 schools that would work for her chosen path. She wants to be a Physical Therapist, so sending emails to business schools is pretty much a waste. She sends on average, 10 emails to schools on her list for every showcase we go to. Most of them are bigger DII or DI schools. Very few ever respond. At first I was put off, but have since learned they are not allowed to respond yet. They can send her info on their camps, which they have all done. It is when you actually go to the camps on their campus where you will see if they are interested. I will say that quite often at her games, the schools she sends her schedule to, will be there watching.
The money- Here is where it gets scary. I now believe that in some cases, it makes sense to be a preferred walk on, with zero athletic aid. We live in a state where all but one state school is DI. There is one DII state school. That means that all the other DII schools in the state are private. I may not be a math major, but 50% of $40,000.00 a year is still $20,000. So let's say my DD gets an offer to a private DII that is only 25% the first year. She is on the hook for $30k. She gets a walk on offer at a DI, with no money the first year. That may only cost $20-$25k. She would still get all of her academic money at each school. So the better deal could be the DI with no athletic money the first year. Also, take a serious look at junior colleges. We live in Florida, where the JC's are all DI. They have money to give. Typically the JC's will pay 100% for your DD. What is even better, your DD keeps any academic money she may have earned.(bright future's, pre paid college, etc) So you can go to school for two years, buy a car and walk away with zero student loans. Now you have options on continuing play at a 4 year school or focusing on finishing a 4 year degree. It really is a great deal for kids that do not have the money or don't want to leave college with a ton of student loans. Some of the JC's in our state can compete with most DI schools on the field. Loaded with talent and get their kids placed in 4 year schools. This is not the way we are leaning, but nice to know it is there to fall back with.
How to get your kids name out there- You really have two options. If you are looking for a Top 25 DI school, you really should be playing on a high level TB team that will be playing either ASA Nationals or Premier Nationals. Most of those teams have a relationship with the top schools and can really point your DD in the right direction. Your other choice is to attend the camps of the schools of choice. You need to be the squeaky wheel. Send emails that you are coming to the camp. Thank them afterwards. Send your game schedules for every showcase they will be attending. Send occasional follow up emails, just to check in. They should ALL come from your DD. Finally set a time to tour the campus and meet with the coach in their office. Make sure they will be on campus when you are there. They can talk to you on campus.
The biggest thing we have learned is that there is a college out there for just about all the girls who want to put the time in. You have to work hard to find the right one. You will make mistakes. Keep at it. Never do anything to close a door. Watch your kids facebook and other social media. The coaches will look. I will continue to update my DD's journey. She has two holiday camps scheduled at two of her colleges of choice. One is a DI and the other is DII. We do expect something to happen shortly. If it doesn't, we have plans for other schools in place and are not in panic mode. It is a long journey. I wouldn't change a thing.
Honestly, seems like it's 85 percent of softball players. Makes me wonder if schools offering those majors are even more competitive and everybody is getting a list of those schools and their softball coaches.
