Do players enjoy the college soccer experience?

Obviously most posters on this site are parents. If there are any athletes out there who have played college soccer, I'd like to hear from you.

Do you/did you enjoy playing soccer in college? I ask because I know of some NT kids who went on to D1 college soccer and hated it. I also know of some who loved it.

I've read that college soccer players find that their experience is completely different from club soccer. It's more like a job than recreation. Some envy students who don't play on a college team because they lead a less structured life and have more free time; they call them "Regulars." I've read that the soccer players don't feel like they're necessarily the lucky ones.

College soccer is a job. My brother-in-law played at Creighton. 6am was a 12 mile run, then classes. Noon was weightroom for 1.5 hours, then a couple of afternoon classes. 3-6pm (or more) was practice, where they did endless drills, and very rarely scrimmaged. Then it was grab some food and get all your homework, laundry, socializing, etc. done. If he was in bed by midnight, it was a good night...then back up at 5:30am for the run. He received financial assistance for playing soccer. By his junior year, he had gone from loving the game to hating college soccer, and wanted to quit and just play rec. I convinced him to keep playing by reminding him that his parents could not afford to make up what he was receiving in assistance, and that he would have to get a job to make up the difference...so it was the choice of jobs really. He finished up and graduated.
My son went to college with some soccer money and had a similar schedule...he was not ready for the time constraints, and prioritized the socializing over the studying...oops. He is still in college, but not playing soccer.

Point is, college soccer has to be the player's choice - they have to commit to giving up the "college experience" in leiu of soccer. They get to go off and have the freedom from mom & dad's tyrannical rules, but they have to be ready to put rules on themselves so that they can burn both ends of the candle. It definitely can be done successfully, but I don't think fun comes into the equation much.

Club soccer doesn't really prepare you for the college experience. On the boys side, the USSoccer Academy is the better preparation - not from the quality of games, per se, but from the regimen. The first few years, US Soccer dictated how practices would be run, how often, how long, etc. My son played in US Soccer and hated it compared to playing on a classic league team...practices were not fun, games were stressful, etc...but he was more prepared for college soccer than his uncle who came out of the club system. I know both of these examples were from the boys side...and I could tell you how it works out with my DD, but that's 10 years off right now...

Completely concur with 10sdad. Its a job, and if its not their choice and true passion it will catch up with them.

My sister played and Georgetown and Baylor, it was a job. Went in loving the game (we thought), came out angry at the game.

I think something we as parents and the clubs could do is maybe provide a mentorship of sorts from ex or current players. Someone that can provide some insight into it and have it come from someone that our DDs may listen to a little closer than say mom or dad. Someone actually in the trenches.

I have heard all about the D1 programs and how it is your life but I wanted to give you a happier side to college soccer. On our 92's we had a player that played for Triumph all her select career, great player but was never really in love with the game but liked the social side it brought. Played on the State winning team in Coppell but quit HS soccer in her senior year. We had 7 girls with great committments to colleges but this girl was never going to play in college. Well her father lost his job so money was tight, looked at going to Texas State to keep costs down but not to play soccer. The team was playing in the Orange Classic in Miami but the player was not going because money was tight, we persauded them to go as it was our last tournament ever, she went and the rest is history. Got spotted by Flager (St Augustine FL) D2 school and is now in her Junior year on a full ride Athletic/Academic scholarship. Loving life, soccer, the beach. She says its perfect balance of study, soccer, social and down time. So the moral is if you want to play and have a balanced life those colleges are there and the better the player the easier the pick of which ones.

As others here have noted in other posts, it also depends what level you play in college as far as the experience goes. I played D3 soccer, & had a vastly different experience than 10sDad's brother-in-law. We had a daily 4 mile run in pre-season training in the afternoon, and then practice was 3-6pm everyday during the season. In the spring we scrimmaged 3-4 times a week to keep our touch up. I never felt overwhelmed with school by playing soccer, and it was a nice balance for me. Obviously no $ for d3, so it was truly just for love of the game.

My oldest is in grad school now and enjoying a hyper-competitive rec league, but she just finished up four fun years playing in the Pac-12 and loved every minute of it. Her schedule was not much different than my old A&M football weekly routine.. running, weights, film, position workouts, team practice.. We spent a lot of time her HS senior year discussing the demands of the student athlete and discipline required. A lot of changes hit them at once, and it’s not just soccer related ones that can derail DD. The distance from home, immediate and complete freedom, roommate issues, difficult courses and rigorous study can all cause stress and anxiety and send a kid packing. In our particular case, DD was more prepared for soccer than she was for the classwork, so the “job” schedule of soccer helped keep her focused and on track academically. Her teammates became a strong supportive circle of friends, and the athletic department had their own mentors and tutors to lean on as needed. They had plenty of leisure/fun time, especially off-season, and a few of the players had local family close by who acted as surrogate parents and gave them access to boating, horse riding, assisted with their stalled cars, bailed one out of jail, and otherwise helped keep them out of trouble, somewhat. Not to mention the athletic hall's dining/food was amazing and abundant. I went for the cooking as much as the games, lol. Anyway, that’s our particular experience with it..

A dear friends daughter played both club and high school soccer. Her HS team won the state title her senior year. She got a nice scholarship to play for a smaller D1 program and lasted one semester. In hindsight, the problem was the same as mentioned earlier--not knowing or being prepared for what to expect in college soccer. She went from playing almost 100% of her games to being a bench warmer. She was just not used to that role and felt hurt, trapped and alone since her support system was in a different state.

I got to speak with a sister of a college player, and the answer to your question at least for this individual was it was a great program to play for and a strong team of friends. I look forward to the day my 2 might end up on the pitch at that level.

I'm home with a kid sick with the flu so forgive the novel (PSA- Get your flu shots people! This isn't fun.)

I think SteamingBean has nailed it. I played a different sport at a SEC school. I had no idea what I was getting in to but just had the attitude that I'd try it to see if college sports were for me. It would have been great to have someone sit me down and give me a realistic look at the schedule and discipline needed to play D1 college sports. I think as long as you can commit to having those years revolve around your team and the sport that you can be successful. If you want a more balanced college experience I would choose something other than a D1 program.

I missed 15 of my freshman year English Comp classes either traveling to games or from being sick because I was so worn down. My first semester we traveled to Georgetown/Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Gainesville, Baton Rouge, and more... It was great fun but very hard to maintain excellent grades at the same time. During the season on a typical practice day after classes we had to arrive at the training room an hour or more before practice to get taped up because we were all injured, go to practice, back to the trainer to ice down, dinner as a team at the training table, then off to a 3 hour mandatory study hall before bed. That part was all fine when you were focused on games scattered between.

I found off-season miserable when there were no games to break up the work. Up at 5:30am to either run or have pool conditioning with the team, classes, practice run by upper classmen, training session led by strength coaches, training room, dinner and study hall all in one day. That semester sucked the joy out of the sport for me. I decided to not return after my freshman year even though I was starting by the end of the season. I just didn't enjoy it and it wasn't worth it to me. I considered transferring but instead ended up at A&M and had a great time playing pretty high level sports in the intramural program.

What I always recommend to someone considering to play college sports is to pick the coach first. They are in control of your life and make or break the experience. I know coaches can move but you don't want to get stuck with a bad one. The school itself is obviously very important but the player won't stay there if the coach is horrible. In my case I ended up with a crazy coach who tried to control every aspect of our lives down to how many fat grams we could eat a day. The upper classmen acted as her henchmen. I think I would have stuck it through if I would have chosen coach first over the amazing athletic facilities and reputation of the school I chose. Ask lots of questions on a recruiting trip and don't get too wowed by what a coach says when they are trying to sell themselves and the school to you.

weatherbug wrote:I'm home with a kid sick with the flu so forgive the novel (PSA- Get your flu shots people! This isn't fun.)

I think SteamingBean has nailed it. I played a different sport at a SEC school. I had no idea what I was getting in to but just had the attitude that I'd try it to see if college sports were for me. It would have been great to have someone sit me down and give me a realistic look at the schedule and discipline needed to play D1 college sports. I think as long as you can commit to having those years revolve around your team and the sport that you can be successful. If you want a more balanced college experience I would choose something other than a D1 program.

I missed 15 of my freshman year English Comp classes either traveling to games or from being sick because I was so worn down. My first semester we traveled to Georgetown/Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Gainesville, Baton Rouge, and more... It was great fun but very hard to maintain excellent grades at the same time. During the season on a typical practice day after classes we had to arrive at the training room an hour or more before practice to get taped up because we were all injured, go to practice, back to the trainer to ice down, dinner as a team at the training table, then off to a 3 hour mandatory study hall before bed. That part was all fine when you were focused on games scattered between.

I found off-season miserable when there were no games to break up the work. Up at 5:30am to either run or have pool conditioning with the team, classes, practice run by upper classmen, training session led by strength coaches, training room, dinner and study hall all in one day. That semester sucked the joy out of the sport for me. I decided to not return after my freshman year even though I was starting by the end of the season. I just didn't enjoy it and it wasn't worth it to me. I considered transferring but instead ended up at A&M and had a great time playing pretty high level sports in the intramural program.

What I always recommend to someone considering to play college sports is to pick the coach first. They are in control of your life and make or break the experience. I know coaches can move but you don't want to get stuck with a bad one. The school itself is obviously very important but the player won't stay there if the coach is horrible. In my case I ended up with a crazy coach who tried to control every aspect of our lives down to how many fat grams we could eat a day. The upper classmen acted as her henchmen. I think I would have stuck it through if I would have chosen coach first over the amazing athletic facilities and reputation of the school I chose. Ask lots of questions on a recruiting trip and don't get too wowed by what a coach says when they are trying to sell themselves and the school to you.

Excellent rundown on a typical day. Everyone needs to read this twice to get a good grasp on the day.

However, you need to add that this is after starting class at 8a.m. in the morning.
Also that taping was at 5:00, practice from 6-8pm, icedown from 8-830, dinner was 8:30 till 9:00 then you started the 3 hour studying.
Kids need to understand that its fun and you have to be displicine in order to have fun and keep your grades up.

Its Me wrote:

weatherbug wrote:I'm home with a kid sick with the flu so forgive the novel (PSA- Get your flu shots people! This isn't fun.)

I think SteamingBean has nailed it. I played a different sport at a SEC school. I had no idea what I was getting in to but just had the attitude that I'd try it to see if college sports were for me. It would have been great to have someone sit me down and give me a realistic look at the schedule and discipline needed to play D1 college sports. I think as long as you can commit to having those years revolve around your team and the sport that you can be successful. If you want a more balanced college experience I would choose something other than a D1 program.

I missed 15 of my freshman year English Comp classes either traveling to games or from being sick because I was so worn down. My first semester we traveled to Georgetown/Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Gainesville, Baton Rouge, and more... It was great fun but very hard to maintain excellent grades at the same time. During the season on a typical practice day after classes we had to arrive at the training room an hour or more before practice to get taped up because we were all injured, go to practice, back to the trainer to ice down, dinner as a team at the training table, then off to a 3 hour mandatory study hall before bed. That part was all fine when you were focused on games scattered between.

I found off-season miserable when there were no games to break up the work. Up at 5:30am to either run or have pool conditioning with the team, classes, practice run by upper classmen, training session led by strength coaches, training room, dinner and study hall all in one day. That semester sucked the joy out of the sport for me. I decided to not return after my freshman year even though I was starting by the end of the season. I just didn't enjoy it and it wasn't worth it to me. I considered transferring but instead ended up at A&M and had a great time playing pretty high level sports in the intramural program.

What I always recommend to someone considering to play college sports is to pick the coach first. They are in control of your life and make or break the experience. I know coaches can move but you don't want to get stuck with a bad one. The school itself is obviously very important but the player won't stay there if the coach is horrible. In my case I ended up with a crazy coach who tried to control every aspect of our lives down to how many fat grams we could eat a day. The upper classmen acted as her henchmen. I think I would have stuck it through if I would have chosen coach first over the amazing athletic facilities and reputation of the school I chose. Ask lots of questions on a recruiting trip and don't get too wowed by what a coach says when they are trying to sell themselves and the school to you.

Excellent rundown on a typical day. Everyone needs to read this twice to get a good grasp on the day.

However, you need to add that this is after starting class at 8a.m. in the morning.
Also that taping was at 5:00, practice from 6-8pm, icedown from 8-830, dinner was 8:30 till 9:00 then you started the 3 hour studying.
Kids need to understand that its fun and you have to be displicine in order to have fun and keep your grades up.

Wow. I am out of touch. If I am reading this correctly you are female, and getting training table. That was strictly the realm of football in my day. I figured it up my freshman year (I got redshirted, so no competition) at 20 hours a week being burned on workouts alone. I didn't count study hall, since I figured I would be studying anyway, and as they did not have anyone at the "minor sport" study hall (again football had their own) that could help me with calculus, etc., so I got a pass to go to the various help sessions put on by the departments at the library.

I would have loved to have gotten the minimum meal plan. No icedown, the cafeteria would have been closed by then, and I couldn't afford to go anywhere else.

JeffM wrote:

Its Me wrote:

weatherbug wrote:I'm home with a kid sick with the flu so forgive the novel (PSA- Get your flu shots people! This isn't fun.)

I think SteamingBean has nailed it. I played a different sport at a SEC school. I had no idea what I was getting in to but just had the attitude that I'd try it to see if college sports were for me. It would have been great to have someone sit me down and give me a realistic look at the schedule and discipline needed to play D1 college sports. I think as long as you can commit to having those years revolve around your team and the sport that you can be successful. If you want a more balanced college experience I would choose something other than a D1 program.

I missed 15 of my freshman year English Comp classes either traveling to games or from being sick because I was so worn down. My first semester we traveled to Georgetown/Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Gainesville, Baton Rouge, and more... It was great fun but very hard to maintain excellent grades at the same time. During the season on a typical practice day after classes we had to arrive at the training room an hour or more before practice to get taped up because we were all injured, go to practice, back to the trainer to ice down, dinner as a team at the training table, then off to a 3 hour mandatory study hall before bed. That part was all fine when you were focused on games scattered between.

I found off-season miserable when there were no games to break up the work. Up at 5:30am to either run or have pool conditioning with the team, classes, practice run by upper classmen, training session led by strength coaches, training room, dinner and study hall all in one day. That semester sucked the joy out of the sport for me. I decided to not return after my freshman year even though I was starting by the end of the season. I just didn't enjoy it and it wasn't worth it to me. I considered transferring but instead ended up at A&M and had a great time playing pretty high level sports in the intramural program.

What I always recommend to someone considering to play college sports is to pick the coach first. They are in control of your life and make or break the experience. I know coaches can move but you don't want to get stuck with a bad one. The school itself is obviously very important but the player won't stay there if the coach is horrible. In my case I ended up with a crazy coach who tried to control every aspect of our lives down to how many fat grams we could eat a day. The upper classmen acted as her henchmen. I think I would have stuck it through if I would have chosen coach first over the amazing athletic facilities and reputation of the school I chose. Ask lots of questions on a recruiting trip and don't get too wowed by what a coach says when they are trying to sell themselves and the school to you.

Excellent rundown on a typical day. Everyone needs to read this twice to get a good grasp on the day.

However, you need to add that this is after starting class at 8a.m. in the morning.
Also that taping was at 5:00, practice from 6-8pm, icedown from 8-830, dinner was 8:30 till 9:00 then you started the 3 hour studying.
Kids need to understand that its fun and you have to be displicine in order to have fun and keep your grades up.

Wow. I am out of touch. If I am reading this correctly you are female, and getting training table. That was strictly the realm of football in my day. I figured it up my freshman year (I got redshirted, so no competition) at 20 hours a week being burned on workouts alone. I didn't count study hall, since I figured I would be studying anyway, and as they did not have anyone at the "minor sport" study hall (again football had their own) that could help me with calculus, etc., so I got a pass to go to the various help sessions put on by the departments at the library.

I would have loved to have gotten the minimum meal plan. No icedown, the cafeteria would have been closed by then, and I couldn't afford to go anywhere else.

Yep, female with training table! Football had their own everything, but the rest of us shared a second athletic dining hall and athletic training facility (everyone from men's basketball to women's gymnastics). We were done by practice in time to hit it. Our coach didn't think you should ever eat after 8pm. If we finished up even a tournament game late all we got to eat that night was a bagel to hold us over. She was crazy. As far as tutors go, if you needed a tutor in any subject they would find one for you. My roommate decided to take Swahili for a foreign language. They found a very nice gentleman to come in and work with her. There were some perks for sure.

If the players aren't enjoying it they are at the wrong college.

My DD is a freshman at one of the minor Div I schools and has enjoyed her 1st year immensely. The time involved is not overwhelming at all. She had initially planned to pledge a sorority but found that her team mates were her sorority. She's done very well academically in her 1st semester and made a lot of friends on campus in addition to her team mates. Her only problem, and it's one that a lot of her club team mates that went to Div I schools have, is the lack of playing time. She realizes that her time will come but it's hard for her to watch the games from the sidelines. (Hard for me too). Her club team mates that went to Div III or NAIA colleges are getting on the field a lot sooner. This is something to consider when deciding where to go.

Women's college soccer a job? If it's a job it should produce a professional product on the field. Did anyone see the Div I semifinals & final matches? You could go down to the Harold Patterson fields and watch a U16 2nd division boys match and see more skill, flair, and entertaining soccer.

If the elite women's programs are relentlessly grinding their players down (as some previous posters have suggested) and only producing soccer of this highly mediocre caliber, you have to wonder what's the point.

Do not kid yourself - women's soccer is purely an amateur sport, of interest to players, friends. and family only. Don't confuse it with football or basketball. It's for enjoyment only.

DD has talked to a lot of coaches and girls currently on teams. Her/our general observations:
-Most of the girls love it.
-A few are gutting it out because they can't walk away from the scholarship.
-Walk ons can happen. Know of 2 major keeps who are walk ons.
-Full rides are rare. Around $6k is the norm.
-Most schools will waive out of state tuition, which can be significant.
- The bad experiences are usually do to a bad coaching fit.
-1 SMU girl walked, joined a sorority and is now having the college experience she wants. She wasn't into the demands necessary to play D1 soccer.
-Several parents, a couple from various ECNL teams, thought offers were in the bag only to have the coach go cold. They later found out their club coach said negative things to the college coach. (One of these players went on to get an offer from a much better program once the negative coach was out of the loop.) All found homes, just not where they initially thought they were going. Be flexible.
-While the player needs to make and maintain the coaching contacts, many of the club teams with multiple great placements have coaches that do on request, contact the college coach and help close the deal. ECNL helps alot, but not all of these coaches/girls are from ECNL teams.
-Many players said do not commit early. The team/school you think you want as a freshman won't be your dream school senior year. (While we've heard this many times, with the current system and earlier scouting, probably not practical advise if you are aiming for a top team.)
-Do try to figure out the real coaching philosophy and team dynamics. Freshman year, dd had a great interaction/try out at a large SEC ID camp. The coach even took her around campus alone in his golf cart, asked her a lot of questions since he did not know her. He even had her leave the camp group and scrimmage with the college team. DD felt some odd dynamics/tension when she was with the team. For what ever reason, turns out the team as a whole does not like one another, they are not supportive of each other off the field, and do not provide that necessary support system a player does need if they are going to play in a top D1 program. Learning experience and she decided this team/program is a bad fit.
-Some college coaches will not let their players join a sorority.
-At one school, all the girls tended to join one particular sorority, Phi Mu.
-One early phenom stud went to the school/team of her dreams - Wake Forest and then never saw the field. Her charmed soccer career hit a brick wall in college.
-At many schools, the intramural teams can be fairly competative and play organized games against other schools. No matter what, all good since the school and academic program is first.

I think DD keeper coach's advise is some of the best she's had. You have no idea what a coach needs, likes or is looking for on any given day. A D3 coach may give you the have a nice life signal only to have a top D1 program fall in love with your DD. In addition to having the necessary skills, so much of it being at the right place at the right time.

Guess the overall impression we have is do your homework and talk to anyone who may have good information. Have realistic expectations. Sort the info both good and bad. Then make your decision. Don't get lured by the name or hold your nose on NAIA/D3 if the school/coach feels like a good fit.

"He even had her leave the camp group and scrimmage with the college team"

I could be wrong but I don't think so. Unless the rules have changed since my day, having a college recruit practice with a college team is a NCAA violation. It is very likely that some of the college girls knew it

At the time, we weren't aware of that rule but I believe in this situation it is was planned so that it would not be an NCAA violation. (I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong.) This is the only time this has happened. Also, lack of detail since doing more as bullet points. This was a well attended ID camp because top large school. The freshman/sophmore girls were grouped away from the junior/senior girls. The team was participating in the camp as counselors. Their keeper was working and training with the keeper group which was another group of about 10. The junior/senior girls were scrimmaging each other along with members of the team who were aka camp counselors. I think on the recommendation of the keeper, my DD (freshman) was picked up by the coach in his golf cart and driven over to the older group to join in their joint older camper/team mixed group camp scrimmage.

I'm not judging, just saying. It is the Coach's responsibity to insure the rules are followed.

The dd is a freshman in college playing soccer as a scholarship athlete. The information provided in this message string has been good and is pretty consistent with our experience. The DD had offers from several DI schools only to turn them down and accept a great offer from an NAIA school…because she is smarter than her ol’ man. She has a pretty particularized degree program and chose her school because it was one of the best in the country for that program, she loved the coach, was a really good fit for the soccer program as she brought something soccer wise the coach was needing and she loved.. LOVED the campus.

Early on we set out a list of priorities which she was able to stick with even though it was not always easy, particularly when the wind up the skirt began to blow. This is nothing new, but just how we approached the process…and it is a process.

1. Academics first…going to school to get an education for life. So be sure the school is the right academic fit. Right degree program, right location, right resources...etc.

2. Coach. You really need to find the right coach fit. If the dd and the coach aren’t a good fits then no one is going to be too happy over the long haul. Is the coach a team builder or is more the mercenary type which pits players against each other for competitive reasons. We met both and so will you…pick which flavor you want. It is true that coaches come and go so you need to watch this one. The coach won’t tell you if he is looking for a new job or if his job is on the line. In fact one of the DI schools that was high up on my dd’s list (and which made her an offer) the coach left. Not sure how the dd and the new coach would have meshed…this one is really hard to predict or control. But note the earlier the dd commits the more likely there could be a coaching change…the dd may not fit into the new coach’s vision for the program. So look at how long the coach has been on the job and where they were previously. Does the coach have any other ties to the school…such as were they alum; spouse graduated from the school; the school is located in their “hometown” and such.

3. Where does the dd fit soccer wise with the program? Does she bring what the team needs or is she the fifth midfielder in the recruiting class coming into an existing roster with four starting sophomore midfielders. So if the dd is behind an established starting lineup in her position, is she willing to change positions or sit and wait for her turn…or not. We all, including the dd, believe that she can come in and win that starting position, but try to match expectations with reality and be cautious of an upsell by a coach. Is the team/players so good she will never see any significant play time or is the team/players so bad that they get drubbed every game and the sport becomes an exercise in frustration. You might check how many players transfer out of the program...could give you an idea if expectations/promises are being met.

4. The “ick” factor. So let’s say items 1, 2 and 3 are good. Spend so time at the school away from the soccer stuff. One of the schools recruiting my dd seemed pretty good on the first three items but when we went to campus, away from the “official visit” tour the “ick” factor kicked in. DD just did not like the campus and just could not see herself spending the next four years there. Big school vs small school…bored vs overwhelmed…just try to keep an open mind. Some kids want that big school with all the big school stuff…others like my dd do not find that so important or they actually don't care one way or the other. This factor can be a really a pretty big deal when you are talking about overall “fit” of a school.

Playing college soccer is time consuming and hard...no matter the level of competition. The expectations for performance go up…after all they are investing in the player and there is a business side of the equation that must be accounted for.

Balancing academics with training/playing/team obligations is hard but enjoyable if the dd is in the right place. So the four factors helped (but did not guarantee) that the dd found the right fit for her. So after semester 1, it looks like we got lucky and it has been great. DD loves the school, the coach, the team, is a starter and 90 minute player as a freshman which meets her competitive expectations and the team is competitive so she is loving soccer. Would all this have been true at the DI schools at which she was being recruited….perhaps...perhaps not. But from my perspective….So far a big success!

So it is about finding the right fit…and that is going to be different for each kiddo. Very likely what they think they want at the beginning of the process is not what they end up wanting. How much they enjoy playing soccer in college may depend on how close they get to finding the right fit. So keep an open mind and stay on point. Good luck.

A couple folks on this string have recommended that it's better to wait on committing. Committing later than sooner... How does that work? How long do you have to make a commitment to a school? How long are offers "valid"? If you wait to make a commitment to a school, do you risk losing the offer?

bigtex75081 wrote:A couple folks on this string have recommended that it's better to wait on committing. Committing later than sooner... How does that work? How long do you have to make a commitment to a school? How long are offers "valid"? If you wait to make a commitment to a school, do you risk losing the offer?

You are always at risk of a college offering one spot to a couple of different kids. I remember the story of a SEC school that had three recruits and their parents in a room during an unofficial visit. Said they had one spot available and the first person that commits gets it. One spoke up. There is no way I would let my dd make the choice like that but it happens.

The risk of waiting too long is that the college your dd may be interested in commits their money early and has none left by the time your dd makes up her mind.

I enjoyed playing college soccer until my last 2 years. I loved playing for the first coach I played for. If any of you have ever watched Survivor you prob know who my first coach was. He was a great coach, he out coached many of the coaches he coached again, we won games we never should have technically been able to be competitive in. We had a very tight team, we pushed each other very hard. There was little difference between the level of play between starters and non starters. I became a better keeper then i thought i would ever be. There were times that I was not happy with decisions that were made but at the end of the day i still loved soccer, i loved my team, i loved everything about. I learned some life lessons. The coaches were so willing to help me with my goals both while playing college soccer and after. I still speak with my former coach. I became a more disciplined player, i got more fit then i had ever been in my life. our team had success we had 9 or more wins in each season, we had one of top defenses in the nation. We also were the team everyone hated to play at times because of some of our pregame we did a focus music time at home games on the field where we would visualize our play, other teams half the time thought we were crazy, but i loved it. We did a lot together as a team, we enjoyed the experience. I am so happy that I got this opportunity first otherwise i may not have made it all 4 years. I am so grateful for my first college coach for pushing me and our team to be the best. This particular coach was not a fit for everyone by any means. I started out as a player without a scholarship and earned my through working hard. This particular coach rewarded players for working hard. Example if a really good player gave a half effort he would give scholarships to some of those that were harder working. The whole coaching staff was awesome.

New coach came in and everything changed. He screwed over all the players from the previous coach funny the last time my school had a winning record was when most of the team was still the previous coaches players. Since then the program has gone significantly down hill. The coach (not the girls) caused team drama causing splits amongst the players on the field. It was crazy! The girls hated each other. The coach would do things like forget h is players were at games, and play players who would literally stand on the field and do absolutely nothing. The only thing good in my last two years of college soccer was when we got to go to Brazil. I also had instances in which my coach from the last 2 years did things that made me very uncomfortable at times. In my senior year of college he had promised me a half year scholarship (i would graduate in Dec so wouldnt need money for the spring), my roomate was in the same situation. He all of a sudden tried to say he didnt have the money. However both me and my roomate went to the athletic director and all of a sudden he came up with 8,000 between the two of us. Interesting for someone who had no money left. IT was very frustrating. I feel like even if you have a new coach take over if the players buy in and do everything to do what you want them to you should be respectful of your players and not treat them like they are nothing. I was actually told in game that the coach forgot i was even on the team, i had talked to him 15 minutes before when i was supposed to go into the game. He later admitted it. Also did a huge speech on how it was important against one of the weaker teams in the conference to play our starters but he played all our back up players. We lost. I know this is not necessarily uncommon i know coaches promise money at times and take away or they promise one thing and go in an opposite directions. it happens im sure it has happened to some of the kiddos of the parents on here. This particular coach looks excellent on paper but when it comes to on the field not good at all. The only reason I decided to play my final season was because I am not quitter never have been was going to finish. I hated soccer for a while.

Everyone's experience will be difference some will be good others will be bad. Doing your homework is very important. Talk to the players, former players, faculty ,staff. Get a good idea of who your DD is going to play for.

D2 and D3 definitely great options to D1. D1 great but others have some great things about them as well! Some might be surprised to see how competitive and good some of the D2 and D3 teams are. There is some good soccer at all levels. I coached at a D3 school last year. We had several players who started on D1 schools or had d 1 offers but decided to play D3. We had a great season last year. It was very competitive and good soccer. I played Division II its a great balance where scholarship for soccer is still available, but academics/social life still possible. Loved playing D2 soccer because it was the right fit for me

ekk what team did you play for? Thats a pretty wild experience

DrSoccer wrote:ekk what team did you play for? Thats a pretty wild experience

A quick google search of 'Survivor soccer coach' and your question will be answered.... I would guess up in Missouri.. religiously affiliated school....

notsontx good info, keep in mind that on a lot of D1 competitive college teams the top 14-15 players get 80% or more of the playtime (and the money) So if you are going to be player #17 on a team you may not play much. Also regarding money, if the coach expects dd to come in and start frosh yr you should be on a full. If he says your dd will start but only offers 75%, you need to ask for a full. If he expects/hopes she will contribute she should be 50-75, if you're on less than 40-50 then the coach isn't counting on you to contribute right away, and is just taking a chance or insurance. But 50% to attend the school of your dreams can be a good thing even if you are watching the soccer team from the bench. Also be aware that most teams only travel with 18 so if you have a roster of 28, 10 girls are staying home.