Stanford specifically telling applicants that they are expected to take honor and AP classes when available. All As are not equal. Class rank is indeed another factor to consider.Originally Posted by tg643
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Stanford specifically telling applicants that they are expected to take honor and AP classes when available. All As are not equal. Class rank is indeed another factor to consider.
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This is one example of the cheap As. There are also non-honor classes where teacher's bar for A is very low.
College workload is a lot heavier than HS. But the deciding factor is the competition. You run into equally smart peers so someone has to give, just like baseball itself.Funny you mention the engineering student. My son never struggled in HS but is now at Cal Poly as a Materials Engineer major and he is stressed out of his mind. His first quarter grades made him wonder if he could make it or not. He has finally figured out how to manage his time better but every mid term it is back to the stress and the fear of AP.
Curmudgeon
Yes, and no. Some school systems don't provide unweighted gpa. Colleges recalculate along the lines of class difficulty, grade, and many other factors. A 4.0 GPA with no AP/IB classes isn't better than a 3.4 GPA taking all Honors/IB/AP.
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My point is a 4.5 at ABC High versus a 4.4 at XYZ High doesn't mean anything to the college. One high school might give 1.0 more for AP and gifted where another high school might give only .5. It's why the high end academic colleges asked my kids unweighted gpa, what they took for courses and class rank. Even class rank can be misleading. A college teammate of mine was valedictorian at his high school in the inner city ghetto. He referred to it like being the best skier from the Bahamas. He was the first person in his family to graduate from high school.
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Tg did you play for Duke or UPenn?
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I played in the PAC 8.
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The following pertains to softball but was a post I made with regards to the recruiting process my child went through:
- Grades do matter! We've found that every school wants to know GPA, Class Rank, and ACT. 24 on the ACT is the bottom of what most want in terms of additional scholarship monies.
- If you are waiting until the Junior or Senior year, you've probably waited too long.
- What program you play for in the summer and who that coach is is very important. Some summer coaches have a lot of influence on college coaches. Some, regardless of whether they admit it or not, don't have much influence.
- Ok, so I'm going to make some enemies here but HS stats really don't matter to most college coaches. They want to know what the level of competition is that you play in hs or summer. In the summer, if you are playing an ASA schedule for most, it is important. If you can play "Gold" do it. My dd's team placed 2nd in the nation in NSA in Chattanooga this past summer. 12 states represented and all high quality. However, one D-I coach stated that if this team was "that good," why didn't they play ASA. This school remains interested and a lot has to do with the summer schedule which included several highly respected showcases. I do believe ASA has made some major mistakes and will lose their hold on the mindset of college coaches. That hasn't happened yet in the midwest.
- It is up to the parents to sell the player. However, there is a fine line with college coaches. Many, if not a lot, don't like talking to parents. In saying that, the person you pick to coach your child in the summer will have a direct impact on who knows about her. Of the 3 or 4 schools that have made offers and of the other 2 or 3 that want us to come on visits, all have been instigated by my daughter's summer coach. As a parent, I followed up but know the line.
- WE MADE A MAJOR MISTAKE IN RECURITMENT. My daughter received a lot of mail from one D-I school in particular. She went for an unofficial vist. We sent her to a camp there. The coaching staff came to watch her play several times. We went several times to watch them play. Daughter bought 3 or 4 shirts and plus camp shirt wore this school's shirt every day of the week to school. QUICK NOTE, THEY CAN EMAIL THAT OFFER IF THEY ARE THAT INTERESTED DURING THAT JUNIOR YEAR! She received an email saying that they were going to offer her. WE STOPPED SEEKING ANY OTHER OFFERS. Brianna would get a great education and have the chance to play in front of my family, including her grandparents, all the time. It seemed perfect. Brianna had all of the emails, pictures of the team/Christmas Card, ... all displayed on her "The Dream" bullitin board in her room. We called for her to make the official visit. They resended the offer when they got a verbal from another player. I have to take the blame for that. For the college coaches, it is a business. I allowed my daughter to get emotionallly close to a coaching staff.
This post was from a few years ago but I hope it helps some.
Granny said Sonny stick to your guns if you believe in something no matter what. Because it's better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you're not.
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The major difference between boys and girls is after junior year is prime time for boys. Since girls physically mature sooner they can be evaluated at a younger age. After junior year is too late for D1. My daughter verballed in the fall of her junior year after post soph summer ball.
It's been eight years since I went through the softball process. But I had the same response as the D1 coach when I saw NSA. But, any tournament where the right coach is in attendance is a good tournament.
Last edited by tg643; 12-21-2012 at 10:26 AM.
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Well, as long as you accept the blame! Remember, you need to keep a spot for him on your couch as he needs it! I'm sure he ended up doing just fine, but you are right, many kids simply could not manage their time well in their fall freshman term.
Coaching 101 Moderator
Folks,
I deleted posts for obvious reasons....
Jake
"He who dares to teach, must never cease to learn."
- John Cotton Dana (1856–1929) - Offered to many by L. Olson - Iowa (Teacher)
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Well there are other major differences but another one is a boy can earn money by going pro.
Registered User
Your comment has absolutely ZERO to do with college recruiting. As usual you're adding nothing to the conversation other than an attempt to degrade women and place men above them in terms of importance.
Registered User
This..for dd's college is IT..except for of course Team USA and the handful of girls who now play overseas. Because the "age window" is smaller the recruiting is earlier...and college softball is big business now. There are not as many back room conversations with pro clubs' scouts like in baseball.
Super Moderator
Apparently, I messed up posting what my child went through. Yes, there are major difference and so, I apologize for posting it. If the OP wants my post removed, let me know via pm and I'll do so.
Granny said Sonny stick to your guns if you believe in something no matter what. Because it's better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you're not.
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I merely stated a FACT. What father doesn't aspire for his son to go pro?
Now if cooking were a sport my daughters would be gold class Olympians.
Baseball Voodoo
You may want to read about pro Fastpitch. Keep up, trad. I know 3 girl pros.
Last edited by songtitle; 12-22-2012 at 11:10 AM.
eFastball.com hitting and pitching fact checker
Curmudgeon
Hasn't that league folded a number of times? IMO, the highest level in softball is the National Team, now that softball is gone from the Olympics.
Super Moderator
My daughter played against the Chicago Bandits last year. Had a good game. Go look at their roster. Some really good softball players on that team:
http://www.chicagobandits.com/team/roster/
Granny said Sonny stick to your guns if you believe in something no matter what. Because it's better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you're not.
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My two cents:
1. Read the NCAA Student Guide – and register if you have any hopes of D1 or D3 ball, as it’s not just necessary for getting scholarship money. The registration also determines if you have any amateurism issues.
2. Take the SAT or ACT no later than the fall of your Junior Year – agreed that this is too late. Spring of Junior year is the latest, particularly if you’re aiming for D3 schools or those with tough academic qualifications. As to the “weighted/unweighted” debate, it’s sort of a matter of semantics, as you’ll need a good unweighted GPA plus a reasonable number of AP or IB (International Baccalaureate) courses that top academic schools demand and that affect the weighting. Also, you’ll want to have at least a couple of those AP classes in the junior year, so you have the scores available by summer. (And, sorry, Jake, while schools are troubled by the SAT and ACT, there's no realistic chance that a sizable number will abandon use of them any time soon.
4. Visit sites such as hsbaseballweb.org and College Confidential's Athletics Forum to gain information. For those looking D3, http://www.d3baseball.com is a also good resource, as is RecruitingRealities.com
6. Videotape yourself and edit the tape to submit to college coaches. Agreed - no music. Oh, and put it on YouTube with a ‘private’ URL address that only coaches you contact with it can see; coaches don’t want to have to dig through piles of DVD’s to find yours when they’re trying to decide about your kid – it’s easier to just grab your kid’s email and click on the YouTube link in it. I disagree that highlights are always unhelpful, as it depends on what position you play and what your skills are. If you’re a power pitcher or power hitter, a couple of 92 MPH heaters in the pen or a few 400-foot shots in BP may be enough, alongside some reasonable game stats. And, certainly, middle infielders will want to show they can make all the plays. But, for others, highlights showing that your game skills can exceed raw tools may be the best way to present what you can contribute. Also, a 40-second testimonial from a respected coach or scout about the kid placed at the end may help. Usually, a 2 – 3 minute video well-edited is long enough, and begin with a video’d greeting/introduction from the kid to personalize him. It’s best to send the email with the YouTube link a week or two in advance of a showcase that you know the coach or his assistant will be attending, so they link the kid up with an opportunity to view him. Also, there’s nothing wrong with sending a follow-up email with a link to an additional highlight every month or so after the coach has seen you, both to remind the coach of your interest and highlight your skills – I took video of one of my son’s teammates hitting and running out a triple in late summer ball after showcases, and his Dad (via the kid’s email, of course) immediately shopped it around to the coaches the kid had talked to to remind them of his power and speed.
Other tips:
Rule #1: focus on schools you’d be happy attending even if the baseball thing doesn’t work out, as sometimes it doesn't, whether out of injury or the kid's realization that the time required isn't worth it.
Why isn’t there more about attending showcases? That’s going to be a big factor in almost every decision unless your kid is a superstar or is willing for academic or financial reasons to play below the level he might otherwise be recruited for. (And there’s nothing wrong with ‘playing down’; if your kid isn’t going to the pros, why push for a non-scholarship walk-on [where he probably won’t play much] at a D1 school, where his academic interests in fact are best served at a top academic D3 school where he’ll play and won’t have to practice 5 hours a day?)
On-campus visits should include a visit to see the coach, if possible. If nothing else, offering to see him reminds him that you cared enough to make a visit and shows that you’re really interested in the school. Just make sure the kid realizes that he's there to sell himself - look the coach in the eye and talk about how much he'd love to play at the school.
Cannonball’s advice has some great additional clues – get HS and summer coaches involved and have them send out feelers, have the kid initiate contacts, and don’t put too many eggs in one basket. Often, a coach who may sound very positive will have a better player he’s reaching for and your kid may get aced out if that kid accepts.
In this vein, TonyK’s excellent advice includes the gem about knowing the team’s roster. – particularly you’ll find that teams will send out a press release in May or June of your kid’s Junior year about their incoming recruiting class. These are the kids who will be sophs when your kid comes in and will be directly competing against him for at least three years; their specialties will impact your kid’s attractiveness to a coach and playing time more than those of kids who will be seniors or juniors when your kid starts out.
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I wouldn't over think the roster aspect too much. The reality is that there is always be competition everywhere and there is a very good chance that a prospective player will not be playing their high school position. So along these lines, a player should promote-and be able to back up-that they are a ss-cfielder, a 3b-2b-lf type, a c-ib-3b'dh, etc. It's common that players play a different position in college or that a guy that plays a certain position in college one year plays a different position the next. In other words, if you can hit they'll get you in the lineup.
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I agree with OMG on this one. I was recruited as a middle infielder. When I got there for my freshman year, there were a handful of guys all better than me. They moved me to the outfield and I was able to play pretty early on. My added advice on this would be to sharpen up the skills at another position. For guys who are the fleetest of foot, I highly recommend speed/agility training throughout HS.
"Smith corks it into right, down the line. It may go...........Go crazy folks! Go crazy! Jack Buck
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In college at the D1 and D2 level outside of pitchers, catchers and players who can drive the ball a mile, almost every player is a former high school shortstop or center fielder. They were the best, most versatile athletes from their high school conference. But you do want to make sure the roster isn't loaded with freshman and soph starters. But there's a fifty percent chance at the D1 level the recruit is going to transfer to play someplace else after not winning a position. If you can hit and don't have a position there's DH, first and left. These are positions schools don't recruit. If a first baseman is recruited it's because he's a 6'4" masher.
My son was an all-conference shortstop, then center fielder in high school. This spring will be his red shirt freshman year (he had an injury). He was told this spring he'll get playing time at 2b, 3b, rf and lf. He played all those positions except left on his travel and showcase teams. When kids get to college ball, unless they're arrogant studs they just want to get on the field anywhere. My son said it's humbling to be on the field with so many good players rather than being the best. He used to work his tail off to be the best. Now he works it off to get on the field.
Last edited by tg643; 12-24-2012 at 07:45 AM.
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If as kid wants to draw attention at a showcase run a sixty under 6.8. They absolutely fall in love with the 6.5 and 6.6 guys. But they figure anything under 6.8 can be worked down to 6.6 or better. My son ran a 6.75. From physical and speed training at the college he's down to 6.6. I do remind him he can't steal first.
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Which brings up a good point. In my experience, it's still important to be good. It's still important to have eye-hand coordination. It's still important to have balance. It's still important to put your nose in front of a ground ball or your head and shoulders in harm's way of a breaking pitch. It's still important to be a student of the game and a fanatical practicer. It's still important to have quick hands and be able to handle good pitching.
Like you said, can't steal first base. I understand what you are saying about the fast 60 times and I have heard this about college ball as well. But I don't believe it, don't believe there are a boat load of 6.6 guys in high college ball that are the main players. I've seen plenty-plenty- of 6.6 guys who just couldn't play a lick. Can't stay in the lineup because they are boneheads, chokers, or can't hit. College coaches are about winning. Period. From what I see in the college game the players are in there because they are good-fast is much further down the line.
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omg,
TG is right. What happens is that college coaches try to recruit guys that give have good physical gifts because if they don't work out later, no one will blame the coach. If you recruit a 6'4" kid who runs like a deer (6.6 60) and has a cannon of an arm, but ends up not being able to hit, well, few will blame the coach for recruiting a specimen like that. Conversely, if you sign a 7.3 second 5'9" kid who in the end can't hit either, well, automatically folks will point to the kids physical tools as why they didn't make it.
I know as a fact that some D1 schools won't recruit an OF unless they run a 6.8 or better. Middle infielders can be 7.2 or 7.3, corner guys and catchers even worse, but 60 times absolutely are taken into account in the recruiting process, even if your comments are in fact true that many fast guys can't hit. It's just part of the recruiting game.
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