Can college coaches talk to daughters about grades?

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Our daughter needs a reality check on her softball college goals. She's a great student, but sometimes settles for a "B". "At least it's not a C" is what we hear. She's an A student, but things have fallen by the wayside. She also wants to play college ball. Is it against rules for coaches to talk to girls about what kind of grades are expected of them to play college ball? Ball or no ball, her grades need to be her priority, but DH and I were thinking that a good talking to with someone that matters would make a difference! I just don't think a high school counselor would do the trick.

Thanks for any advice or input...as always...much appreciated!

 

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You should talk to a coach or admissions person about what the different levels are for academic scholarships at specific schools. For example, at my school there are 4 levels:

$7500, $9000, $12,000, $13,000

Parents are often shocked at how much more money their daughter could have gotten if they had better grades or SAT/ACT scores. Tell your daughter you are willing to pay X amount, and if her grades aren't good enough for academic $, she's gotta get a job to make up the difference, or she'll be going to Hair and Nail Technical College and not playing ball.

 

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Trust me, coaches are very interested in grades and ACT scores. Some schools that can't offer scholarships in athletics will push through academic scholarships for a ball player even if that person wouldn't normally qualify (or borderline) for an academic scholarship is she wasn't an athlete. Coaches will use good grades and ACT scores to justify their case. Being an athlete also helps get the academic scholarship as the coach uses the "well rounded individual" argument.

Not sure how good your DD is. If she has a lot of D1 schools beating down your door it might not be as much of an issue. Otherwise, she needs to get it together quick.

 

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I played ball at Kent State and I'll tell you, if you don't have good grades you don't stand a chance of getting a scholarship. You get their attention with your softball skills, but the grades will seal the deal. If you don't have the grades they won't even look at you. Be at the top of your game in softball and have the best grades, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores you can possibly get.

 

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Call up any college softball coach and schedule a visit/appointment on their campus. We have been meeting with a few, and everyone of them has asked about dd's grades and test scores. They will all tell you that it comes down to budgets...if your dd has high enough grades/test scores, then they receive academic money "(above a 3.5 GPA) that doesn't count against the softball budget. If grades (between 3.0 - 3.5) aren't that high, then even if school awards academic money, it will get taken out of softball budget and less $ will be available to give your dd to play softball. This is in regards to DI and DII schools. DIII aren't allowed to offer athletic $, so then it really only comes down to grades and test scores.

 

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I can only echo Klump and BGSU. The higher your dd's grades, the more options schools have in finances, and spreading the "scholarship" money out of multiple budgets. Has she taken any of the standardized tests yet? My oldest is a soph. and the coaches who have talked to us always ask GPA and test scores. I may make her take a PSAT or PACT just to get a baseline. You can tell her one D1 coach said if she talked to dd's guidance counselor and was told the child was a letter grade or two behind where she should be, their would be no offer. Theory is, if she is sandbagging it in high school, she'll crumple in college. Have you taken her to any clinics that offer a college coach discussing recruiting? I often think it is easier to move a mountain than to convince my own kids I have a brain, so take the pressure off yourself and get her to someone who's been there/ done that. Klumpp seems to really know her stuff, maybe your dd could pm her(sorry Klumpp if you don't want to get volunteered.....lol)

 

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No problem LCTigerdad, I've been volunteered for worse. I also know of quite a few college coaches and ex-players who could give it to her straight. No grades, no ball. It is that simple. They say why would we invest money and time into someone who can't get the grades when there are thousands of girls out there who have the talent AND the grades already.

 

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You should talk to a coach or admissions person about what the different levels are for academic scholarships at specific schools. For example, at my school there are 4 levels:

$7500, $9000, $12,000, $13,000

Parents are often shocked at how much more money their daughter could have gotten if they had better grades or SAT/ACT scores. Tell your daughter you are willing to pay X amount, and if her grades aren't good enough for academic $, she's gotta get a job to make up the difference, or she'll be going to Hair and Nail Technical College and not playing ball.

I think you hit the point very well as the kids all think they can increase their average their senior year. If they do not kick it in the butt starting their freshman year it makes getting a 3.5 average almost impossible.

Look very hard at the school for academics first, how far away from home does your daughter want to be and trust me that becomes a factor, size of rooms and the campus layout and facilities on or near the campus as they may not have a car. I ask the kids how safe do they feel at 10 PM when walking around the campus and check with your local police department on crime.

Last look at the softball team and do you think you will be an impact player as a freshman, how many seniors are graduating, what has been the team turn over or players leaving or not graduating in this age of the internet they are not hard to find and communicate with them. When doing a visit the coaches put their best salesperson to guide you around, so talk to as many members of the team as you can as the next four years of your life will be effected by your coaches, so do your home work! Also to be sure you can live with their style of coaching and the rules they have regarding athletes and their rules on and off the field.

 

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This has got to be one of the best threads about college recruiting yet. It has answered many of the questions I have concerning scholarships. Another thread had listed which girls are going to which colleges, but what I'm truly interested in is how much scholarship money they were offered. Unless you're a phenomenal hitter, I would guess only pitchers and catchers would be getting a full ride at many of these schools. It's good to know that academics are rewarded.

I think Hitter and others make some great points. A girl should look at academics first, because realistically a good career will take her a lot further in life than playing softball in college. If the college she wants to play softball for doesn't have a good program for her major, then I don't know if it would be a good idea to attend that college even if she's getting a lot of scholarship money. On the other hand, if a college she's really interested in has a great academic program but only offers a $3000 scholarship and the parents have to come up with another $15,000, they may decide that's its not worth it to play softball for that school. They may find that she could attend an excellent school that is closer to home where the tuition is only $10,000. I can imagine that choosing which college to attend is a very difficult decision, especially for those girls that really want to play softball in college, but aren't offered very much scholarship money.

A girl's best bet is to start focusing on grades at a young age to open up more opportunities for scholarship money. It certainly won't hurt their chances of getting aid.

 

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Coaches very much look at their grades. Every school we have been too has stressed grades before softball.

 

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This has got to be one of the best threads about college recruiting yet. It has answered many of the questions I have concerning scholarships. Another thread had listed which girls are going to which colleges, but what I'm truly interested in is how much scholarship money they were offered. Unless you're a phenomenal hitter, I would guess only pitchers and catchers would be getting a full ride at many of these schools. It's good to know that academics are rewarded.

I think Hitter and others make some great points. A girl should look at academics first, because realistically a good career will take her a lot further in life than playing softball in college. If the college she wants to play softball for doesn't have a good program for her major, then I don't know if it would be a good idea to attend that college even if she's getting a lot of scholarship money. On the other hand, if a college she's really interested in has a great academic program but only offers a $3000 scholarship and the parents have to come up with another $15,000, they may decide that's its not worth it to play softball for that school. They may find that she could attend an excellent school that is closer to home where the tuition is only $10,000. I can imagine that choosing which college to attend is a very difficult decision, especially for those girls that really want to play softball in college, but aren't offered very much scholarship money.

A girl's best bet is to start focusing on grades at a young age to open up more opportunities for scholarship money. It certainly won't hurt their chances of getting aid.

Take it a step further....most of these kids do not understand they will spend about 20 to 30 hours a week on softball or softball related activities....such as working the football games concessions or basketball concessions because softball does not make any money so they will also STILL have to do some fund raising activities and then they send the family letters asking for donations for their Spring trips.

In most cases they will or could make more money working a part time job than playing softball. The big thing they also find is THEY have to plan when to eat or where to eat based on when the cafeteria is open verses hey Mom whats for supper and the next is they actually have to wash their own clothes and many of the kids do not know how to do it and that is no joke either as I have heard hundreds of stories over the years.

Those that have good ACT or SAT scores pick where they want to attend and the others have to find someone who will take them or take a chance on them and roll the dice.

I said it in a thread a month ago...while at the 50 team showcase in INDY Crystl ask how many of the players practiced 6,5,4,3,2,1 times off the tee last week knowing there would be college coaches here? One girl raised her hand at 2 and CB ask her if it was practice or own their own 1 and 1 was the answer. Then 7 girls raised their hand at 1 and all were from or related to practice. CB looked at the parents and said your daughters knew they were coming here and why and no one prepared for it and you are shelling out for two to three days food, gas and hotels and 300 to 400 dollars for bats! Save your money! If they get into college and find out how hard they will have to work they most likely will stop playing....this becomes the real world as a coach at the next level is not going to be mom or dad and will push them to their limits as the coaches job depends on their record for the most part.

Talk to as many kids as you know that are in college and get their feed back on what it takes to play at the next level back. Then make sure they are working on their grades or can say would you like to Biggie Size your order

 

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This is an excellent thread, with some very sound advice!!! I know first hand how important grades are to college programs and yes they are very important! I believe that what is called a Full Ride to a D-I school is alot of times a combination of Athletic and Academic monies. And then when you factor in financial aid that may apply, the chance of getting a great education at no cost to the family greatly improves. The urban myth that only pitchers & catchers get full rides is not neccessarly true. If your DD is a good hitting player with speed and has a 3.5 or higher, and you factor in Athletic, academic and financial aid then this can apply. I personally know 3 such players in the 2010 class who will play either IF and OF in college, and have a combo of athletic/academic monies that will allow them to attend college for close to free.

If DD is a Freshmen/sophomore then invest in the Princeton Review ACT book (about 1000 pages) and take it on all the long road trips to tournaments in the summer, as this will prepare her for the ACT test. Also enroll her in the Pre-ACT test (sophomore year) and Pre SAT test (Junior year) to get her use to taking these type of tests.

If you are going to the Kent State clinic, I know that Coach Linder allocates an hour at the end to personally talk about recruiting and the importance of academics. I'm sure that alot of other top college coaches do the same at there clinics too.

Good luck with your DD and hopefully she will be able to speak with a college coach/player, who will be able to be a role model for her and will echo all of our sentiments here on OFC!

 

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Many dads are afraid to make their DD work hard at ANYTHING, let alone softball! The more they understand the relationship of hard work = reward, the better. If your DD doesn't even carry her own bat bag, how can you expect her to tough it out in college? If you raise a Primadonna, good luck getting that attitude through college!

On picking a school based on a chosen major: Research shows that MOST kids change their major - some even 2 or 3 times! - during their college years. Look very closely at RELATED fields of study too. What is the school known for in general? Education majors? Teaching majors? Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

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I appreciate all of the great advice. To my surprise, DD has been researching this herself, at least expected grade points. She is a good student and could be a great student with a few less 15 year old distractions! Keep the advice coming. I haven't been on here in a few days attending all of the extra-curricular stuff that comes with having a 15 and 12 year old! What a great place for venting and advice!!

 

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My school's (NCAA Div. III) academic scholarship levels are about the same as MAXX's above. In addition, a girl who qualifies for these is also more likely to receive other scholarships and just more likely to have her costs reduced generally.

If a girl is positive she will be offered a Div. I full ride by about every school in the country, then fine, skate by with a 2.8 GPA or whatever. I noticed in the college booklet at Surf City that some So Cal girls with GPAs of 3.0 and belo have signed or verballed with the likes of UCLA and similar schools. For everyone else, they better get good grades or their options will be quite limited when it comes time for college. Girls also need to really prepare for the SAT or ACT. I find that many girls with excellent grades do just average on those tests. I would spend months preparing if it were me taking one of those tests.

We just had a girl visit Friday and yesterday who we want and who loved the school and said she is coming if it's not too expensive. Her 3.3 GPA and 1500 SAT are very so-so, which will drastically hurt her financial picture. As a result, she probably won't attend her first-choice school and we will miss out on a girl we want.

 

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Good topic. Should be madatory reading for any kid who wants to play ball in college.

Dana.