Schools that contact your DD September 1st Junior year?

[JustBob]

Just curious what it means when schools contact your DD on September 1st of her junior year. Is this just a normal response to kids that have sent profiles to these schools or is this a step up meaning they are truly interested? So much to learn so little time! Thanks for your comments in advance.

[jonriv]

yes-could be all of the above

[artomatic]

It depends on the wording in the letters.

There are the generic fill-in-the-blanks Sept 1st letters:
"Hi ______, It's Sept 1st, and we can now email you.
We hope you will take time to look at our school, you won't be disappointed..."

Then some are more personal, like:
"Hi ________.
We are so happy we can now contact you directly.
We have been watching you all summer.
Our pitcher graduates in 2013, and we feel you can step in and contribute to our program right away...."

So I would think the more personal ones are the programs that are reallly interested in your kid, and the more generic ones are getting their info out to the masses....

[jonriv]

My friend and I had daughters going through the recruiting process at the same time. we would compare letters from the same schools for a "form letter" check

[Gone in 2.6]

It depends on the wording in the letters.

There are the generic fill-in-the-blanks Sept 1st letters:
"Hi ______, It's Sept 1st, and we can now email you.
We hope you will take time to look at our school, you won't be disappointed..."

Then some are more personal, like:
"Hi ________.
We are so happy we can now contact you directly.
We have been watching you all summer.
Our pitcher graduates in 2013, and we feel you can step in and contribute to our program right away...."

So I would think the more personal ones are the programs that are reallly interested in your kid, and the more generic ones are getting their info out to the masses....

While I would agree that a letter with a personal touch is a very good sign, even this can be misleading. The most impressive/personal letter DD got on Sept 1 was from Patty Gasso. It was actually HAND WRITTEN and even inquired about the injury she had suffered at 16U State the previous June.

However, AFTER Sept 1st, she couldn't get ARRESTED in Oklahoma if she tried.

You just never know.

[ontheblack]

It depends on the wording in the letters.

There are the generic fill-in-the-blanks Sept 1st letters:
"Hi ______, It's Sept 1st, and we can now email you.
We hope you will take time to look at our school, you won't be disappointed..."

Then some are more personal, like:
"Hi ________.
We are so happy we can now contact you directly.
We have been watching you all summer.
Our pitcher graduates in 2013, and we feel you can step in and contribute to our program right away...."

So I would think the more personal ones are the programs that are reallly interested in your kid, and the more generic ones are getting their info out to the masses....

While I would agree that a letter with a personal touch is a very good sign, even this can be misleading. The most impressive/personal letter DD got on Sept 1 was from Patty Gasso. It was actually HAND WRITTEN and even inquired about the injury she had suffered at 16U State the previous June.

However, AFTER Sept 1st, she couldn't get ARRESTED in Oklahoma if she tried.

You just never know.

That is a great example of why not to get overly excited about the Sept 1st letters.

[Hawk17]

Take it all in stride. Remember, coaches are trying to cast the biggest net they can to get the players they want. Tell your daughter to keep in contact with all the schools that have written to her and to remember that the right school for her may not have come into play yet.

[Sam]

All of the letters will be extremely important when comparing your daughter to other parents' daughters at TB tryouts, TB games, the water cooler at work, and at HS games. The more the better and who gives a crap what they say...the important thing is that they are from "______"(fill in the blank with "Pac-12 school, DI school, actual name of school, the school's academic reputation (fill this in only if the softball team sucks or doesn't have scholarship money), or an awesome DII, DIII, or NAIA program.) In the end, the only important thing is how they make YOU feel.

[jonriv]

A little rough there Sam- I think JustBob is trying to figure out what is what. He's right- a lot to learn with little time to learn it...

[Sam]

You think I was rough.....wait till his kid gets recruited, signs, goes off to college and plays a total of 10 innings over her 4 year career. Seems to happen quite a bit.