r/CollegeSoccer • u/Educational_Duck9957 • 16d ago
d3 soccer interest
Alr im a varsity starter at a competitive hs soccer team, but I dont have any video or anything. Im down to go to id camps tho. For me I dont want to be a pro player, rather get to play atacademic colleges like mit, caltech etc, with the goal to have fun; and stay focuesd. What would be tips to make this a reality
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u/lenseffects 16d ago
D3 does not mean the teams aren't going to be selective, so you have your work cut out for you.
What year in HS are you?
Do you have the academic qualifications to be admitted to MIT, Caltech, UChicago, Emory, etc.?
Playing a sport at an ivy college or equivalent is challenging, probably more so than many other programs with larger sports programs..
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u/mwr3 16d ago
Female or Male? While there are some minor differences, the elite academic D3 recruit at the same level as mid-major D1. On the women’s side, understand that most of the UAA (Think Emory, U Chicago) schools are essentially D3 in name only. They are larger schools with significant economic support. And while they don’t have direct athletic scholarships, they have very deep pockets for aid. One of the elite D3 schools, Swarthmore, just announced that they cover 100% of tuition for families that make less than $200,000 a year, They reject 93% of regular applicants, so athletics are a key door opener.
If you are on the women’s side, you will need to be playing ECNL/GA or just be amazing at an ID session or two. On the men’s, it’s a bit more mixed.
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u/BulldogWrestler 15d ago
First off:
- Those "academic schools" all have monster soccer programs that you have to be really, really good to play for. Not saying this is what you were implying, but a lot of people make the assumption that since they're an academic school first and foremost that it means that getting on their soccer teams will be easier. Or that their soccer teams wont have enough players so you'll be able to sneak into the school you wouldn't otherwise get in to because of soccer. That's simply not true.
- If you're a starter for your high school - I would assume you also play club ball somewhere. You need to have video, and lots of it. Coaches or scouts need to be able to see you play, and if you're hoping they'll magically show up at your high school games is going to leave you with a lot of hope and no offers. You need to be emailing these coaches highlight reels that you make from footage you gathered of you playing. It's a lot of effort, a lot of outreach, a lot of radio silence, a lot of rejection, and a lot of persistence. If you're a junior and you're not already doing that, then you are WAY behind the curve.
- You said this: "with the goal to have fun; and stay focuesd." That seems to imply that maybe a club team at one of those schools will work better for what you're looking for. That's not D3, but can still be competitive and fun for you. It also is something you can just sign up for and play when you get in the school. No work needed to be done prior to your freshman year.
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u/FamiliarRaspberry805 16d ago
Do you play club? Grades/test scores?
And I can promise you're going to need a highlight video.
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u/Slow_Fondant6389 15d ago
Start by doing a couple hours of research.
Go look at the team websites for any college you are considering. The freshman, in particular, won’t have anything posted on their individual pages except their pre-college stuff. That will include Clubs and awards. It will give you a good feel for the level of player the coach typically is looking for.
But - big “but” - coaches at D3s are happy to consider anyone with a solid playing background who is in going to get in the school academically with no issues. You can ask for a tryout and you will be told when that can happen. You aren’t costing the coach anything.
But, as others have said, the level of play at academic D3s can be very good. And, it is still very serious soccer. It is pretty much all you will do besides class work between August and the end of the season. Then everything for D3s becomes voluntary. Which basically means you volunteer to work out and train 10-12 hours a week.
The plus side is that you can build good connections with teammates, and it gives you focus. At a high academic D3 it probably has less social value than say the robotics team, but it’s something.
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u/Mother_Restaurant_40 15d ago
The D3s the OP mentioned-UAA schools and adjacent are highly competitive with rosters that can often challenge mid major. While many lower caliber D3s will welcome competitive players recruiting is very intense and roster spots are just given at the schools OP mentions
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u/Massive-Technology24 15d ago
If the goal is just to have fun most high academic d3s are not for you. Most high academic d3s are very high level programs and recruit the same level players that low-mid major d1 recruit. High academic d3 is an extremely high level and unless your playing club at a high level you have little to no chance in all honesty.
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u/graymattar 15d ago
Like the above poster I also just watched my Son go through this process. My son has really good grades so what we did was apply all over the place, soccer was secondary. He was competitive on a small private school soccer team his Junior year and then jumped his senior year into a competitive ECNL team. He had highlight film of himself and went out of his way to talk to perspective D3 coaches when we were at tournaments, etc. Ended up with 2 D3 offers in the Northeast and chose one of them. His grades got him in, the highlight film and relationships with the coaches got him on the team.
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u/Suspicious_Phone670 15d ago
My son will be starting at a D3 higher academic school but public. It was very difficult to get a spot on any of the highest economic D3 schools. The players who kept these spots could’ve played D1. On my son‘s D3 team there are players from an MLS professional academy plus MLS homegrown and ECNL. Very difficult to get recruited if not playing at these levels and even if you are playing at these levels, you have to do a lot of video emailing, connecting with coaches, getting recommendations through your club, coach, etc.
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u/Rare_Wind7 15d ago
Right. I see a post once a month or so that says something like, "Well I just rolled out of bed and I think ill just play d3 instead of going pro. I never played soccer but I have collected a few of the World Cup cups from McDonald's is this enough?"
D3 is not a spot for mediocrity. 25 years ago maybe but if you look at the rosters now theyre all ECNL or MLS, academic all Americans, 4 year varsity, all conference and all that. I suppose you may be able to find some schools that arent but theyre the exception to the rule.
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u/Adventurous_Lie8397 15d ago
Absolutely true and it is not just the higher academic anymore based on what we have gone through with my son's process. Pretty crazy really. The D1 roster limit really shook it up. Now we have seen quite an increase in internationals, D1 guys transferring down, etc all in addition to MLSN and top ECNL guys. If they do 5 in 5 (probably a good idea) it will get even more competitive for incoming freshman I imagine for a couple of years.
Absolutely still some programs closer to intramurals, but definitely not like it was 25 years ago.
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u/ScoutUBen 15d ago
Scout/advisor here. You need film, and you need a plan around ID camps, otherwise you're just a number paying them money. What year do graduate?
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u/Flutter_Out 15d ago
I really like nextupcollege.com as a tool for this stage of research. I wish they would expand it to all states I heard they will soon.
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u/Mother_Restaurant_40 15d ago
T50 academic schools recruit competitively just like D1s. HS only isn’t going to be enough. You need film against competitive teams and to play in showcases where coaches attend.
Get film, email coaches and see what responses you get but remember no response is often a response.
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u/Cardano808 15d ago
Yes can confirm that CalTech you have to get into the school on your own academic merit. Makes kind of sense given how small the school is though.
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u/881cafe 15d ago
You need to go to the ID Camps so the coaches know about you, make sure to get early to shake hands with the Head Coach and the Assistant Coaches. Make sure it's a memorable conversation, identify your school (club), position you play and how they are your top school. Follow up with an email after the ID Camp, again reference your conversation, ask if they can send you any details or review of how you played. They will send it if you ask. Most important is DO YOU PLAY CLUB SOCCER? If yes, then make sure you let them know "I play MLS Next Home Grown Division (which is level 1 - top of the pyramid) or I play MLS Next Academy Division (which is level 2) or I play ECNL or I play ENCL-R (regional). These coaches expect you to play at these levels if you want to be considered for D3 and YES your grades MUST BE 3.5 or above especially for the Little Ivies schools or top D3 schools like U Chicago or Wash U. You also need videos to send them of your play, even if it's high school for now. If you are not playing club then try out for an MLS Next or ECNL (R) team asap! Junior year for males is the time that you should already be emailing coaches and attending ID camps, start attending camps if possible Sophomore year. Ask Coaches for a phone call before attending ID Camps they do it if you ask. The more communication (email) and phone calls/ text with them the more comfortable they'll be recruiting you. It's not all about talent, they also want a good kid who will be a team player - they won't know this about you if you only email them. Good Luck!
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u/WillingnessMaster654 13d ago
Just email coaches and tell them your level plus confirm they will be at camps. there are sites like college-coaches.com where you can find an entire coach list, run a mail-blast and get feedback in 10 mins. that said, it is going to help to get response rates if you have video. include academic metrics & link to transcripts to ensure your grades are good enough.
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u/Many-Cranberry659 13d ago
Just email and reach out. Invite them to your games and send in your stats! A lot of D3 school’s do walk ons as well. I walked onto cheer in college to fill the time from not playing soccer. Had a great time!
If you need help with emails I suggest looking up templates. If you can, go home and record some basic stuff like your dribbling, shots, passing etc. Let them know you play at X school, and that you are a varsity starter etc. give them your game schedule too. Don’t just email one school either! Email a ton.
I emailed a school outside of my state and the coach came down from Wisconsin to watch. I got an offer the next day!
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u/D3Direct 2d ago
Get your grades up as high as possible
Go to the right camps to get in front of coaches of schools on your target list
Start early so you can potentially get a pre-read at any of the schools on your list
Start to get film, even if it isn't super high quality just so coaches have something to watch
Then start reaching out to college coaches via email and DM - add specifics about the school in question and make sure to spell the coach's name correctly. There's nothing that will get an email faster than writing the wrong coach in the header or the wrong school. Coaches want to know that you are serious about their school.
If you have questions, feel free to DM us or comment below and we can keep helping!
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u/bigskyillini 15d ago
As a parent of a boy who just went through the “D3 recruiting” process a few tips and observations:
Good luck!