Originally Posted by Anonymous
We just went through this and settled on a prep school for our son for next year, we are from a non-hot bed area so at the start we knew nothing about the process. Our son will reclass, which as parents we felt was his best option on many levels. He is going from a public school that hasn’t been in person for over a year to an academically more challenging school. For lacrosse it helps to reclass, and the coach told him he will be the youngest player in his graduating class of lacrosse players even after reclassing.

My son got noticed at Showtime first as a rising Freshmen and at other big name showcases over the last 2 years, but it took ourselves and our club directors reaching out and starting a dialogue with the prep coaches to gain interest. We sent film, high school coach recommendations and did a lot of visiting prep schools to find the right fit with the right coach. Our club coaches played a huge part in helping us, guiding us and figuring out what to look for in a school.

Along the way we figured out that a good amount of these prep coaches will tell you what you want to hear and BS you all day long. Some prep coaches over recruit, be very careful of that! Some coaches seemed like they were using a script when they talked to us, it felt at times not genuine. And if the prep coach stops texting and reaching out, forget about that school, it’s not the right one. The coach that is really interested will text at least once a week and keep you updated on a weekly basis about your sons application and chances that he will get admitted. You will know ahead of the March 10 decision date if he is getting in, we found this info out in advance with each school that accepted our son. All of these prep coaches have pull in admissions. Being a double or triple Varsity athlete helps, mine is a 3 sport Varsity athlete as a freshman and each sport adds to your value in the admission process. Grades have to be good! Since testing was optional this year, our son did not test.

Yes there is financial aid available. In our situation the financial aid came at right what our “family contribution” said when filling out the FA worksheets online. I think if you son is a great player and a top choice, FA will be met, the better the player, the better the FA. But really look at a school that can take an interest in the development of your child as a whole, if they feel supported away from home this will only improve their game. Look for the school that feels like a family and not a country club for rich kids. Finding the right prep school is like finding the person you are going to marry, you just know when you’ve found the right one, your son will fall in love with the school and you as parents will too and the coach will already be in love.

Thank you both for the most coherent and helpful answers I have ever seen posted on this site!!!