This system is far from perfect. My daughter is very fortunate to have heard from several schools this week. However, she did not hear from any of the schools she is most interested in. She is trying to be honest with the schools that have reached out but does not want to say no in case something comes together from one of her tops. Once the top 20 schools finish going through the top 100-150 girls and realize that they will still have many holes to fill, I assume they will contact the rest. I am starting to wish there was a contact period starting Sept 1 and an offer period after the fall tournaments were over. If she is forced to respond to the schools that have reached out, says no to all of them, and nothing materializes from her tops, she will be crushed. I was hoping this would be easier.
The best advice I've read recently is that Sept 1 is the start of the process, not the finish line. Coaches understand that players are considering multiple options, just like players need to understand coaches are considering multiple options. Are the programs that contacted your daughter similar in ranking to the schools she is most interested in that did not reach out? If so, I would suggest pursuing the options she likes best that reached out in addition to continuing to try to get on the other schools' radar. If not, she probably needs to reevaluate expectations. Your daughter can take time to explore options without telling coaches a hard yes/no within a week of Sept 1. Schedule phone calls, schedule a few visits this fall with the interested schools that most interest her. In the meantime, continue reaching out to other schools she didn't hear from and maybe things will change in a month or two if getting a spot at those schools is realistic. Good luck and hope you daughter ends up with some offers she is happy with.
