Have your daughters write to as many coaches as possible, as early as they can. With the current climate of recruiting I would say start in no later than 8TH grade. Do not get stuck only looking at the "big Schools" some of the smaller schools are much better . Know and guide your daughter to what is best for her, not all kids will do well at UVA or Maryland (schools with 25,000 + students) some schools have less the 5000 and your daughter would benefit from a smaller community and class size. Some kids will thrive at the bigger schools, but know your kid.
I know its hard to get a 12 year old to think about what they will do with the rest of there life, but you kind of have to get some sort of idea, your about to get into any ware between $150,000 to $500,000 dollars worth of financial obligation, do you really want to spend that much money on lacrosse alone. if your taking the time to read this it means your kid has 10 yeas or less of lacrosse left in her life, what will she do with the other 60+ years should be your true line of thought.
I have seen many of these schools and can tell you the biggest factor for my kid is coming down to do they have her field of study, the coaches attitude and style, and does she feel comfortable at that institution. With few exceptions most schools were beautiful. Take this small piece of advice, you can send your kid to the best school, but if they don't study, and have no direction, you will get nothing but a huge debt. If your kid has an idea of what they want to do, and apply themselves to achieving that goal, no matter what school they choose they will be successful.
Wow, 8th grade. Would this recommendation be just for girls who have some sort of resume already? I would think that when you contact a college coach you will need to give them something that will peak their curiosity, and make is worth their time to take a look.
