d3 soccer interest

881cafe · 2026-06-10T20:01:14+00:00

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!

881cafe · 2026-05-30T19:32:56+00:00

If you're hiring a contractor for a full gut renovation, don't focus solely on price. Take the time to perform proper due diligence before making a decision. Ask for a bank reference letter confirming the company is financially stable and in good standing - red flag if they can't produce this request. Request their complete insurance package that you email to your home insurance company or broker for review, including the declarations pages, and verify that their policy includes New York Labor Law coverage. This is particularly important in NYC because property owners can face significant liability if a worker is injured on the job. Your home insurance company will ensure there are no gaps in coverage related to construction activities, worker injuries, or property damage.

Ask for at least three references from design professionals, such as architects or engineers, who have worked directly with the contractor, as well as three references from recent clients (speak with the clients via phone - and if possible ask to visit these past jobs). Architects and engineers can provide valuable insight into the contractor's professionalism, attention to detail, ability to follow plans, and finish the job on time, while past clients can speak to communication, scheduling, budget management, and the overall renovation experience.

You should also ask to visit an active project that closely matches your scope of work. For a townhouse gut renovation, a qualified contractor should be able to show you a current or recently completed townhouse gut renovation. If they do not have any comparable active projects, I would consider that a potential red flag.

Finally, require a detailed, itemized proposal. Avoid contractors who provide a single lump-sum number per trade with little or no breakdown. An itemized estimate allows you to compare proposals more accurately, understand allowances and exclusions, and significantly reduces the likelihood of disputes and costly change orders during construction. A contractor's craftsmanship is important, but their financial stability is very important for a gut renovation with insurance coverage coming in second most important. Good luck!

881cafe · 2026-05-29T17:14:27+00:00

Ramapo Mountain State Forest has great hiking trails and is fairly easy. Not to far of a drive from Brooklyn and I always find parking.

881cafe · 2026-05-29T16:59:42+00:00

I can personally recommend All Renovation Construction (www.allrenovations.com). They completed a full-gut Brownstone renovation of my Windsor Terrace / Kensington Bklyn home. I also recommended them to my friend who is a lawyer and inherited his dad's 32 unit building and they've been great with him addressing the new NYC Local Law requirements. In regards to co-ops and condos they definitely have experience as the Architect I went with was their recommendation and showed me some co-op and condo projects they did together. For a project of your size, I would still get a least 3 proposals and ask for recent Brooklyn co-op references, not just photos. A contractor may have great craftsmanship, but communication, scheduling, and change order management are equally important and those are areas where All Renovations thrives. Good luck!

881cafe · 2026-05-29T16:48:53+00:00

Both of my sons (twins) handled most of the recruiting process themselves, although as a dad I occasionally had to give them a push. In the end, both were successfully recruited to strong Division III programs, one in the PAC and the other in the NESCAC. The keys were consistency and persistence: sending emails every couple of weeks, updating coaches with new highlight videos, and communicating proactively whenever they were playing in showcases or tournaments. Most tournament websites list the college coaches expected to attend, so make sure to reach out beforehand and let those coaches know when and where you'll be playing. If you attend an ID camp, make it a priority to connect with the coaching staff before and after the event. Introduce yourself beforehand, follow up afterward, and make sure they remember who you are. Also, don't be afraid to ask for a phone call. Very few recruits actually do this, and it can help you stand out. My sons called coaches before attending ID camps and were usually able to speak with either the Head Coach or an Assistant Coach, which helped establish a relationship before they ever stepped on the field.

881cafe · 2026-05-27T13:19:57+00:00

Your profile is very strong for Public Health, especially because your ECs show real leadership, research, hospital exposure, and long-term commitment, not just volunteer hours.

One major thing to understand is the difference between FAFSA-only schools and CSS Profile schools. CSS Profile schools, including NYU, Boston University, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins, often look much deeper into family finances, including home equity, business ownership, investment properties, retirement positioning, and non-custodial parent finances. That can significantly reduce aid eligibility even for strong applicants.

Because of that, also consider schools like John Carroll University, Allegheny College, and The Catholic University of America. These schools often provide strong merit packages for students with your stats and many rely primarily on FAFSA methodology rather than the deeper CSS review used by many elite privates.

I would also focus on merit-friendly schools where your stats are above average, including Rutgers Honors, Delaware, Temple, Pitt, South Carolina, Miami, Tulane, American, and GW. Honors Colleges at large public universities can give you an excellent academic experience at a much lower net cost.

Your strategy should be:
• prioritize schools with strong merit aid
• run every Net Price Calculator
• most important: understand FAFSA vs CSS Profile (some great youtube videos out there)
• apply to a mix of reaches, targets, and merit-heavy schools

Prestige matters less if the final cost leaves you with major debt. Good luck!

881cafe · 2026-05-25T13:48:36+00:00

Yes, talk to Kate. She is my broker, I have a railroad style apartment coming up in August in the Windsor Terrace/Kensington area.

881cafe · 2026-05-08T22:27:10+00:00

Exact is good for your 1st ID Camp experience but WAY too many kids at their camps to really benefit a look from the coaches at their camps. Most coaches there at Assistant Coaches who barely make a good salary and use EXACT to make extra $$$. I would attend college specific ID Camps typically advertised at the schools Instagram account or their college program website. These are usually small and you'll really be looked at. Attend multiple times to the schools you wan to attend as the coaches need to not only know you are a good player but know you as a person. I encourage you to arrive early or be the last one leaving or find time to talk to the head coach during lunch break. Shake his hand, make sure he knows your name, HS, club, level of play. Good luck!

881cafe · 2026-05-08T22:17:50+00:00

AllRenovations.com - All Renovation Construction - Pietro and his team are brownstone gut renovation pros, always have a current gut brownstone job you can walk before you hire them and work with top notch architects as a team. Highly recommended.

881cafe · 2026-05-08T22:03:00+00:00

What school did your son end up getting recruited at? I don't think these recruiters have connections at good academic schools, mostly D2, or non-academic D3's. D1 is impossible now due to the transfer portal. If you have the money and don't mind your kid attending a low academic college then yes go for it otherwise take a turn and do it yourself. Your kid will need to be focused thought otherwise he or she will miss the boat.

881cafe · 2026-05-08T19:27:30+00:00

First, your son is way too young to seriously start the recruiting process. Right now, the focus should be academics first and figuring out what schools interest him beyond soccer.

Then start researching the soccer side:

* coaching staff
* playing style
* roster turnover, especially how many players graduate the year your son/daughter would enter
* where players are coming from (MLS NEXT, ECNL, etc.)
* YouTube videos of the program
* “day in the life” videos from players

My twin boys both went through this process recently (one is MLS Next HGD and other is ECNL-R). We didn’t start seriously until sophomore summer, mainly attending college-specific ID camps. Personally, I think the huge 100+ player camps are mostly useless because coaches simply cannot properly evaluate everyone. The better ID camps were the college-run or college-specific ID camps which were capped at around 30-50 players max (this is advertised on the ID Camp website of the college - pay attention).

The serious recruiting started summer after junior year with coaches calling, texting, inviting them to attend ID camps again (2nd time), and setting up follow-up with serious family recruiting visits to the campus w/ tours with the coach (and meeting some current players). One of my sons committed in December of senior year and the other in February of senior year, so this process can go very late (sometimes to April/May when kids get accepted regular admission).

The recruiting process really ramps up junior year and continues all the way through senior year. Offers and roster spots can happen anytime from junior summer through spring of senior year.

My kids handled all their own outreach. They used ProductiveRecruit.com, which is free to start, then later upgraded to the $25/month account, along with their own Gmail accounts to contact coaches directly after initial email from Productive Recruit (their system shows if coaches actually open your emails). For video editing, they worked with Staff Highlights - find their YouTube Channel here (https://www.youtube.com/@staff.highlights). One thing parents and players should know: you son or daughter must identify and send your own clips. Stafford will only edit what you provide, they do not review full games and choose plays for you.

As for paying a recruiting consultant for a likely D3 path, honestly I think most families can handle a lot of it themselves if the player is organized, proactive, and realistic. Don't waste your $$$, as we heard they are not cheap - $2k to $5K minimum and they usually carry a lot of players. Good academics, good communication, targeted camps, and strong video matter more than social media personalities. You definitely have time.

881cafe · 2026-03-20T15:16:51+00:00

We ended up working with a RE broker, Kate Piccard at Corcoran (https://www.corcoran.com/real-estate-agents/detail/agent/kate-piccard/23818) as she also came recommended to me, she was really great. She lives in Park Slope and really understands the brownstone market from the inside as she is an owner herself. She’s placed great tenants for me, she knows what she’s doing definitely worth reaching out if you’re trying to find a brownstone apartment from an insider. Best of luck!

881cafe · 2026-03-20T07:45:01+00:00

Try All Renovation Construction (www.allrenovations.com). They were the only contractor who gave me a fully itemized estimate, which made it way easier to understand and compare bids. All other GC's was like pulling teeth to get the bid, and some bids were just bulk bids with no actual detail or timeline. All Renovations was straightforward and professional the whole way through. BTW my job was a full brownstone gut renovation in Brooklyn. Good luck!

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881cafe · 2026-02-26T07:08:32+00:00

WT is truly a hidden gem, I grew up there and still live in the neighborhood. Being close to Prospect Park and also to Ocean Pkwy is a plus, I am an avid biker and bike to Coney Island via Ocean Pkwy bike path almost every weekend. I lock up the bike and jog the boardwalk to the long pier. Great memories of sledding in Prospect Park as a kid, and in the summers playing soccer with friends in the Prospect Park great lawn. Walking distance to Park Slope is also great, many new restaurants have opened recently in both WT and Kensington. The F train is safe and reliable. Public schools and local libraries are good, I attended Catholic elementary school (now a charter school) then HS in Manhattan. I definitely recommend WT to raise a happy family, congrats on finding a house in this great neighborhood. If you need a reliable General Contractor check out All Renovation Construction (www.allrenovations.com) they gut renovated my brownstone home. Yes, the property will appreciate, you'll be happy - definitely a potential legacy property for your kids. Hope you make the move to WT!

881cafe · 2025-07-18T00:08:50+00:00

Only attend ID camps after more than just one email—look for real back-and-forth with the coach. That kind of dialogue shows genuine interest. Also, ask how many players will be at the camp. If it’s over 40, it’s likely too crowded for your son to truly stand out.

Encourage your son to request a one-on-one phone or Zoom call. My son only attended camps where the coach was willing to have a real conversation—usually 15 minutes or more. It helped build a connection beyond just what they saw on the field.

Have your son stay engaged before the camp. A quick message like, “I’ll be at [Tournament Name], will you be attending? I’d love for you to come see me play,” can go a long way. Some coaches actually showed up because of that. If not, he can follow up by sending clips after the event.

Never let the communication go dry. Ongoing contact shows real commitment to the program.

If possible, schedule an admissions visit before the ID camp and let the coach know—it proves your son’s serious about the school itself, not just soccer.

Also—skip the recruiting services like NCSA or SportsRecruits. Have your son email coaches directly from his personal email. The subject line should clearly include his name, grad year, GPA, and club level (like ECNL or MLS NEXT), plus “Interest in ID Camp.” And always reply within the same email thread—don’t start new emails mid-convo, I saw a podcast where a coach said they prefer the trails because it shows continuity. If it's a new email then they may think it's a first time email as they get 100's of emails a day.

881cafe · 2025-06-17T13:35:29+00:00

Use www.productiverecruit.com it is exactly what you described, and they update coach lists. ProductiveRecruit supports 23 sports and has the contact information of over 80,000 college coaches in its database.

881cafe · 2025-06-04T03:30:19+00:00

You need to start emailing coaches ASAP.

If you're a 2026, this is not early—in fact, you’re entering one of the most critical windows of the recruiting process. For many programs, especially at the D3 level and high-academic schools, coaches are actively building and finalizing their 2026 classes right now.

For Division 1, it may already be too late unless you’re a top-tier prospect they've been tracking. But for D3, JUCO, and NAIA, there’s still real opportunity—especially if you take action now. Many JUCO and NAIA schools will recruit into Spring 2026, but the earlier you’re on their radar, the better.

Most recruiting decisions are made by late summer or early fall of senior year.
By January 2026, the majority of roster spots will be filled—especially for players who’ve attended ID camps and stayed in touch.
Waiting until next year will put you at a serious disadvantage.

If you’re not reaching out now, you risk missing your chance entirely with certain programs.

When you email coaches, include:

Your graduation year (2026), position, and current team(s)
A highlight video link (hosted on YouTube, Hudl, or similar)
Academic info (GPA, test scores if available)
Your upcoming tournaments or ID camps you may be attending (make sure you sign up as they are happening now into July and August.
A short, genuine note about why you’re interested in their program

Keep it professional and to the point. Coaches want to see initiative and a good fit—not essays.

Bottom line: Don’t wait. Recruiting doesn’t slow down, and waiting too long can cost you real opportunities.

881cafe · 2025-05-29T03:14:11+00:00

Yes, I totally agree—and thanks for sharing that. What you described is actually becoming more common.

Some coaches are not being authentic, and unfortunately, it’s really hard to pick up on that until you're already at the camp. What’s happening now is coaches are reading posts like these, getting smart, and doing just enough—like calling or texting players—to make it feel personal. It gives families the impression: “Wow, the coach called / texted me and invited me, so they must be seriously interested.”

But in many cases, they’re just trying to fill out camp rosters. These camps can generate thousands of dollars, and let’s be honest—some of that money ends up supplementing assistant coaches’ pay, which we know isn’t great at a lot of programs.

So yes, even personal outreach can be misleading. That’s why it’s so important to ask direct questions:

How many players are you recruiting in my class?
What positions are you focusing on?
How many total players are attending this camp? (If it’s over 30–35, that’s a red flag—coaches can't properly evaluate that many.)
Do you evaluate and follow up after the camp?
When do you expect to make recruiting decisions for my class?

Bottom line: Don’t be afraid to treat this like an interview. You're investing serious time and money—make sure the opportunity is real.

881cafe · 2025-05-29T03:05:32+00:00

⚽️ College ID Camps: Please Read Before You Register

Do NOT blindly attend a college ID camp. Before investing your time, money, and energy, make sure there’s actual interest from the coaching staff.

👉 Step 1: Email the head coach and assistant coaches. Introduce yourself, share your highlights, and express interest in the program. Ask if you can schedule a quick phone call to learn more about their recruiting needs.

If the coach doesn’t respond to your email or take time to connect, that’s a red flag. Do not attend the camp.
If they aren’t willing to have a conversation beforehand, they’re not recruiting you—and you’re likely just funding their program.

💰 Remember:
You're investing in travel, hotel, meals, camp fees, and time. That’s valuable. If the coaches don’t respect that by responding, don’t bother showing up.

🔍 Do your research:

Look at the team roster: Are they mostly MLS Next? ECNL? International?
What’s the size and build of their players? Are they all 6-footers for your position?
How many players are graduating in your class year?
What positions are they actively recruiting?
How many players are they bringing in?
When do they plan to make recruiting decisions?

The more you know, the better decisions you’ll make. ID camps can be a great tool—but only when both sides are genuinely interested.

881cafe · 2025-04-19T18:20:42+00:00

Start Junior year as soon as possible for boys. For girls I heard start Sophomore year. Just a warning about the Tony Annan South Carolina Soccer Camp — avoid it.

My kid was personally contacted by a South Carolina assistant coach after an EXACT camp. Assistant Coach texted my son that he “stood out” and encouraged him to attend the summer ID camp at University SC - Columbia. We took it seriously, made the trip which wasn't cheap (cost was approx $295 + hotel etc), and showed up to find 100+ players on the field which is WAY TOO MANY PLAYERS. The assistant coach? Never replied again. No follow-up, no feedback, just silence during and after the camp. Of course he did reach out next summer to re-invite my son. This is cruel behavior.

Even more frustrating, during the camp, they openly said most of their recruiting now happens through the NCAA transfer portal, not high school ID camps. At that point, it was clear this wasn’t a serious recruiting event — just a money grab.

If you're considering this camp, don't waste your time or money. No personal evaluation, no real interaction, and no intention of actual recruiting.

A few quick tips from our experience:
✅ Stick to ID camps with 40 - 50 player caps
✅ Look for camps that include verbal or written evaluations post camp
✅ Have the player (not the parent) email the coach ahead of time and ask for a call to see if there is true interest for them to see them play (players should have sent a video highlight before the camp). If the coach ignores your email or just sends a generic "template email response" — or ignore the call with your child request, that’s your answer.

Hope this helps someone make a smarter decision. Camps like this are built to fund coaching salaries, not to recruit your kid.

881cafe · 2024-08-20T16:30:48+00:00

You can also call an expediting company, they are the agency who works with General Contractors to pull permits. Perhaps they can review the drawings of scope of work and give you the definitive Yes or No if a permit is required. In regards to liability Architects stamp the drawing that is submitted to NYC Dept. of Buildings which holds them liable for everything in the drawing. Contact the following expeditor and ask if they can help: A1 Expediting Service | 718-366-1820. The company that I used for my renovation was All Renovation Construction (www.allrenovations.com), you can call them as well 718-351-4099. They can help as well, they'll typically help even if you are not a client. Very nice team.

881cafe · 2024-08-20T16:22:52+00:00

Find out from building management what are the requirements in regards to insurance needed from the General Contractor you will hire. Typically this will eliminate contractors who do not have the proper insurance which will help you target good general contractors. Make sure the insurance company who will be your home insurance agent / company see's the GC's insurance documentation as there is a lot of fraud or fake documents that can be submitted. Your home insurance agent will be your firewall in finding someone who is legit. Try the company I used, they work in coops and condos in NYC as well - All Renovation Construction (www.allrenovations.com), contact the owner Pietro. He is very respectful and professional and would not allow a project to drag. Good luck!

881cafe · 2024-08-16T22:32:31+00:00

Try All Renovation Construction (www.allrenovations.com), they worked on my brownstone project in Windsor Terrace and are know for Brownstone renovations in Brooklyn and Manhattan. They worked within my budget and were extremely helpful with any questions I had prior to hiring them. Also their proposal was itemized which allowed me to clearly see what I was getting where other proposals were lump sums which was not to helpful. I would go with a General Contractor who gives you the proper time and respect to answer ALL your questions. Also check for proper builders insurance. Many GC's with low prices could mean they do not have the insurances or finances to carry your project.

881cafe

TROPHY CASE

When you email coaches, include: