A Parental Guide

Here’s 10 helpful hints for parents of college recruits, from a few who have lived through it.

Our panelists: Johnny Weatherspoon, Barbara Gibson, Marian Stark and Al Beuerlein.

1. Don’t let the recruiters disrupt your home life. Make them recruit around your schedule.

2. Be leery of a recruiter who promises too much.

3. Narrow the list of schools your child is interested in as soon as possible. Inform the others of his/her decision, avoiding unnecessary calls or visits.

4. Do not accept recruiters’ phone calls after 11 p.m.

5. Don’t be flattered that coaches talk to you. As Beuerlein says: “They wouldn’t talk to you if they weren’t interested in having your child at their school.”

6. Only talk to those officially affiliated with the school; no boosters, alumni or “friends of the program.”

7. Have your child take notes on the recruiting visits and discuss them when he/she returns. Weigh the institution’s pros and cons against other schools.

8. Set criteria before your child visits a campus. Don’t let personal alliances interfere with the decision. Decide solely on the school’s merits.

9. Keep the lines of communication open with your child.

10. Take the phone off the hook at dinner.