What our family looked into when our kids were choosing a college from thousands of miles away — and the two guides that came out of it.
One of the unique challenges of navigating the college recruiting process from Hawaiʻi is that visiting every school you’re interested in simply isn’t realistic.
When every campus visit involves a plane ticket, several days of travel, hotel costs, rental cars, and time away from school or work, you quickly realize something: you have to become really good at researching schools from afar.
That’s exactly what we did.
Whenever a school caught our attention, we started gathering information. Lots of it.
We wanted to understand what life there might actually be like, not just what was shown in a recruiting brochure or a highlight video.
- What kind of town is it?
- Is the campus somewhere my daughter could picture herself living for four years?
- How far is the nearest airport?
- What’s the weather like?
- Are there grocery stores nearby? A hospital? Places to eat after a late practice?
- Does the school even offer the major she’s interested in?
- What’s the team culture like?
- How many players are already on the roster at her position?
Instead of relying on memory, gut feelings, or trying to compare schools in our heads, we started organizing information so we could actually see it side by side. We had lots of conversations with our kids about each one as they were thinking through this process.
Because ultimately, our hope was that our child find a place that was a good fit for them. Especially knowing they’d be thousands of miles away and an airplane ride or two away. They wouldn’t be able to just drive home on weekends. We wouldn’t be able to just drive a few hours (or 10) to drop in and visit. It’s not an easy decision to make. And often athletes and their families are trying to do so with incomplete information, emotional pressure, and a ticking clock.
The college recruiting process, even when it’s going well, can be a lot. What questions do I ask the coach? How do I choose one college over another? How do I know which ones I’d like and which ones aren’t a great fit?
Well, the only way to begin figuring that out is to learn about each one. The following guides were created to help with that. To give you things to consider and think about without having to figure it all out on your own. Now, there may be more that you can add to it. There may be portions that don’t really matter to you. You can utilize these as a starting point. Take what you need. Ignore what you don’t. Feel free to add other questions or information that matters to you even if it’s not explicitly mentioned in these guides.
Keep in mind that, even with all of this and as many questions as you can ask, you still may not know exactly what to expect until you get there. These guides are simply here to help you make the best decision you can with the information you DO have … and to give you as much of the information you need as possible so that you can make as solid a choice as possible in the process.
Most of all, best wishes to you on this journey.
It’s not always easy, but finding a great fit is so very much worth it.
Guide #1: The Right Fit Report
This guide is designed to help families evaluate colleges beyond the softball field.
It starts with a 5-Minute College Snapshot: a quick first pass that helps you decide whether a school even belongs on your shortlist before you invest hours researching it. Then, for the schools that make the cut, it walks you through categories like:
- School identity and campus feel
- Academics
- Cost of attendance
- Housing and dining
- Athletic facilities
- Strength and conditioning
- Sports medicine
- Student-athlete life
- Travel considerations
- Parent and family experience
- Safety
- Questions many families don’t think to ask until much later
Whether you’re able to visit in person or researching from across an ocean like we were, having everything in one place makes comparing schools much easier. Print one copy per school, fill them out, lay them side by side so that this big decision becomes something you can actually see making it easier to sort through and work with <3
Guide #2: The College Coach Conversation Prep Guide
One of the easiest ways to make a conversation with a college coach more meaningful is to spend a few minutes learning about their program beforehand.
This guide walks players through the basic information they should know before reaching out or hopping on a phone call.
Things like:
- The coaching staff and their background
- Recent team accomplishments
- Season records and conference standing
- Available majors
- Roster makeup
- Recruiting needs
- Team culture
- Recent news about the program
It also includes a long list of thoughtful questions players can ask when a coach says those four words almost every recruit eventually hears:
“Do you have any questions?”
Having a few genuine questions prepared can help turn an interview into a conversation. And there’s a Coach Notes page at the end for capturing what you learned right after the call, because when you’re talking to multiple programs, those fresh reflections become gold later.
Why This Matters
Choosing a college isn’t just about finding a place to play softball.
It’s about finding a place where you’ll grow.
Where you’ll be challenged academically.
Where you’ll build friendships.
Where you’ll spend countless hours practicing, studying, eating, recovering, and making memories.
Softball may open the door, but eventually every athlete graduates.
That’s why I always encourage families to look beyond the uniform and ask:
If softball disappeared tomorrow … would I still choose this school?
If the answer is yes, you’ve probably found a place that’s worth taking a much closer look at.
A quick note: I’m not a college recruiter, and I don’t offer recruiting services. What I can offer is help with the part of this process that trips up most families … making a solid, clear-eyed decision when the stakes are high and the information is scattered. That’s what these guides are built for: not to tell you which school to choose, but to help you gather what you need to choose well and feel at peace with it.
Download the Guides
If these resources can save your family time, reduce stress, or simply help you ask better questions during the recruiting process, I’d love for you to use them.
Download The Right Fit Report → Click HERE
Download The College Coach Conversation Prep Guide → Click Here
Whether you’re just starting to build your college list or narrowing it down to a handful of schools, I hope these guides help you feel a little more informed and a lot more confident as you evaluate each opportunity.
Happy researching, and best of luck on your recruiting journey!
