how i got recruited to play d3 soccer at mit by Emiko P. '25

The college recruiting process can be a confusing world to maneuver for athletes and their families. The soccer recruiting process, while definitely intimidating and tiring at times, ended up being a great decision for me, as I spent all four years of college playing D3 soccer on MIT’s Women’s Soccer team! I was the first in my family of four kids (who all play soccer) to get recruited, so I definitely have advice for other student-athletes interested in MIT or in playing college soccer in general.

I’m a senior in college now, meaning I did my recruiting process between 2018 and 2021, so keep in mind that some of my experience may be outdated. This is how I went about the college recruiting process for soccer, and how I eventually committed to MIT. I’m not entirely sure how other sports get recruited at MIT (or at other schools, for that matter), but hopefully some of the overall principles and advice can still apply!

My Recruiting Timeline at MIT

1. I went to several D1 and D3 camps starting at the end of sophomore year of high school.⁠01 This was the right timeline for soccer if you were interested in going D1, but I’ve noticed D3 isn’t as crunched for time, and you can be recruited into junior and senior year. My entire club soccer team was going D1, so I just followed their timeline I knew from the very beginning that I wanted a top-notch academic school.
2. I went to an ID camp⁠02 An ID camp is where a college (or colleges) hosts a soccer training session over the course of several days for high schoolers interested in their programs. It’s basically a big try out. at Harvard, which MIT was also attending. My mom checked out MIT’s campus while I was busy playing soccer, and she immediately told me that I should give it a chance (I was surprised to learn that MIT wasn’t solely devoted to STEM, which made my humanities heart glow). My interest in MIT had been piqued. 
3. I went to another camp in Florida in February of 2020 (literally one month before COVID shut everything down) and got to really talk with the MIT coach a lot, which made my connection to MIT feel stronger.
4. I kept in touch with MIT – updating the coach on my SAT/ ACT scores, letting him know how my club games were going, and telling him the classes I was taking and the grades I was getting.
5. I applied Early Action senior fall, and I was lucky enough to get in!!
6. I officially committed the spring of my senior year of high school after carefully making sure MIT was the right place for me. Five months later, I was on campus stepping onto Roberts Field for the first of what would be thousands of times. 

My Advice

I just want to quickly say that doing any of the things I suggest below are not necessary. I know many girls on the soccer team that did the sort of thing I did – ECNL/ GA club showcases and big recruiting events – and also others who had never played in front of the coach in person before showing up to pre-season. The journey is not the same for everyone and following this advice does not guarantee anything, but for me, these tips are all things that I found to make a difference in my recruiting process. If I had to do it all over again, I personally would do the tips I’ve laid out below.

1. Research schools that are a good fit. Do you want to play Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3? Do you want to earn a scholarship? Does the school offer the majors you’re interested in? What conference does the school play in (what teams would you be playing against)? Does the coach and team fit your vibe?
2. Keep a running list of things you like about the school, their sports program, the team, and where you stand in terms of recruiting. 
3. Be a good communicator: respond to that email or text message from a coach within a reasonable time frame.⁠03 I will admit that I was not the best at this haha
4. Get in contact with the coach early by sending an email. Make sure your email header contains vital information, such as your name, position, graduation class, SAT score, or sport accomplishment.
5. If you’re going to an ID camp, make sure the coach knows you will be there in advance by sending them an email. Say hi before the camp so they have their eye on you.
6. Check which coaches are coming to your tournaments. Send them an email telling them your game schedule and that you would appreciate them swinging by. After the tournament, I would sometimes make quick highlight videos and send them to the coach. Even better if you see them at your game and talk to them.
7. Make a scouting video of things you are really good at (soccer examples: long passes, defensive headers, playing under pressure, scoring goals, switching the field, etc). 
8. You don’t need to go to a million ID camps – they’re expensive and time consuming, so pick and choose your priorities. I think I went to about eight camps.
9. Be open minded. Sometimes you will go to a camp for one school in particular, but you will catch the eye of a different one. Don’t ignore that opportunity just because they weren’t the school you were originally going to the camp for. Really see what’s behind that door before you decide to close it. To be 100% honest: MIT wasn’t even on my huge list of schools I was considering before I happened to meet the coach at a camp. I’m beyond glad I kept an open mind.

That’s all I have for now! Wishing everyone the best of luck in the recruiting process, and I hope you find the school of your dreams :)

love this team! <3