A Not-So-Warm-Welcome

Recruiting Horror Story: How to Make Your Recruit Feel Unwelcome

By Bella Nevin|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on March 28, 2023)

During the fall of her senior year in high school, star soccer player Maddie* was invited to her first-ever overnight visit with one of her top schools. The coach of this school had shown great interest in her during her recruiting process, and Maddie was seriously considering committing to the university.

One important thing to know about Maddie: she was super shy. It was hard for her to step out of her comfort zone and not make herself look uncomfortable. That being said, going to a place she's never been, sleeping in a room with people she doesn't know, and having to talk to so many different people sounded like a nightmare for her. Nevertheless, she knew this was a great opportunity for her and she really did want to see what this school was like.

Maddie met with the coach, who seemed very nice and still very interested in her. She then met her host, Courtney, who she would be staying the night with. Courtney seemed nice enough, but Maddie was having a hard time trying to make herself look comfortable on the outside. Maddie put her stuff down in Courtney's room and met her roommate, who was also on the soccer team. As the day went on, Maddie met more of the players on the team and was proud of the progress she had made.

However, that night when Maddie and Courtney were all doing work together when a guy walked into the room. The guy made it obvious he wanted Courtney to leave and go to his room, but Courtney said she had to stay because she had a recruit. This made Maddie really uncomfortable. She felt like a burden being there, but she also knew that she had nowhere else to go and she didn't know her way around if Courtney left. So Maddie just had to sit there awkwardly.

Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits

Finally, the guy left and they went to sleep. When Maddie woke up, she went to a couple classes with some members of the team, ate lunch with some of the team, and then for a last stop, she went to the beginning of the team's lift to say “hi” to the entire team. Maddie met a lot of nice players and she was super excited about how much she stepped out of her comfort zone.

However, just as she was leaving, she heard Courtney whispering to someone. Courtney obviously thought Maddie was out of earshot, but Maddie could hear Courtney complaining to one of her teammates about how weird and awkward Maddie was during her visit. This one comment tainted Maddie's entire visit. She had already felt off about Courtney, but now knowing that this girl was talking behind her back and making fun of her really ruined it.

They say you don't get a second shot at first impression and this Recruiting Horror Story proves this is true–Maddie did not end up at this school, and without knowing it, Courtney was definitely part of this decision.