My D is rising senior lacrosse player communicating with a few NESCAC schools. I have a question about the July 1 pre-read date for NESCAC schools: do the schools tell athletes before July 1 that they want to submit pre-read on that date or, alternatively, do the schools tell the athletes on July 1 that they want to submit a pre-read? Any info appreciated, thanks.
It depends. Some schools let athletes know before the July 1 date, some after. It mostly depends on how high the athlete is on the recruiting list. If one of the top recruits for that program, the coach may offer to submit a preread (which is done in July) in May or June.
A Middlebury coach (men’s soccer) told parents he submits about half his prereads in July (which is about 25) and then the other 25 prereads are submitted in a trickle through the Fall.
There are a number of variations on this point. Because we always submitted an unofficial transcript and test scores before the coach requested them, there were times that we didn’t know that the coach had requested a pre-read. There were other schools that we asked that a pre-read be performed, and it was after the request. Still others suggested that it wasn’t necessary - that the Athletics Department’s admissions coordinator felt certain that admission was quite likely.
The best thing to do is ask the coach if he or she will request a pre-read. Some may think that this is too forward. But really, how can it hurt you? Either the coach says, “yes of course,” or the coach says “no.” Either way, you will learn exactly where you stand with the answer to the question.
In our case, yes we were requested to have the materials in by July 1, which is the earliest date the NESCAC’s allowed pre reads to occur. in fact, they undoubtedly jumped the analysis gun, as the answers came back immediately after July 1.
After that its a rolling process.
From my understanding, the coaches need to have some pre-reads back by July 1 so that they can give offers on July 1, particularly to the top athletes that may otherwise accept an offer from a competitor. A coach will submit many more pre-reads than the number of offers she plan’s to give. One top NESCAC told my D that the coach is only allowed to submit 18 pre-reads in the first round. That seems like a lot for a college that is so highly selective and would be a dream come true! Sounds like they a have a deep reserve in case players commit elsewhere. Meanwhile, the coach was reluctant to submit a pre-read for my D if it wasn’t her top choice. Very hard for these athletes to narrow down their top choices when they don’t know who will give them an offer. It’s a guessing game.
Given they aren’t committing either, simply saying if I was offered now I would accept or it’s definitely in my top 3 should be sufficient. The limit on number of pre reads is a admissions office/coach determination not a conference rule.
My D21 was asked to have her info in as soon as possible once she received her latest transcript, official or unofficial. We submitted early June.
During the last year she submitted her grades and she submitted her senior course selection so the coach had a pretty good idea of where she stood before the final submission.
Have been told if your 21 is one of the top 2-3 prospects, you should expect a call on July 1 for an “official offer”. The coaches know these kids have other d1/d3 offers.
Hypothetical:
*21 passes pre-read, gets full support of coach and will ED. All set.
*21 plays a secondary fall sport and would like to play Sr year since loves it, is capt and equally good as in sport #1.
What if my 21 blows their acl/Achilles out in Sept, do D3 HCs honor the verbal “supported offer” come Nov ED?
Anyone else go down this road? Just a total calculated judgment call, I guess? Part of me says you got nothing until that acceptance letter in Nov/Dec so 21 shud sit the season out, sad as that is. Another part of me says I shud flesh it out on a recorded phone call with the HC after we accept…get proof she was ok with the fall sport! (Somewhat kidding)
Thoughts from folks who have gone thru it.
@recruitparent70 What if my 21 blows their acl/Achilles out in Sept, do D3 HCs honor the verbal “supported offer” come Nov ED?
I do not know for sure but my understanding is yes, they do honor. The coach is asking the admissions for support but the admissions is making the actual decision so I believe it is honored.
I had a D/S that was a top D1 Recruit with coaches support (Ivy LL) and also a top 3-sport athlete so I understand your concern. My recommendation would be to keep playing all their HS Sports, especially since they are a Capt. and love the sport. They could get injured in college, lose interest in their sport, etc. and would not have their Sr. HS season to look back on.
Yes-same here. My S had several pre-reads requested to be submitted by July 1, and two came back today. It probably depends a little on the sport as well.
“What if my 21 blows their acl/Achilles out in Sept, do D3 HCs honor the verbal ‘supported offer’ come Nov ED?”
Technically, there is nothing to honor, since the “commitment” is non-binding. Your 21 could convert his ED app to RD and apply to a different school without recourse. Similarly, the coach could change the nature of support given without an applicant knowing it. Mostly, however, this does not happen.
Incidentally, if an injury would prevent a recruit from participating in the sport, as opposed to just needing more time to recuperate, I believe a coach might well withdraw the support. And, wouldn’t that be fair? The coach is recruiting for a team. If a recruit’s injury was such that he or she could never play at the varsity level again, they probably should not use athletic recruiting to help gain admission to a school. On the other hand, if the recruit will recover from the injury, my guess is that your support would stay put.
So, make sure your 21 stretches out well to protect that Achilles.