Hi all… I continue to be confused about a few aspects of D3 recruiting (swimming) and would appreciate any clarification of the following questions:
When people say they have "committed" to D3 schools before the ED application deadline, what exactly does that mean?
Similarly, do D3 schools offer anything comparable to a likely letter?
Finally, how confident can a recruit be if they have received a positive pre-read from admissions, with no conditions, and an email from the coach after an OV saying they will "support" the athlete's application? Or asked another way, is there anything that can go wrong in this scenario?
Thanks in advance for all the collected wisdom on this site!
Nobska, if you read some of the back threads you will see some stories where recruits were mislead and had to change gear at the last minute. So, yes things can go wrong.
The committing is letting the coach know that you indeed are going to apply ED to his school/program
the coach will help guide you through the admission process
you try and read the tea leaves, get the academic preread and ask the coach directly if you will be supported.
Some schools rank the recruits by bands during the preread and if you have a high band rating that also can help settle your nerves.
However until your swimmer actually logs on to the site or gets the letter in the mail you are very nervous and nothing will help with that
good luck
Uh boy…lots and lots of anecdotes on this topic in another thread. Let’s just say it means the recruit has committed to the application process with encouragement from the coach. Admissions has made no such commitment, but it usually works out.
Generally speaking, no. But there are anecdotes of some D3 schools (UChi is one that comes to mind) that provide their own versions of the LL.
Ask direct questions. If the coach tells you that you have a positive pre-read and he is supporting your application you may want to ask what percentage he expects to get through. But generally, that’s about as strong of an assurance as you can expect in D3.
Unfortunately, yes. Despite assurances, nothing is for sure until admissions says so.
Understand that in D3, everything remains in a state of flux as the musical chairs stop. Take for example, swimmer no. 10 on the coach’s list. Coach may or may not have to dig down to no. 10. He remains encouraging to recruit no. 10. He may even seek a pre-read and invite the athlete on an overnight. But now two swimmers who intended to go IVY are not and are choosing instead this D3 school. The coach stops communicating with no. 10 because he doesn’t have to dig down that far. Recruit no. 10 doesn’t realize this. He is trying to keep his grades up and assumes he is on track. Recruit no. 10 applies early and is surprised to be deferred.
There are many, many variations on this theme. The best way to prepare is to have a strong back up plan in place.
My strategy with D3 might not be appreciated so I hope I don’t upset anybody. My thought is to treat D3 recruitment as a hybrid of D1 recruitment and application process for folks who do not do athletics.
Take the coach’s word that he’s doing his best to help, but who knows how good his best will be with admissions. Also some D3 schools are expensive, so who knows how the financial aid will pan out.
Apply to a wide number and caliber of places academically. Reach schools where coach’s support will be necessary. Safety schools where the coach’s academic support should not at all be needed. In short, do not apply to only 1 place. Even in Early Decision, plan for possibility that it won’t go through. Have a Plan B
Take the actual applications seriously, such as the personal statement(s). Do everything the non-athletes are doing, even the hard core ones with college counselors, whatever those are. In short, appear with admissions to be genuinely interested in the school and to be a very competent and not just someone applying to college because of sports and a conversation with a coach
Have as clear discussion as possible with coach about where one would stand with the team athletically in terms of possible play time.
In the end, appreciate the opportunity to continue playing sports and the opportunity to attend a college that might not otherwise be possible without coach support. However, don’t see yourself as much more than someone who’s applying to college as a walk-in / without coach support.
Again, maybe that’s an inappropriate view and we should see ourselves doing D3 recruitment more like D1 recruitment than the non-athletes. I just feel in the end that the D3 coach can help, but who knows so I should rely fully on myself and simply appreciate any support / boost he can provide with admissions
Thanks to all for the clarification and words of caution. There’s nothing like hearing from those that have gone through the process. We will definitely ask direct questions and have a backup plan in place.
Hi nobska, although my son’s sport is not swimming, he accepted a verbal offer to play for a highly ranked D3 school this summer while at camp. A few months later he requested a letter confirming his intentions from the coach in order for his high school to announce his commitment, similar to a LL. They happily obliged.
He is near the top tier of academics for the school so he was confident with the application process and applied ED. Of course we are still waiting for the actual acceptance letter so we are aware things could still catastrophically fall apart.
He has a former teammate that is going to attend U Chi and also “committed” to playing for the D3 college.
For my son the search was about the best academics matched with the best athletics and reputable coaching staff, he will be going biology/premed and found what appears to be the perfect match.
The Pomona College swim coach used the word “likely letter” with us on a recent visit. I was quite surprised, but it seems that they’ve apparently moved in that direction. So Chicago is not alone among top D3s.
Not sure why you think your strategies would be subject to disagreement. I think they are sensible and well put.
The reason for asking the “hard questions” of the coach is to make sure that the coach really wants the athlete, as opposed to the athlete being the coach’s “Plan B.” It is easy for the coach to state that he needs athletes to apply ED because his or her influence with admissions diminishes after ED. Any reasonable athlete would assume that means that if he or she applies early there will be coach support. But coaches like to have options if their top recruits don’t pan out. This is why coaches are at times vague and athletes (who likely are novices to recruiting) believe that they are being actively recruited. Thus, the hard questions need to be asked to the coach point blank – “will you support my application?”
The athlete having his or her own recruiting list or backup plan is – as you point out – critical. You should be able to bob and weave if fate throws you a curveball. Things do happen. But, if you are prepared, you will be able to have a terrific college experience regardless of any recruiting tangle.