I could suggest that you not worry too much about it, but I know that you will be unable to heed that advice. Remember how busy this whole recruiting/college thing has been for you, it is multiples of that for the coach. You just never know why a coach doesn’t call when you expect. What if her mother or child got sick? What if 49 other recruits were calling to find out the results of the pre-read?
Which brings us to my suggestion. Call. No coach in the world will turn down a call from his or her no. 1 recruit (or nos. 1-10) and certainly will not stop recruiting you due to the call. Every coach in the world would be delighted to receive that call. It tells the coach that you are interested in his or her program, which is not the case for all the recruits. Whatever the news, it will not change by a call to the coach. Just. Call. If your kid can’t call, have them text the coach and set up a call.
Thanks everyone for the feedback yesterday. Unfortunately, the reason the coach didn’t call on Friday was because she didn’t have the heart to tell her no. They had a call this morning and the coach said she really tried but AO gave a firm no. No way for her to get in. She is devastated. Working 16 hour days at an overnight camp and miserable. This process has been horrible and I think she’s just going to move on. Not going to be a fun fall season knowing it’s her last. Anyway, thanks again.
I’m really sorry it turned out this way. The disappointment is real. And she should have time to feel those feelings. But, it doesn’t have to mean the end for her. This tells me she must be very talented athletically and was on the bubble academically at the hardest colleges for admissions academically. There are still plenty of options for high school kids like that. Lower D1s and non-nescac D3s. Have her looks at NEWMAC, Patriot league, Centennial Conference schools if she eventually decides she wants to continue trying to play. Wishing you all the best!
Recruiting is very tough! But I echo @Ignutzz – just because one school said no doesn’t mean every school will say no, especially for a d1 level recruit! Has your daughter been communicating with other coaches?
Now would be the time to be proactive and figure out those schools your daughter probably would like AND that she’s academically likely to be qualified for. Targeting, both athletcally and academically, is key. If she likes LACs (guessing the NESCAC was not Tufts) what about: St. Lawrence, Union, Hobart, Skidmore, Kenyon, Denison, Rhodes, Sewanee etc etc etc. There are probably 100 schools out there that are worth considering!
Take a bit of time to regroup, it is hard, but then go!
I am so sorry about this. It’s hard too when she’s not there to console in person. I agree with with Ignutzz that being a top recruit should signal the possibility of other options. My D was counseled to “cast a wide net” and that has been wise advice: she started with about 60 schools and through the past year it has narrowed down to about 15 still in play. Even if the schools are ones your D may not know much about, encourage her research them and see what may be interesting/fun about each. I have found that I can get excited about a lot of schools if I take the time to learn more about them. Good luck to your D.
Sorry about how this is going for your family. I agree with Ignutzz - sounds like your daughter is talented and there are lots of options out there if she wants to play in college. And based on the info you’ve provided, her athletics and academics combined may get more options than her academics alone. It’s a lot of work but casting a big net with multiple tiers academically and athletically will give her some options I’m sure. Best of luck!
Very sorry about the disappointing call. It’s going to sting for a little while, no avoiding that. But I’d echo others in suggesting that she consider other options that might be open to her. It sounds like she’s been targeting schools that are not the easiest admits academically. That is such a small portion of schools. Opening up to the possibility of other schools might lead to some great options.
I don’t want to minimize the disappointment but quite a few athletes face this sort of thing as the path narrows due to athletic talent or academic stats. In my experience they pivot pretty quickly and it doesn’t cause any long term scarring. Just the opposite in fact—most end up happy with the way things work out.
I hate to be repetitive, but you need to hear it. This is a setback, and it will hurt for a bit. But it certainly isn’t the end, or it doesn’t have to be. You said not the “very top” academic NESCACs (so I’m assuming not Amherst/Williams), but still a competitive one. Conn and Trinity are the “easy admit” schools and are still in the top 50 LAC’s, the rest are top 25 (or top 10).
So not getting in academically to any of those schools is certainly not the end of the line. And if she just really wants a school like that, the reality is that she almost certainly can’t get into one of them without coach help if she can’t get in with it. So she may need to adjust what exactly she is looking for. Almost every school is infinitely easier to get into with coach help. So figure out where she wants to go that is realistic, then start targeting them.
There are several other great schools she could go for. They may just be a bit down the list prestige-wise from what she had in mind. But she can still get higher up on that list with coach help than without.
I know she will need some time to regroup. But don’t give up on the process. If she does, it only gets harder. I have done selective schools both for an athlete and a non-athlete. WAY more unknowns and stress for the non-athlete. Take some time and then move on to Plan B (or plan F or whatever plan you are on).
thank u to everyone who has already commented, I read through a lot of this thread and found it super helpful. I’m a class of 2023 track and field recruit, and I have a few questions if people would be willing to help me. (For reference, I’m on the edge of D1 and D3 and are looking at schools in both divisions)
A few months ago I was in communication with a school, talked to the coach on the phone, and then went and visited but unfortunately couldn’t meet the coach at that time. They had an on campus recruit day that I missed because I was on vacation. I liked the school when I visited but have since decided I don’t think its the right place for me. I haven’t had contact with the coaches in a few months, do I need to reach out to them and clarify I am no longer interested, or is it clear enough to them and wouldn’t be considered rude if I don’t?
I’ve been in contact with a school for awhile now that I really like. It’s a D1 school, and I’m pretty frequently in contact with the coach there, but I have’t been sent anything concerning a pre-read, or sending them any academic information (I’ve never sent them my SAT score, they have no final junior year transcript, etc) Is this something I should be concerned about/does it mean they aren’t interested and haven’t said anything?
As to 1, depends where you left it off with the coach. It sounds like though that there has been mutual radio silence for a few months, so I don’t think you have any obligation to contact the coach. If the coach contacts you, then you need to be honest.
For 2, your best bet is to contact the coach and ask the coach directly where he/she is in the process and where you stand with the coach. No sense in just speculating.
Yeah, neither of us have been in communication for months and we really only got to basic introductions and a short phone call. If they do reach out again I would be sure to communicate that with them.
My events coach at the second college is not responding to emails until August, they did give me some information in regards to other coaches that I could contact, but I’m not sure if I should just wait until August and contact the coach that I know.
I see no problem telling the first coach that the school isn’t right for you. They get these emails all the time, and it clears the air for both of you.
Common courtesy to let them know. And who knows, that coach may move to a different school that you may be interested in, and remember you for your politeness.
1- there’s no need to reach out to let the coach know this school isn’t high on your list unless they continue to reach out, offer an OV, etc.
2- is this a school that typically does prereads? If not it’s not that unusual for the academic stuff not to come up yet.
As far as contacting other coaches at the school, it kind of depends on the situation I think. If it’s just that the distance coach is on vacation and told you to feel free to contact the throws coach if you need anything while he’s gone, I don’t know that there’s much value unless you do have a question. Although if one of them is the recruiting coordinator you could reach out and ask about the recruiting timeline and/or ask if they’d like your grades and test scores.
Thats what I was wondering. I don’t really know the timeline for the school or whether they do pre reads or not. I probably won’t contact the other coaches as the coach I was speaking said in their email they would continue communication with me when they get back, so I’m guessing the academic stuff hasn’t come up yet.
This is question about timelines. I read from the Ivy thread
about getting offers (or not) after the OV in September.
Do Ivy coach’s pull support or not give support after doing the OV? This is confusing.
I am wondering if this similar with top academic D3s. Can coach’s pull support after the OV in September/Oct?
My D23 has offers with full coach’s support/tips if she does
ED1. She was under the impression that if she passes the pre-read, gets full support, and applies ED1 the chances are very good she will get admitted. Is there another step in the process during the offer OV? She is top 2 at all of her schools with strong pre-reads from AOs. Jittery because she needs to make a decision really soon.
I can only speak to my daughter’s sport (crew) in D1 and Ivy and they offer more OV’s vs spots. It also varies my school - so offer similar to roster spots and other offer significantly more OVs vs spots. They may offer soft support to some - but that does not result in a likely letter. A likely letter means 99.9% you are in unless you do something horrible and is not sent out until a later date in the Fall.
I was unaware of D3 schools offering likely letters - so hoping D3 families can answer. Also unsure how D3 OVs work and if all
sports do them or can ?
An OV invite does NOT mean the athlete is being offered a slot (unless coach already made a verbal offer prior to the OV). Many coaches invite more recruits on OVs than they have fully supported slots. Some coaches will offer a slot after the OV, some will wait until all OVs are complete.
Some D3 coaches do OVs, but many do not have the budget for OVs. D3 recruiting often works as you describe…positive pre-read, full coach support thru the admissions process, and an ED app generally is a high likelihood of acceptance. But, nothing is final until the student-athlete receives an offer of admission from admissions.
If your D has D3 offers outstanding she has to ask the coaches for how long those will remain open…many coaches require a verbal commitment in a week or two.
I am not sure what you mean here. Most D3 schools don’t offer likely letters, and at the schools that do (Case Western and a few others), no likely letters would be sent until after the application is submitted.