My D21 just went through this process for a T25 LAC (I think that’s how you say it. I haven’t mastered the CC lingo yet.). She was asked for her transcripts 9-11 grades, senior year course selection, high school profile and list of EC’s. She didn’t take the ACT/SAT (was scheduled in April, then June.) The school went test optional for 2021.
Admissions gave her the greenlight and the coach offered her a spot. It took about a week after submitting.
The HS counselor just gave us the most recent high school profile and that seemed to work. And luckily she is taking some AP courses.
She submitted to two schools and they both asked for the same list of documents.
21 got a pre-read offer a few months ago to a top LAC that does pre-reads. Pre-read offered after participating in prospect day and having an unofficial visit (attended class, lunch with the team, met with coaches, attended practice, etc.)
Coach wanted the following for the pre-read:
- Transcript after jr year
- School profile
- PDF of scores, even though school recently indicated that they are going test-optional for 2021s
- Sr year schedule, Admissions office wants to make sure that the student isn’t going to take off their sr year (don’ t be surprised to hear that the coach/admissions office would like to see another AP course added)
Pre-read feedback given on July 1 or right after. Official “offer” (July 1+) only given after pre-read.
Your 21 needs to needs to ask the coach if they will be given “support” in the admissions process. And how much “support” will be given because there may be different levels (“bands”) depending upon gpa/scores/etc. Your 21 and/or you need to be direct with the coach and ask about “support” if the coach is not upfront about it. If the coach does not specifically offer “admissions support” then you are still just a prospect even if you get the pre-read. There are two different kinds of “offers” at the d3 level: a roster spot (you are on your own for admissions) or “admissions support”+roster spot.
If a green light is given by the admissions office and “offer” is made by the coach, the understanding is that 21 will apply ED and get “full admissions support” of the coach, i.e., 99% chance of acceptance but you still have to apply and it’s not a done deal until you get the acceptance letter. So at this standpoint, one is “committing to the admissions process at xyz”.
I wouldn’t indicate a major right now, maybe an interest, but not a major. Definitely don’t indicate interest in playing another sport in addition to the main sport. Coaches have a limited amount of support to offer.
My D21 submitted her final junior grades, transcript, school profile, and ACT scores for her pre-read.
The coach only referred to the AO being concerned with my D being a science major on the pre-med track with regard to my D’s ACT score.
There are other members of this school’s sports team that are also science majors in the same competitive college at this school. My D should be able to get admitted into a less competitive college at this school based only on her academic scores.
In response to the coach’s pre-read, my D has asked the coach about getting the coach’s support for admissions and to play on the team. My D told the coach that she believes she can improve her current score on the ACT in the event she is able to re-take the ACT. My D also told the coach that she is open to possibly changing majors/colleges if concerns over my D’s ACT score continued. Then, my D informed the coach that this school is her top choice of schools and that if all went as planned, that my D would like to apply ED as a recruited athlete.
My D (and us parents) did not interpret the coach’s message as a request to change majors/colleges. It appeared to us that the coach simply wanted my D to improve on the science section of the ACT by re-taking the ACT and/or super scoring.
@dadof3and1dog “Do coach’s want an athlete to not be given support for admission if the athlete can get admitted without the coach’s support?”
I am not sure of the school so I do not how much pull the coach has or how many slots they get. For example, at a NESCAC and Ivy there is a set or max # of slots that a coach gets per sport, so that factors in. If the recruit is a top recruit for the coach, they would not want to take a chance for the recruit going thru the system without their support and unprotected so to speak. For other recruits, they may very much want them to attend and run for them but do not want to use one of their slots or may not have any slots to use for them. This can be a changing situation as recruits can drop off their board for different reasons.
@dadof3and1dog: “If so, does that mean that the athlete is not “recruited” and will need to walk on?”
For Div 3 since there are not any scholarships, so to some extent the recruits and athletes are walk-ons. Div 3 teams, and T&F in general have quite a few walk ons so that should not be an issue.
So if I’m understanding correctly, are D3 schools not allowed to communicate the outcomes of prereads until July 1? My daughter was asked back in May for transcripts and hasn’t heard anything. I suggested she contact the coach just to touch base and confirm interest. There shouldn’t be any problems with the preread as she is a full IB candidate with a 4.6 GPA. New to this whole process!
@Tribegiant the July 1 date is for the NESCAC athletic league. Other leagues may also follow the same timeline, but for sure some do not and can communicate earlier.
I wonder how test-optional is going to affect athletic recruiting at D3 and Ivys? Also, if it’s truly test optional, I wonder why they are still asking for test scores during the pre-reads？
Going through it now with my D: NESCAC Coach was clearly interested in pursuing her after seeing her at an ID camp… said he wanted her to play at his school. She just submitted transcript for 3 years of HS, school description profile and senior year classes. Coach can support only a handful at most, others have to get in on own so be sure to ask “Do I have your support?” He may be recruiting 12 players and can only support 3 so he needs to know how many can get in on their own and how many cannot. This is why knowing if you have support and asking where you stand is CRITICAL. Our strategy was to go all in on the first school where coach offered support for her application.
Typically, NESCAC coaches get 2 slots each year, except football which gets 14. However, those coaches also have tips. Because tips have essentially the same academic credentials as other admitted students, in theory there could be unlimited tips. But, usually tips are limited to about an additional 3-5, depending on coach needs. You might find that in a given year the tip/slot ratio changes based on the size of preceding classes or attrition. I do strongly agree that you should ask the critical questions about support, where your kid is on the list, how many people in a similar situation have been admitted and denied in past years.
All good tips! Practically speaking, should the recruit or parent ask these questions? I ask because there is also the issue of finances that enter into any college admissions discussion.
Early on it’s best for the student to build a relationship with the coach, but once talks get serious it is appropriate for a parent to be involved.
It’s critical that the student and family understand what the coach is saying about level of support (D3), and for $ talks in DI/II. Many schools will also do financial aid pre-reads, so do ask for that as well.
I think it depends on the kid. Some are very sophisticated socially and some are shy. I do believe that some 17 year olds have a tough time asking “with my academic stats, am I going to get in?” I always asked, unless it had already been discussed. At the end of the coach meetings, the coach usually looked at me and asked “do you have any questions, so not only did I feel I felt entitled to ask, i felt it would be unwise for me not to ask. The common truism in recruiting is that the disappointed kids (and families) are the ones with mistaken impressions about their admission chances. A parent would be remiss not to ask.
I was having my daughter ask all the questions and one day she looked at me and asked, “Will you handle the money stuff?” She was 16 and it was all just too much for her.
The coach at the school she ended up at was new and didn’t really understand the way merit and Florida aid worked at the school. At other schools, the coaches directed me to FA office. It is complicated.
My DD is going through the pre-read process now with a NESCAC school and the coach asked for an unofficial transcript, resume which shows ECs through HS, and a graded essay. Coach never asked about ACT/SAT. This NESCAC is at the very top so if they didn’t ask, I guess they are truly test optional.
I know this is an older post but son starting this process now and dealing with the recruiting process as an athlete during Covid, which is no picnic. Makes no sense to me why coaches would request standardized test scores at test optional schools. Don’t coaches want the best athletes to get in so they have a better team?? I’ve had friends who have been through the process and coaches say not to submit scores as below the composite average. Only reason I can think of why they would request a score is if they think you can get in without their influence, they can save it for another good athlete on the team, who needs it.
Reading all these posts makes me wonder what the point of going through the admission process with coaches is if you need the same academic creds as every other student?? If anything it sounds like being an athletic recruit makes the process more difficult as you have to submit scores earlier in your academic career when you theoretically will get a lower score as you have less exposure to the material tested.