<p>and, player was not told #1 recruit or anything like that. But, was told could be one of the better players in the league.</p>
<p>Wow, I am wondering if your son was talking to the same person we were. I wish there were a handbook of whether or not slot and support meant the same or different, or tip and support meant the same. We have heard the words used interchangeably. The coach in our case did not say ‘green light’ or anything like that. </p>
<p>Wow, so stressful.I would probably call the coach myself and ask if we could speak. Or have your son call or email and say “gee, you’re my number one choice, I’m getting ready to apply, but I just have a few questions: What percent of “supported” players are accepted in your experience? And has admissions reviewed my application and given an opinion, or is this just in your experience?”
Then if the coach says “yes, they have and 100% of the students I support get in”, you can send it but keep some ED2 options open if possible.Any waffling, you are just getting “tip” and the coach isn’t sure of the outcome.</p>
<p>Why does he want your son to retake the tests if it doesn’t matter? I think that implies he doesn’t have the ability, or doesn’t want to use full support.
This is much like what the Amherst Coach(who I have a lot of respect for, because he told it straight) told my son. He said with a 29 ACT, despite top 5 in his grad class, 4.0 unweighted, and IB diploma, my son would need a “slot” and he wasn’t using one of his 4 slots on my son. He said he would give my son a “tip” but he didn’t think he’d get in with a “tip” without a 31 ACT. Williams Coach mislead my son incredibly, and Midd Coach used a “slot” for him, or he didn’t need one at Midd, wasn’t clear to me but “the pre-read was a green light”. He went to Midd.</p>
<p>He told 2 of the other coaches who wanted him once he had made his decision that he was sorry, he really liked their schools etc, but he had decided on Midd, and if it didn’t happen they were his second choice and he would be applying ED2(Carleton, MacAlaster,) After he was accepted at Midd, he wrote emails thanking them both and telling them he had been accepted so they could focus on other recruits.</p>
<p>I agree with this; it is excellent advice. Slot and tip/support are not at all the same things and it is why it is important to understand with great care the terms the coach is using. Support can mean many things, but regardless, there is a higher level of protection thru admissions that it would be important to ask about and decide if not getting that alters the application strategy.In addition it is often true that slotted players, whether you needed the slot or you got it just because you were highly sought-after,seem to be the ones who play the most.The coach went all out for these athletes with admissions, they tend to want to use them.Something to consider if your athlete has their heart set on being an impact contributor to the team.</p>
<p>Coach in our case keeps in contact but also wants retesting. We’ve been told that the better the scores the easier it is overall. And the coach seems clear about wanting to get as many through admissions as possible and the higher the scores of each person, the more possibilities open up for the coach. Sounded believable though I am circumspect. </p>
<p>Likewise, Nescac coach told us “the higher the score, the less of a case I have to make for you”.</p>
<p>Sounds like tips, not slots. Whatever you call them, if there is a case to be made its not full support.</p>
<p>So, then, are there ‘ranked’ recruits with the ‘tips’ ? I am guessing the next question should be how does the player rank with you? Are all tips equal? </p>
<p>When my S was first meeting with NESCAC coaches his junior year, the ones that we spoke with-Williams, Amherst and Tufts- didn’t refer to either a tip or slot. They just indicated they could support a certain number through admissions. Each was different in how they described the process. This was for swimming. The Williams coach indicated he was looking for five guys, and sure enough, my son is a freshman now and there are five freshman guys on the team. Even when my S went on the OV the coach was clear with him that he would support him and that that there were no guarantees but only one swimmer had ever been rejected applying ED. We still worried, but it worked out fine. I don’t recall that he used “tip” or “slot” though. </p>
<p>I don’t know if all the tips are equal. The slots are slots. Unless you knew what each of the 5 freshman guys were told, you can’t say if they all required full support. Someone with high 700s and 4.0 coming from a well-known prep school, legacy points, also has another desirable activity doesn’t need a slot. My son with a 29 on his ACT despite his many other positive attributes at Williams or Amherst would have needed full support to be accepted ED the year he applied. It also depends on your times and your event. Another year they may have needed his skills more.</p>
<p>Are all responses to ED applications released at the same time from every school, even in the case of athletes? Or is there an ‘early’ notification like sometimes occurs with non-athlete applicants?</p>
<p>For the NESCACs, it’s all the same day or thereabouts. Your “favorable” pre-read is your only “early notification”, and there have been examples of athletes being mis-led, which is why I post so many cautionary notes.</p>
<p>I am not aware of an early release of admissions information for ED athletes, and I am not sure of the rationale for it either. If the athlete is admitted he or she has to matriculate. Obviously, if denied or deferred it would be nice to know that earlier rather than later, but that is why so many of the parents have recommended that you ask brutally honest questions of the coach (and not press the ED button until convinced that you are high enough on the list that the coach’s support will win the day). </p>
<p>The tips and slots designations are not meant to be confusing. A slot typically is reserved for an impact player. Since the grades and scores can be lower, they usually are. A tip, by contrast, usually is used for a player who could get in on his own merit, but might get lost in the shuffle of 10,000 other applications. Thus as between other equally qualified applicants, the recruited tip gets in. Although we assume it to be so, the no. 1 athlete on the list is not necessarily a slot, if he or she has the mojo to get in without being a slot. I had one coach explain how she worked with the adcom. The adcom outright told the coach not to use a slot on a given applicant because the application was strong enough on its own merit. If I were a coach, and I knew a higher ACT/SAT score could pull an applicant from a slot to a tip, why wouldn’t I encourage the student to take the test again. I could then use the slot for someone else. Even at the D1 level, a coach may ask for a retest because it may raise the collective average test score for the team.</p>
<p>The easiest way of figuring out where you stand is to ask how many kids are being recruited for the year, and where your kid is ranked among them.</p>
<p>If it were me, and a coach recommended retesting I would do it. The coach is privy to a lot of information from the adcom that they can’t or don’t convey to you. Even if the test scores don’t go up, at least you have shown the coach that you will do what you are asked to do - which isn’t a bad thing for a team member to do.</p>
<p>Well said! Better than I could, obviously!</p>
<p>My son was told that the top three recruits are ‘really close in skill’ - so he was told he was top three. But, he was also told to retest ! He tried to ask for certainty; asked if he could relax now as the exact question, and was told he would know in December. That was not comforting. </p>
<p>None of this is comforting – until you get through it and your son goes to an awesome college and has a great experience playing college sports. Depending on the sport, being in the top three is a good thing. Of course, being in the top three of ten recruits tells you one thing, while being in the top three of four recruits tells you yet another. One thing I would be tempted to ask is “what are the results of the pre-read.” That might reveal whether the coach is seeking higher scores because of his general experience with the adcom or whether the adcom said “this guy needs to raise his scores.” I do know of one NESCAC coach that routinely encourages his recruits to pass a certain test score. I know of one athlete who chose not to retest and was accepted and one whose test scores were a hair below the mark and was deferred. </p>