<p>So I've filled out all the prospective athlete forms at schools I'm interested in attending, and a couple of coaches have sent me some emails/letters/the like. I'm male, and am okay at xc (tbh I was a little surprised the coaches were at all interested). My academic stats are good (3.97 UW, 2320 SAT) and all the schools I'm looking at (minus Brown) are D3.</p>
<p>However, the two schools that I've had personal contact with the coach through emails aren't my top choices. College for me is first and foremost about academics. One of the schools is a great school, I just like others better, and another school is a safety.</p>
<p>How should I deal with this? I almost feel bad being semi-recruited at a really good school that I like, it's just I like others better. I'm visiting the safety soon and am meeting with the xc coach. Will he no longer be interested if I tell him that the school is a safety? I wouldnt blame him, and I don't need a boost in admissions there.</p>
<p>I'm just a little unsure what to do when I'm being recruited at schools I am interested, but their just not my top choices. And I've had no contact with two of my top three, and just an automated email from the third.</p>
<p>Until a coach specifically tells you he/she wants you and will support your application with admissions, all it is is interest. Coaches will be interested in lots of people until they start making decisions about what they really need and who they really want.</p>
<p>You may get more interest/commitment from the schools you’re more interested in, you may not. It’s early in the game so keep an open mind and keep your options open.</p>
<p>Totally agree with minoafrau and varska. You should not feel bad at all as it is part of the recruiting game. Trust me, the coaches are better at playing this game than you are. You want to find a school that meets your academic & financial requirements, and has a coach that wants you in his program. IMHO, if you find those three things you’re doing very, very well. Obviously, there are other dynamics in play, but those are the big ones. I hope that makes sense, because this recruiting thing can be summed up right there. If you haven’t found those three things, you need to keep looking. Please do your due diligence to learn everything there is about the schools you are interested in, schools that are interested in you, plus any others that you may have overlooked. You still have a lot of time to look at more schools. </p>
<p>Stick to your goals and everything should be fine. You have strong board scores and grades which will give you more options if you pursue them. </p>
<p>One thing that didn’t come across to me in your post is how passionate you are about your sport. Coaches will also be looking at this, because they’ll want someone who they can count on for 4 years. If they are going to support their application, they want to know you really like the sport. I realize this is difficult to communicate in a post, but it is something to be aware of.</p>
<p>You want to find a school that meets your academic & financial requirements, and has a coach that wants you in his program. IMHO, if you find those three things you’re doing very, very well. </p>
<p>That’s what we did. My son class 2012 committed yesterday in baseball.</p>
<p>Right now you are a freebie at those less selective schools-the coach doesn’t need to give you a “slot” so if you decide to apply, he’ll be happy to have you on his roster.He’ll send a little note to admissions that it will be nice to have you, but there is no limit on how many people he can do that for.</p>
<p>If you aren’t academically competitive enough for the more selective schools, the coach has to give you a “slot” to assure admission, and he only has a few of those, depending on the sport and the size of the school, athletic conference etc. For all I know, cross country has no slots at the schools you want most. I can guess they have 4 or fewer for men and women, so unless you are fabulously fast, the coach isn’t going to use his “slots” on you.</p>
<p>No matter what your times or your grades are, if you plan on competing in college, contact the coach beforehand and let him or her know of your interest. That note to admissions could be the difference between acceptance, and the waiting list…or rejection at any competitive school. You don’t have to make any commitments at initial visits. Being brutally honest is not necessary either. You can bet that at this stage, the coach is just looking too.</p>