Best Time to Send in ED Application? Can it be too early?

Athletic Recruits
1

S has standing offers from 3, maybe 4 ( will know in a week or so), D3 schools to play ball at their schools. The 3 coaches are gently ( and insistently, in one case) starting to ask if S is going to return their interest and apply ED. He has told them we will have an answer by mid Oct, once he has completed his visits and has pondered them a bit. All are very good schools with excellent reps academically. All have Nov. 15 ED deadlines. My questions;

  • is it better to wait till the last minute to apply, in case the school S applies to gets a last minute influx of very talented players( I.e. Rejects from D 1 schools), pushing S down the depth chart? Or should he go ahead and apply early, then keep in touch with the coach of said school up to the ED date, keeping alert to any signs of a lessening of enthusiasm from his side? This would allow S to pull the application and go and beg a last minute spot from one of the other schools that had interest.

My instinct is to close the deal ASAP, or the coaches, quite rightly, will look for other candidates.

2

I agree with your instinct. Your son can have the other apps ready to go in case something changes. In fact, if he’s already done an OV to his #1 choice, I might not even wait for mid-October - he’s gone on 2 or 3 OV’s, so he understands the structure. It won’t be that different for the remaining OV’s.

3

Thanks for your input. Having a back up app ready to go is a good idea.

Can’t tell what the #1 choice is till he makes the final visits, as he is not sure if school #4 is definitely interested(though they have certainly been positive so far).

4

Agreed. Once he is sure he has a clear favorite, and is sure about the anticipated level of support, there is no point in waiting.

5

I woud ask one last time before selecting your son’s ED app if he has the coaches full support with admissions in return for his ED app.
If so, I would just get it done with and let the kid enjoy his senior year with less stress.

6

I think it’s a good idea to draw the distinction here between: 1) submitting an ED application; and 2) telling the coach that you are agreeing to apply early in exchange for the coach’s support with admissions.

In terms of coach support, the real issue is not when you apply, but when you tell the coach that you are applying ED in exchange for his or her support with admissions. It is more important to tell the coach in writing of your intention than it is to actually apply well ahead of the deadline. If you apply early, but never tell the coach of your plans, the coach won’t know that you have done so and will continue to recruit. If you tell the coach that you are applying early for a roster spot, the coach will rely on that commitment and most likely will stop looking for recruits for that position. Technically, once you tell the coach, the point in time that you hit the “submit” button is not as important, so long as it isn’t late. Never assume automatic lines of communication. Once you do apply, it is a good idea to follow up with an email to the coach confirming that the application has been submitted.

I do not see an advantage to holding off telling the coach as soon as your son decides, while there is a disadvantage to not telling the coach. I do agree that continuing to communicate on a regular basis is a good idea. Yes, you are correct that some coaches do signal waning interest by not responding to emails, but you have to focus on things you can control, not things beyond your control. Focus on conveying your commitment to the program to the coach and update him or her on application status. Always have a back up plan at the ready.

7

Good points, all. Will pass them on to S.

8

Also keep in mind that its fairly easy to switch from RD to ED (and vice versa) up until the deadline. Its just a simple phone call or email.

You may want to put in the applications to all of these schools now as RD, and then once the agreement is reached with the coach, convert one of them to ED.

9

VERY important that the coach tells you that you have his FULL support. It is a meaningful statement. Coach has a list of potential recruits and they have to manage a fixed number of people that can ‘support’ in admissions. They need to know where you stand or they will be forced to move on. Know this from family that went thru this with NEPSAC schools.

Worst case is that you ‘think’ you have full support but coach never said that. You apply ED and find out you really didn’t have it. Their words really matter.