<p>NY Times Dec. 25, 2005</p>
<p>Michael Stravato for The New York Times</p>
<p>"Kevin Friedenberg was certain he had played by all the rules of the college recruiting game.</p>
<p>John-Paul Cashiola, a lacrosse goalie who was accepted to Haverford, marketed himself to coaches, and he had other factors in his favor, too.Kevin Friedenberg, also a goalie, had the grades and the SAT score, and he went to camps and made campus visits, but he was rejected.</p>
<p>A top high school lacrosse goalie from Needham, Mass., he had e-mailed coaches to promote himself and had attended showcase camps and tournaments. An A student who said he had College Board scores equivalent to 1,380 on the two-part SAT, Friedenberg narrowed his choices to three Division III institutions, including Haverford, a small, selective liberal arts college.</p>
<p>Friedenberg twice visited the Haverford campus ... with astute questions for the lacrosse coach, Mike Murphy...</p>
<p>Assured he was in the top half of the list of athletes Murphy would forward
to admissions, Friedenberg completed Haverford's binding early-decision
application in November. He spurned overtures from Swarthmore College and
Connecticut College.</p>
<p>"I thought I had all my bases covered," Friedenberg said. "But what I got...was a thin letter....</p>
<p>"I was completely shocked," said Friedenberg, whose application was not among the few deferred to Haverford's regular decision process in the spring. "I didn't know what to do. I have to get back in touch with all those coaches again, but they've probably already recruited their goalies and moved on without me...."</p>
<p>Haverford accepted 101 of 237 early-decision applicants this month, and 37
of those were athletes who had been endorsed by a coach at the college. Haverford officials granted The New York Times access to most of the decision-making involving the recruited athletes, and to the interaction between the athletic and admissions departments, on the condition that applicants' identities be revealed only with their permission....</p>
<p>But being No. 1 on a coach's list and lobbying by the athletic department did not guarantee acceptance. Five of 13 athletes at the top of coaches' lists were not accepted, although three of those five were deferred...."</p>
<p>I think that reading the full article requires registration, which IMO is worth it: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/25/sports/ncaafootball/25haverford.html?emc=eta1%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/25/sports/ncaafootball/25haverford.html?emc=eta1</a></p>