Chance a Track Recruit for Bates ED 1 [estimate 3.8 GPA, art and visual culture major]

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Junior looking ahead and planning to apply ED 1 to Bates college class of ‘28
U.S. citizen from Maine
High school - Fully Online Private Academy (will be applying as “homeschooled”)
Race/Gender- White Female
Track Recruit - Will have coach’s support in admissions
Was accepted to the Bates Scholars Program which allows a select amount of high school Seniors from the local area to take a Bates Class for free each semester. I will begin the program this fall.

Intended Major - Art and Visual Culture, possibly a Rhetoric double major
Submitting an strong art portfolio
4.1 W GPA
My school does not report class rank
My school does not report UW GPA but it would probably be a 3.8
Not submitting SAT
My school does not offer AP but I am enrolled in dual enrollment with my state’s university system. GPA has been on an upward trend with 3.5 freshman year, 3.9 Sophomore year, and 4.4 Junior year.

Science - Earth Science, Honors Bio, Physics, Honors Chem
Foreign Language - Spanish 1, 2, 3, and 4
Math (weak point) - Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 + Trigonometry. (mostly B/A-)
Social Studies - U.S. History, Art History, American Government, World History
Language Arts - Persuasive Writing, Creative Writing, Debate, Rhetoric, Mythology
Art - 4 years of private art lessons geared towards creating a competitive portfolio
Dual Enrollment - Political Science 100, Art History and Visual Culture 156, Psychology 100. Will be taking college Maine studies, English 101, and World history senior year. All A’s so far.

Extracurriculars:
2 Varsity sports
Captain of Cross Country and Track team
Personal business selling my art
Volunteer Special Olympics Coach
Payed internship at an art studio helping teach classes
Worked jobs every summer since freshman year
Regular volunteer at local soup kitchen

Essay - Unique topic and strong writing skills. Highlight my personality and outlook on life. Probably a solid 8/10 for a college essay.

Letters of Recommendation - Both strong, one from Junior year Rhetoric teacher who was very close to me, one from private art teacher of two years who I was taught by and worked for under an internship.

Other Colleges I am planing to apply to - SMFA tufts, Colby, Bennington, (UVM+ Umaine safety)

Looking for a school that has a good mix of granola/artsy people and also athletes because I fall somewhere in between the two. Rigorous and exciting academics but no cut-throat GPA competitions. Would love to be in a diverse community with a verity of perspectives. Toured Bates and have talked to a lot of people there and love the vibe. Definitely feels like the place for me! Also being recruited is a big bonus because I want to run track in college. Chance me for ED 1 !

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Has the coach indicated you will get a pre-read? If so, that’s probably the most accurate chance me you’ll find.

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Yes. the Coach has ensured I will get a pre-read, but they cannot legally begin the pre-reads for another month or so.

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The coach should be able to give you a probability after the pre-read if you ED. If we are talking real support, that means a 90%+ for most sports/schools.

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Have you been recruited at the other schools or just Bates? Are you sure you will have coach support in admissions? I ask because it’s early - perhaps you’re a stand out with very fast times.

A pre-read does not mean you have coach support through the admissions process. Once the pre-read comes back positive, the dance usually begins. Then, later this summer or fall, the coach will inform those s/he will support. At that time they may expect you to apply ED for that coach support but you’ll be close to a lock for admission.

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Yes, just be careful when a coach says something along the lines of “We’d love to have you on the team”. It sounds great, but it’s not an offer!

You need to hear both “you have a spot on the team” and “you have my full support with admissions”. I would have your parent have a conversation to confirm that there really is an offer. This is standard. My son had his college advisor make the call (in his case, to admissions, to verify the preread green light as well as the coach support).

The usual schedule for the NESCACs is to give offers AFTER the preread, which is why everyone is saying to double check.

Are you in recruiting talks with any other coaches? It’s not a bad idea to have more than one option.

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If the coach says they will support your application after a positive pre-read, you are in good shape and there is no need for chancing – you are a recruit. But do listen carefully to what the coach says as you want to be sure you have support.

With that said, all the BBC schools like strong students from Maine, so I think that’d be a positive as well. Bates sounds like what you are looking for in terms of vibe, so it sounds like you have made a good choice.

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Just curious, how does an online school homeschooler do a track team, for you to be captain of it?

I agree, I think that you will pass an academic pre-read, although with no APs and no SAT/ACT, I’m a little concerned that Bates would have no hard data points, what with the online homeschool. However, if you’re doing very well in college classes at your state’s university system, that will help to confirm your academic achievement.

If the coach wants you, I think you will be accepted.

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You should figure out your UW GPA.

It’s easy - 4 for an A, 3 for a B.

Divide by # of classes - or if classes are differing credits than if you got a B in a 4 credit class it’s 3x4 or 12. At the end, add up the points and divide by # of credits.

Don’t say - I don’t know my UW GPA.

You’d have a shot for sure. Since only 39% submitted a score last year, that bodes well for TO. I imagine it’s an ED or out school though. Make sure you can afford it.

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Since it appears that you may be looking for additional suggestions, look into Wheaton (MA).

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I don’t know the OP’s exact situation, but in many school districts in many states, homeschoolers are allowed to participate in athletics with their local public school. Most state athletic associations have a policy on homeschoolers participating.

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Thank you for your questions! In my state and local area schools homeschooled students are allowed to join and participate in any sports affiliated with their local school system. I have been doing track for a few years on local high school’s team and was chosen by the coaches to be a captain. I live in Maine so I am not sure If other states have the same policy that allows homeschoolers to participate in sports.

Additionally I have been told that colleges use the SAT to gauge if students are prepared to take college level classes. And since I have preformed well in classes from my state’s university system and will be taking early college classes at Bates my senior year and hopefully preforming equally in those, I think that should give an adequate representation of my preparedness for college level courses, rather than submitting the SAT.

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Thanks for your comment! That is exactly how I am participating in sports. Maine has policies that allow homeschooled students to join any sports teams affiliated with the local public schools.

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I wholeheartedly agree with you and have also been warned before about soft/noncommittal wording from coaches. I have had multiple meetings with the Coach and have gotten verbal confirmation that I will be supported in admissions. We are waiting for a green light on the pre-read but I have gotten the coach’s support. I am also trying to navigate the recruiting process as I am new to all of this as well.

I have not had extensive conversations with coaches from other teams because most of the other colleges I am considering I either do not offer track and field or are D1 and much more competitive than Bates.

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Yes! I have had multiple conversations with the coach and he has guaranteed I will get a pre-read. They are not legally allowed to begin pre-reads until the beginning on August though.

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I have been recruited by multiple other colleges but most of them did not seem like a good fit for me or they were not in the location I was hoping for. I have been in contact with the coaches since I visited in person this past winter and had a conversation with the head coach. Since then we have met on zoom and I have gotten verbal confirmation that I will be supported in admissions, assuming my pre-read gets the green light. The coaches have also asked me to come for another visit this fall. I am still new to the recruiting process and trying to navigate its ins and outs so thank you for your comments!

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It all sounds good to me!

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Thank you for the suggestion! I have actually looked into Wheaton before and will most likely be applying there as well. Seems like a good fit for what I am looking for.

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You sound like a great fit for Bates!

In admissions, Bates values your course rigor and grades as a better indicator of future college success than standardized tests. So I think you’ll be in a good spot if you’ve done well in your state university college classes and if you impress your Bates professor next fall. You are quite fortunate to have that opportunity!

If you are getting a pre read and Coach “support”… I would ask the coach (after the pre read) what percentage of his/her similarly supported applicants have been accepted in recent years. If the percentage is not super high, you can ask for the coach for some more clarity from the AO on your personal odds. They will be vague, but may give enough to read between the lines. Support is not the same as being offered a slot, but if you are getting an early pre read it probably means you are high on their list.

While I hope Bates works out for you, I recommend talking to coaches at a couple other schools (at least) as plans B and C. It can help you in the recruiting process with your #1 choice. It also gives you a backup plan in case the coach leaves, you get deferred ED1, etc.

Also I don’t think you mentioned but be sure to run the net price calculator and confirm the cost is doable for your family.

Best of luck! Fingers crossed that you’ll soon be a Bobcat!!

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Thank you so much for your comments! I realize I am very fortunate to be able to participate in Bates classes next year and I am honored to have that opportunity. Thank you for your advice on talking to the coaches after the pre-read. I will definitely follow up with them after pre-reads have been done to get a better idea of where I stand. I will also reach out to other coaches and follow up with those that have reached out to me to form some backup plans if Bates does not end up working out for me. And to reply to your last comment, my family has calculated the price and I am very grateful that my family would be able to afford Bates. I realize that is not the case for everyone so I am extremely lucky to be able to say that. Thank you again for your insights!

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