<p>hey everyone!! i've been in contact with a few coaches at some small LAC's, and they all have said that i would make good contributions to their teams...</p>
<p>does this mean that they're interested? what do i do now? should i call them with questions? </p>
<p>and how do i know that i'll be helped in the admissions process???</p>
<p>Have they asked you to fill out the prospective athlete recruiting questionnaire on their websites? Have you sent them any tapes, stats, athletic resume? Have they asked you to send your transcript, test scores to them or to admissions? Have you made unofficial visits, spoke with the coaches, met the team?</p>
<p>These are all next steps.</p>
<p>So far, if this is all that has happened, you have not gotten a firm committment from anyone. You’ll know a committment when you hear it. You’ll know it if they ask you to go early decision. This is a process, not just an email or a phone call. </p>
<p>Follow up with an email asking if they want your resume, tapes, scores, etc. That seems to be the next step for you.</p>
<p>a couple have asked to fill out the recruit form, one hasn’t…thanks so much for the advice, now i’ll just keep moving forward with it, and hopefully they’ll like me!!</p>
<p>Always fill out the recruit form on the school’s athletic website. Reference that you have done so in the follow up email to the coaches.</p>
<p>In addition to the suggestions above, you should decide what you want out of this, and be very clear with the coaches what you are asking them to do. Are you looking for an assurance that they could likely use you on their team? An invitation to try out? Or are you looking for the coach to support your application for admission? If the latter, you should provide the necessary information, and ask them to consider supporting your application. Don’t assume it will happen without you asking for it, unless you are the answer to their coaching prayers - in which case they will pursue you!</p>
<p>D III “recruiting” can be tricky. At some LAC’s coaches are instructed to never discourage a student who contacts them. Their reasoning is that even if the student comes to their school and doesn’t make the team, they may stay.</p>
<p>Do you think it’s common for an LAC coach to support an application, or do they not get into their athletics that much to get involved with the admissions?</p>
<p>oh coaches for sure can have a significant impact on acceptances…they may say they can just write a letter of support but even that can be very significant. Other D-3 schools have “tips,” spots set aside for specific teams.</p>
<p>There are many older threads within this topic that have lots of good information about the entire D3 recruiting process. Spend some time reading those to get a better idea of how to go about maximizing your recruiting potential.</p>
<p>I, too, am confused about DIII recruiting, even after reading through the many threads out there. If a coach gives good feedback about being a “likely” admit and asks the athlete to apply ED, the student is then not able to compare other offers of financial aid from other schools, correct?</p>
<p>That’s how I understand it, katydid! We’re just telling coaches that we’re not in a financial position where we can apply ED, and we must look at all the offers before we can decide. If that eliminates my son from consideration for a particular team, that’s just the chance we’ll have to take.</p>
<p>Yes, correct. And that is part of the entire decision. Do you wait for regular decision to compare offers (merit/financial aid) or do you take the “tip” and pray for good aid? </p>
<p>Maybe some other posters can give you suggestions on how to find out what your merit aid would be before the early decision applications are due. There are financial aid calculators online to get a good idea of the financial aid you’d get. You’d also need to know how your prospective college metes out its aid: grants, loans, etc. That should weigh into whether or not to take the ED plunge.</p>
<p>For D2, the school didn’t give merit aid and we had a good idea of what we’d get for financial aid. So going ED wasn’t completely blind for us.</p>
<p>My son is looking at a Patriot League school and the student handbook states that an early decision candidate is expected to apply if accepted, pending any financial aid. It looks like some schools do not hold you to the decision if you don’t receive the aid you need.</p>
<p>Every school that uses the Common App will release you from the ED commitment if the aid offered is insufficient to allow attendance. From the app:
<a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/DownloadForms.aspx[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/DownloadForms.aspx</a></p>
<p>But what is the definition of “insufficient”. Most schools tell you that they will provide financial aid up to your level of need. But “need” is determined, generally, by the FAFSA and the Profile. It is not what you think your need is. It isn’t what you just want to pay for college. The college actually determines your need - not you!</p>
<p>So be careful - If you go ED you are expected to matriculate unless the financial aid doesn’t cover the “need” that they determine. Also, the offered financial aid may include loans! This isn’t financial aid at all because you have to pay it back but is included as part of your financial aid package.</p>
<p>That being said, yes, you can get out of ED if you can’t afford to pay your portion. But this is not as easy as it sounds and it isn’t something you should plan on as a way to get out of your committment if you simply don’t like the financial package.</p>
<p>Yes, each school determines what they think your need is, but it is totally the student’s (and family’s) determination if the aid offered (including loans) is sufficient to allow attendance. There is no reason to be careful; the student can decline the offer without consequence if the student and family alone find it insufficient. It is indeed as easy as it sounds to say thanks but no thanks; no school will make any attempt to force attendance or make you provide any kind of proof that the offered aid is insufficient.</p>
<p>If you have any doubt, contact the school; they’ll tell you their policy.</p>
<p>Schools that offer ED don’t want needy students to avoid applying because they are afraid the offered aid will be insufficient. These same schools are also glad to have full-paying students apply ED; it’s a benefit to both students and schools.</p>
<p>There are reportedly school consortiums that act as a group; if you turn down one ED offer, you cannot attend another school in the group, because the aid offered would be identical.</p>
<p>ED should be used only when you have that one dream school that you will attend if there is any way possible. ED should not be used if you want to compare aid offers.</p>
<p>Ok, vossron, if what is say is accurate, is there anyone out there who took the plunge with their dream DIII or Ivy school and didn’t get what they expected for aid? What did you do? On the other hand, would be interested in hearing from those who felt they got a good package and it was worth it to go DIII.</p>
<p>katy, my question would be: </p>
<p>Did anyone who turned down an ED offer (solely because the FA was insufficient) encounter a consequence from another school? If yes, what was the consequence, and was the other school part of a consortium including the declined ED school?</p>
<p>For a really good look at the DIII recruiting process, specifically at top LAC’s, look at the series done a few years ago in the NY Times. Many folks are familiar with the series which followed the process at Haverford College over a recruiting season:</p>
<p>[The</a> New York Times > Sports > A Series: The Athlete’s Edge](<a href=“The New York Times > Sports > A Series: The Athlete's Edge”>The New York Times > Sports > A Series: The Athlete's Edge)</p>
<p>Let me know if the link does not work. We found this series interesting and helpful.</p>
<p>My daughter asked for an early read at her top college. She got a very close estimate of what they would give her for aid, prior to her deciding to apply ED. She ended up not applying ED as she was still a bit unsettled w/having only 1 school to choose from. In the end she ended up going to that same school. So ask!</p>