<p>Does Williams send out "Early Write" letters for recruited athletes who are applying ED?</p>
<p>THANKS!</p>
<p>Early Writes come out in Feb-March. ED's a different animal.</p>
<p>thanks. i'm just worried i will become another horror story like below.</p>
<p>example: Kid wants to play sport in college. Coach of that sport at a top school recruits kid and says he will get the kid in guaranteed. Coach also promises the same thing to 20 other prospects and only has power to take 5 or 6. Kid gets left hung to dry when he finds out he got rejected/waitlisted/deferred by admissions and now has to rush to fill out 8+ other applications when he could have simply gone ED and played elsewhere. can't get coach's influence elsewhere because pretty much all recruited athletes go ED and now has to struggle through walk-on tryouts.</p>
<p>Hopefully I could get in on my own because I absolutely love Williams but that thwarts the coach's plans.</p>
<p>The athletic department at Williams effectively has sole decision making power in the selection of about 100 athletics in each class -- 66 with "below average" academic qualifications and another 30 or so with "average" academic stats. As long as each of these groups meets the distribution agreed to by the admissions office, the coaches get to pick these 100 athletes. In addition, each class has another 70 students who are tagged as likely to play varsity sports. However, because these 70 have "above average" stats, the coaches don't waste their picks on them; prefering to just take their chances on admissions. If your SATs are above 1500, I would not count on a "tips" being used by the coaches -- unless you are an extraordinary impact player.</p>
<p>Because they have a finite number of slots, coaches will not waste them on kids who will not enroll. So, if you expect a coach to use a slot on you, you need to be very clear about your intention to enroll. That is why a very large percentage of Williams' athletic recruits are accepted in the ED program.</p>
<p>It's important that you parse the words of the recruiters very carefully. Don't hear what you want to hear. Listen carefully to the exact words they are using. I really don't think a Williams coach would lie to you, but I do think it's quite possible for recruited athlete to not really hear what the coach is saying. There is a difference between, "I'll go to bat for you" and "I can guarantee you a slot".</p>
<p>Thanks interesteddad.</p>
<p>I guess I am on the borderline of the "above-average" candidate and I am even more worried that the although the Coach wants me to play for him, he won't tip me in admissions because he is hoping I can get in on my own so he can use his tips on other people as you said. The coach couldn't go to admissions and say, "I have a prospective student-athlete who applied early decision and is entirely qualified to attend Williams, could you please make sure he/she gets in?"</p>
<p>
[quote]
The coach couldn't go to admissions and say, "I have a prospective student-athlete who applied early decision and is entirely qualified to attend Williams, could you please make sure he/she gets in?"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yes. The coach can do that, but that counts as one of his 100 or so "slots". </p>
<p>The decision about what kids to use "slots" for involves the exact team (football and ice hockey get the most -- cross-country track and squash - forgettaboutit), your odds of getting in without a "tip", and just how strong an impact player the athlete is. For example, if Tiger Woods had applied to Williams, with 1550 SATs, the coach would have used a "slot" because Tiger Woods would have been a once-in-a-lifetime impact player.</p>
<p>If you want to go to Williams and money is not an issue, you should just apply ED. The admissions office doesn't need a weatherman to tell them which way the wind is blowing. They know the emphasis placed on athletic recruiting as a matter of institutional priority. They aren't going to turn down many varsity athletes with 1450+ SATs in the ED round whether the coach uses a tip or not. Your odds are even better if you aren't applying for financial aid.</p>
<p>Like I said, I think the coaches will probably shoot straight with you. They won't promise you something they can't deliver. But, listen carefully.</p>
<p>Okay. Thanks for all the advice. My profile is in the "what are my chances" forum if you wish to view it.</p>
<p>Rye:</p>
<p>I think your chances are very good, with or without an athletic tip. You fit the Williams profile to a "t" and your kicker will make your app stand out from the pack.</p>
<p>Thanks for the vote of confidence. Here's to hoping the admissions office feels the same way and the coach remains interested!</p>
<p>ryeCT,
Do not be afraid to have frank talks with your potential future coach. Ask him how many tips and preferences (is that the correct term?) he has to use and whether he will use one for you. Talk to current team members as well, and besides talking about the school in general, ask them intelligent questions about the program, the coach, and what you could expect. I believe that the more interest and knowledge you show in the process, the more likely you will get the valuable information you need and honest responses.</p>
<p>RyeCT - I also think you have a great shot. I'd be a little careful about the soccer angle - Williams' recruited soccer players are generally not coming from the league you play in... (take a look at their roster). But still think your chances are very good.</p>
<p>jrpar- I know Williams is practically D-1 as far as soccer goes and that is why it is one of my top choices along with the Ivies. I do think I will find myself applying ED to Williams because I think I fell in love. I do play in the prestigious NEPSAC league --the new england boarding school/prep school league from which probably atleast 40% of Williams student athletes matriculate from so I'm not sure why you think Williams players are not from the league I play in or how you even gleaned that information. Please, please specify for me.</p>
<p>Everyone else, thanks for all of your help and hopefully I can come back next year as an Ephman '10 and give you all advice in return.</p>
<p>ryeCT I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>jrpar - I had a similar question about what "league" you were referring to. Do you mean that most of the recruited players were on their state ODP teams? Played on a premier level club team? I've certainly heard coaches say they're less concerned about the high schools the athletes went to and more interested in the club and ODP experience.</p>
<p>I've looked at the team website, and it was not clear to me what the players' backgrounds were. For the girls' teams, the roster showed their hometown and specified which club teams they played for, but for the boys I didn't see that information. I could easily have missed it, though.</p>
<p>Yes, college soccer coaches do tend to focus more on club and ODP players which is my only real problem in securing a recruiting place. I have the full Williams soccer team guide and about half the kids went to some sort of private school and all of them played soccer outside of school. Some of the club teams they come from are rather impressive, nationally recognized programs while others appear to be just local travel teams.</p>
<p>The hometowns of the mens team are listed on the roster on the sports information page - but not club teams. </p>
<p>Yes, I think nearly all recruited soccer players play club/ODP soccer, but I wasn't referring to that in this case. I was pointing out that not many players from Westchester/CT area have gone on to play for Williams - for whatever reason. I'm not saying anything negative about ryeCT's team - he plays for a school with a strong soccer program.</p>
<p>Williams does tip some distance track and cross country runners. Most do have good academic stats, but the program is very strong and the coach recruits strongly.</p>
<p>Very interesting thread-- my daughter is a runner and has fallen in love with Williams for all the right reasons. MomofWildChild: anything else you can tell us about track recruiting? Daughter has solid stats, but she probably needs the running thing to get her in. The coach has emailed her a couple of times so far.</p>
<p>Good luck ryeCT, and thanks for starting this conversation!</p>
<p>Basil- I sent you an email. We can go through this process together!</p>
<p>Any words of advice from the softball perspective?
My DD also excels at volleyball. Will this help?
Her SAT's and GPA are within the 50% range of admitted students.
Also; how important is volunteer work?
Thanks;
Softball Dad</p>