<p>So I've been in contact with about 5 coaches and have committed to four recruiting trips. My top choice has called me a couple times and I really like him. I think that I'm a middle ground recruit for them, but the team is weak in my events. When we talked he says "He's very excited that I'm coming to campus," "thinks I'll be a perfect fit," and "you are a high priority." Is he just blowing steam and telling me what I want to hear. Or does this mean I'm actually a top recruit.</p>
<p>I would pay close attention to whether or not the school is paying for the trip. If they are, they aren’t going to waste their time on you. If you are paying for the trip on your own dime, they are losing nothing by keeping you on the line.</p>
<p>What kind of trips do you have lined up?</p>
<p>swimmer24,</p>
<p>He may be doing both, and you may be a top recruit. His job is to get you excited & sell you on the school and opportunity. Recruiting coaches are sales people in this process, and sales people play an important part in all of this. Pay particular attention to what they do, and what they don’t say. The compliments and platitudes are expected, and it is part of the game. Enjoy the attention, and learn as much as you possibly can from the first school because you can apply it to the next school. </p>
<p>ChicagoMama has a great point, you’ll be able to tell how much of a top recruit you are by their travel contribution. Good luck!</p>
<p>We have been told in swimming that you are probably a very serious recruit if your times putting you in a scoring position in the conference meet. Would your times score top 16 in the conference?</p>
<p>I don’t know about how your sport works but in lacrosse if a coach says “you are my top midfield recruit or a top recruit for me or at the top of my list” it means something. That is what you want to hear. Not all coaches will say it because they don’t mean it. So in the lacrosse world…definitely means something just now sure how that translates to other sports.</p>
<p>It “sounds like” the coach is very interested and that your strength in your top choice’s weak events makes you a solid prospect. Different coaches have different ways of showing similar amounts of interest, so it’s tricky to accurately interpret any single coach’s statements without some prior knowledge of how a coach expresses his himself or herself. </p>
<p>Although the ability to place in a conference meet is important, it isn’t necessarily enough. Although conference rules vary, Ivy teams are allowed 18 athletes at the conference championships (“the Ivys”). Assuming 6 divers (each diver counts as 1/3), there are 16 spots for swimmers. On the stronger teams, like Harvard and Princeton, swimmers that could potentially make a “B” final in one or two events may not go to the Ivys. Although the top schools are looking for someone that can make three “A” finals, a swimmer that can make three “B” finals could still receive a likely letter from any Ivy. </p>
<p>Because of relays. the number four swimmer in the 50, 100 and 200 free is more valuable that the number four swimmer in other events.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses.
Chicagomama- All of the schools I am visiting are D3, so they are not allowed to pay for trips. I could have gone D1, but made a personal decision that D3 (or Ivies, but those didn’t work out) was a better fit.
Ahsmuoh- I would be top-16 in all my events for every school. I would be top 8 in 2 of the 3 at all 4 schools.</p>
<p>Swimmer24,
In recruiting…I felt like coaches spoke their “own language” and I was suppose to read between the lines. Our daughter was “a top 3 recruit” at a school that offered us an OV. In the end…we got a MUCH better deal from a D3 school. (We never applied to D1…as our daughter didn’t want that type of commitment).
Coaches are there to get recruits. That is their job. Go with the school that fits your needs.
Here is a link to how we went from D2 to D3 commitment (and the stomach ulcer I almost gave myself) <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/1425843-d2-athletic-scholaship-question.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/1425843-d2-athletic-scholaship-question.html</a>
Good Luck!</p>
<p>I cannot speak for all sports but for lacosse the recruiting timeline for NESCAC is NOW. So if its the same for your sport…its a good time to be a bit assertive but polite. Asking point blank where you stand on their recruiting list and where they are with the recruiting. Do not be afraid to ask the hard questions, coaches are used to it and you have a small window. If the coach is less than committed to you, you need to know that to move on to greener pastures. My son had a few that seemed enthusiastic but vanished like the wind. I felt at times he was seeing things he really wanted to see, and then the coach who he didn’t think was as serious ended up being the one that came to the plate (actually two of them within a day of each other) but all this after my son point blank asked each of them where he stood.</p>