This story unfortunately is not uncommon. D3 coaches don’t get that many true slots so they are constantly trying to maximize their rosters using “soft support” for the stronger academic kids. Parents have to put the question to the coach when they are asked to apply ED what level of support they are getting.
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@BKSquared, that really is a shame. My students always received some type of notification or graphic from these high academic schools indicating they had an “offer.” As discussed, not the same as a NLOI, nor as official, but something that made the offer public that came from the coaches. It was usually something like a graphic, but they were always encouraged to tweet it by the coaching staff. You could also tell how many offers were outstanding by seeing how many times the team was tagged. They also gave the kids guidance as to how many commitments they already had and how many were left. It may have felt like pressure to some outsiders, but the kids always appreciated knowing what their decision timeline depended on. In the NESCAC, some sports even have limits on the number of kids on the team. For football I think it was 75. Some Division 3 schools have 150, which is way too many, but the limit keeps them from overrecruiting above their allowed “slots.”
Unfortunately sometimes the “offer” is really just an offer to submit a support letter. The coaches do not get unlimited support letters in schools where it has some weight. I think the effect is to turbocharge the EC. The problem is too many parents just assume a coach who says they are supporting the athlete assume it is a slot when in fact it is not. Even a kid who gets a positive preread but only soft support can find themselves on the outside looking in. They may have decided not to put in a lot of effort in the essays because they assumed they were in, the LoR’s may have been mediocre or there were too many “like” candidates (e.g. ORM, upper to upper middle class humanities focused from an over represented state/metro area).
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Steering away from the recruiting story (which is relevant to just a subset of students), we learned that Hamilton received an unprecedented number of ED applications this year - as in “double to triple” the number of usual applications, per the coach (not Admissions, so take it for what it’s worth). This is the most competitive year in Hamilton’s history, we were told.
Most competitive year not just for Hamilton, I understand, but for many other top tier schools as well. Eliminating the test score requirement has led to a huge increase in applications from students who in past years would not have bothered due to poor scores, plus add in the applications from Class of 2020 students who waited a year because of the pandemic.
It’s a tough year to be applying to college, oof!
*EDIT - I wrote ED in initial post but I’m not certain the coach specified ED. I should have been more careful - apologies.
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Tough for sure. Was just reading that Colby was also up significantly.
Wonder what ED2/Regular will look like at Hamilton…
Thanks for sharing
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This would create an interesting contrast with nearby Colgate, which reported essentially flat ED I applications this year (up 6.4%).
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I’ve edited my post above because I’m not certain the coach specified ED, and DS spoke with him, not me. Mea culpa, I should have been more careful with my words.
I wonder if Hamilton will publish their stats?
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Colby had a 13% increase – 15,700 apps – largest in its history
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I understood your original post as leaving sufficient room for interpretation. Thank you for the added information.
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I’ve heard similar increases at all schools, with increases in ED and EA, as one would expect. I’d also heard that the number of colleges many kids are applying to this year is up considerably, with many students maxing out the 20 spots allowed on the CommonApp. We used to be able to make an informed guess based on where our kids’ ACT/SAT scores were, along with GPA, APs, IB, etc, but with test optional it’s very hard to predict. Any kid with test score at or below median will just choose not to submit and the school will only accept the kids that submit scores above the median and those that don’t submit scores with GPAs that help their average accepted student range. At least that’s what I’m hearing. No data to back it up.
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If only the paper were active. The Spectator hasn’t published articles since Nov. 2020. 
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Students have been gone for 2 months now. They will be publishing the Spectator again when they get back. They usually do have an article with admissions statistics.
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If admission were to depend fully on a coach’s evaluation of a statistical profile, then this would appear to be demoralizing to general applicants who have been told that their letters of recommendation, essay, range of extracurriculars and interview represent key aspects of their application. It seems acceptable for a coach to act as a guide — one who uses their best judgment when communicating with prospective students during the athletic recruitment process. A role greater than this would seem antithetical to the mission of a primarily academic institution.
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@merc81, I disagree with you. Coaches at these high academic schools get slots in which they can get athletes admitted if they meet Admission’s standards (like 98% if using their slotted slot). Ivy League schools can get athletes in their lowest bands with as low as a 24 ACT score. The point is that the coach misrepresented that he was using a slot for this student because he thought he’d get in anyway. Most of the time these “admissions support” offers (not a guarantee) require that the student athlete apply ED. Admissions and financial aid will do a pre-read and give them a green light if the coach uses one of his slots and the student applies ED. Financial aid will also run an estimate of aid (although not at Hamilton), so the student can evaluate whether they can afford to enter into a binding decision.
Just as an update that’s hard to believe…I read Colgate had a 100% increase in applications
Crazy times.
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NYU received an eye-popping 100,000+ applications. Sigh.
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I bet all of these schools are up b/c of test optional…
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Exactly.
Middlebury up 30%
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