<p>About six coaches have asked for prereads so far. D'15 is academically admissible everywhere, in at least
the top 50th percentile. She is starting to feel pressure from too much juggling. Where should we draw the line or should we still try to entertain all options until she is set?</p>
<p>What is your goal? Is it to leverage athletics to get into the best possible academic program or do you have other thoughts? Make a list, and stick to those schools that meet your goals.</p>
<p>I have walked a mile in your shoes and it can become overwhelming for your junior and senior year tudent. It can be difficult to focus when so much is going on…and that is not a bad thing. We had schools come out of the woodwork with offers and requests from schools he had no interest in attending. Be cordial, but defer them to a time when your D is less busy. I wouldn’t necessarily turn them away, but I would suggest there are other priorities at the moment. Always stay in communication. JMO.</p>
<p>I have a similar question. If my s has preread requests from more schools than he can visit, he will have to figure out which are his top choices, but should he be concerned about having a safety, too? I don’t think he should do five d1 visits plus d3 visits. It’s too much. But should he be trying to make sure to have at least one OV that is not a top choice?</p>
<p>Or maybe asked another way…his safeties are within driving distance, so maybe should he forego OVs there but continue to talk to them? Would that work? (Do Ivies give LLs if you didn’t do an OV? I assume sometimes there are west coast or foreign athletes who can’t swing a visit?)</p>
<p>Re: OVs and LLs - It’s up to the coach if they’re willing to support an applicant w/o an OV. I’m hesitant to generalize, but from our family’s experience, OVs were at the student’s option.</p>
<p>DD was supported by the Duke coach w/o an OV, but that doesn’t directly answer the question because Duke isn’t an Ivy, and doesn’t give LLs.</p>
<p>DS was offered support by several Ivy coaches w/o OVs. Just for the experience, he accepted a Princeton OV invitation, but his LL was already in the mail to him before the visit.</p>
<p>In both their cases, they’d taken junior year unofficial visits, so it isn’t as if the coaches didn’t know them.</p>
<p>Thanks, sherpa, and didn’t mean to hijack your thread, acemom! All the coaches and schools and prereads…starting to get confusing, and obviously my s doesn’t know if he’s higher or lower on the list, so it’s hard to know whether any of it really might be an option. Going to urge him to not think about it for awhile…</p>
<p>@acemom - it sounds like D’15 is in the driver’s seat; she’s being courted and she’s academically well qualified.
This is where the recruited sthlete is in a completely different position than the unhooked masses. Yes, she’s under differ pressures than the standard applicant, but she’s placed herself in a great position.</p>
<p>I’d try to step back for a moment and pretend she’s not an athlete, just a HS kid trying to choose a college. If unhooked, what would her college list look like? Would the schools doing prereads be on her list? If so, I’d rank them by her preference and then, starting at the top of the list, try to seal the deal.</p>
<p>Thanks sherpa. That is great advice. Just returned from a tour, and she liked every school, all NESCAC and Patriots. I don’t think she can go wrong.</p>
<p>whats a preread ? if coaches ask for transcripts and test scores - is that called a “preread” or specifically asking for a transcript ? since most of the coaches asked for that almost as a first step - i am wondering if thats a preread or just a basic first step…</p>
<p>Fatherof2015TX,</p>
<p>You are right…the first question a high academic coach will ask is about grades and scores. Typically, this is a ballpark estimate for the coaches to know where to spend their time and know if the recruit will need any “coaching influence” with Admissions. Coaches only have so much “influence” to go around every year. They are looking at hundreds if not thousands of recruits. In our experience, there is usually an academic liason (from Admissions) tied to the coaching staffs that will tell the coach who will most likely (and will not likely) make it through Admissions. The liason is doing the official pre-reads on behalf of Admission.</p>
<p>I’ve known a few cases where a pre-read was approved but the recruit did not make it through an official Admissions review when it mattered most at Early Decision. Pre-reads are part of the process, but they are not gurarantees. The Ivy,NESCAC and other high academic recruiting process is a gauntlet and it is best to understand every step. This is why it is SO important to cast a wide net with these schools. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks fenwaysouth. So preread is when coaches asked for grades and scores the first time or there is a seperate process later. And sorry, but another question - if a kid’s academics are really good; lets say AI>230; coaches will not “waste” their “coaching influence” on such kids - since there is a good probability that the kid might be admitted without the influence ?</p>
<p>The first step would be showing the coach your transcript and scores. This is NOT a preread; it only informs the coach whether he/she is wasting everyone’s time on an athlete which cannot possibly get through admissions.</p>
<p>The preread is a quick review, by someone connected with the admissions office (but not binding in any way), of the same information. It is not an application, does not require essays, LOR, lists of ECs, and the like. The preread is a “quick and dirty” evaluation of the hard objective data points (scores, grades, classes). As part of the preread the family can also, if needed, get a preread on FA (recognize that the FA evaluation is only as accurate as the information furnished).</p>
<p>No coach I have known would allow a prized recruit, regardless of the AI, to roll the dice through admissions as a regular applicant. A coach may try to convince a lesser recuit to roll the dice. (And remember at a few very select schools unless the applicant is “hooked” (e.g., an athlete given a Likely Letter) there is a minuscule chance of admissions for all applicants).</p>
<p>As a parent, the only sure way to admissions in an Ivy for your athlete is the Likely Letter. Insist on it; there are no other comparable assurances.</p>
<p>Great information. I will ask D’15
to keep all her irons in the fire for a couple months longer. Hopefully the list will narrow itself naturally.</p>