So, I have been speaking with the track coach of a top tier school for about two months now. I applied to the school regular decision, but as of now, it is my top choice as I have emphasized to him. My times for track seem to be up to par, if not top level for the school so I think I’m a decent prospect for the coach.
My question is, how much of a pull does the coach have in the RD pool? In his most recent email where he was updating me on how the track team at the school is doing, he said:
“I just wanted to continue to let you know that we are certainly doing everything on our end to support your application thru the admissions process. I am hopeful that everything will work out in your favor.”
This had me feeling very optimistic, but again, the school is highly selective. What do you guys think the coach meant by this? And how much of a pull does he truly have?
How much pull a coach has can vary significantly from school to school and also what division the school is in. Based on the wording of the email, it seems like the coach stops short of saying you are guaranteed admission, which is probably you want to hear. Looks like you will have to wait for the official response from admissions.
At some D1 schools, the actual application can be just a formality, (as long as you are NCAA eligible). A coach can get you admitted if he/she wants to and this can happen well past the normal application cycle. But they will not use this option unless they have to. If you are academically competitive, the coach may have opted not to intervene and has determined you will likely get in on your own.
@Ontrack2013 thank you for the response. The school is D3. And I believe I’m just average at the school, considering that it is so selective. I don’t believe I’d get in without any support from the track program. We’ll see how it goes!
This question gets asked quite a bit on this forum. I think the best answer is that you should be having that dialogue with the coach. Outsiders will only give you their “gut,” but that is probably not even as predictive as your “gut,” since you have had personal communications with the coach. We don’t know what the coach said to you (other than the above) and we don’t even know what school you are talking about (don’t tell us).
In the world of D3 athletics, most recruited athletes have had numerous communications with the coach for the school that they ultimately attend. Most have met with the coach and had a pre-read with admissions. Most have a decent idea where things are going. Most apply ED. Under those circumstances, the coach usually has some admissions pull provided an applicant is in range. That pull usually decreases for RD applicants.
It is sort of late in the game, but you might try to underscore that the school is your first choice and you would be delighted to run track for him. Thank the coach for his or her support and ask what you can do to strengthen your application.
@gointhruaphase I see what you’re saying. Thanks a lot for the info. Is there any way I could subtly go about asking what he’s doing in the admissions process or what my chances look like? Or would that just look bad?
Different sport but my son was deferred in Early Decision process. At that point I was concerned because I read that most coaches only have pull during early decision. However, the coaches have not told my son that. They still have his application tagged in the system. During his last conversation with the coach he was told that he had an excellent chance with admissions. So maybe they are still in touch with admissions. However, there still was not a guarantee of admission. Anyway, I hope everything works out for you…
Reppin, you absolutely should dig deeper with the coach. I don’t know that I would be worried about being subtle. Tell coach that you really want to run for the team and ask if he or she has any sense of where you stand for admissions.
Allboyz, we are all rooting for your S, who has worked so hard on both his grades and board scores this year. I will say that a point of difference with the OP is that your S did apply early, your S has had a lot of communications with the coach and knows exactly where he stands.
I encourage Reppin to work just as hard with coach communications. It will give you a better sense of where you are with admissions.