<p>I have been emailing a track coach for my number one college; she always replies within a few hours and seems very nice and interested. Since I am applying to a rather selective school I would appreciate her support in admissions, however she's newly hired so I don't know if she even could. Do you guys know any types of questions I could ask to pursue this, or have any advice? I am not sure what my next move should be. Thank you for any help you could offer!</p>
<p>You can ask her directly how many slots she has and where you fall in her recruiting lineup. So far the coaches we have talked to have been very direct with this information.</p>
<p>What time is needed to be recruited for a “slot” or a “tip” at your college? If I achieve this time, what level of support can I expect from you (and your program) through college admissions?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your advice! Any more feedback would be great!</p>
<p>Anyone else please?</p>
<p>I think fenway and acemom have it covered! The best thing is to ask politely but directly for the information you want. Vague questions lead to vague answers.</p>
<p>“Do you have any ability to help me gain admission to the university”? If the answer is Yes, follow up with “Will you help me gain admission to the university”?</p>
<p>I recommend this admittedly direct language because terms such as "slots’ and “tips” may mean different things to different coaches. And giving a coach wiggle room is rarely advantageous to the recruit. You really want to know where he or she stands, because even if you don’t get the answer you want, at least you can move on to the next school. Allowing a coach to remain vague may satisfy a desire to believe you are still in the hunt, but it does nothing to advance your progress to choosing a school/program.</p>
<p>Of course, you need to be ready to follow up with additional questions if the coach starts using vague language or talking about slots or tips or “we have a good relationship with admissions” etc.</p>
<p>I am sure some things vary according to sport but you need to be honest and forthright here, you need to ask how many spots there are and where you are on that list. If you are one two or three, chances are you will be fully supported but these are the questions you need to ask NOW. We learned this late in the game…being proactive, assertive but polite. Best to know where you stand now and if you are not high up on that list, you want to know it and move on. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Kwalker, do you think it wise to ask this information before the Official Visit? I was under the impression that where you are on the list is somewhat determined by how the OV goes. Or is order of desired athletes on ‘the list’ already pretty much determined, and only changes is something goes drastically bad on the OV?</p>
<p>We would love to go in to the OVs with a clearer sense of where our athlete stands. It is very uncomfortable to have OVs scheduled but know that there are 3 times the number of OVs set and there are recruited positions.</p>
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<p>True, but by the same token, athletes are taking 3, 4 or 5 OVs and can only choose one school - so it’s uncomfortable on the coach’s side of the fence, too. It is important to ask direct questions (politely) to get a sense of where you stand, but the landscape may change a lot between now and November 1st. Once kids start to commit, you may have coaches reaching out to you, seemingly out of the blue.</p>
<p>I think coming from the student, there is nothing wrong ahead of time asking how many slots there are and where they stand on that list. Some coaches (I think most) are pretty forthcoming if they have that information at hand. I know for my sons sport, lacrosse quite a bit of the 2014 recruiting class for the top NESCAC’s is nearly done so my son had no choice but to put the metal to the pedal and ask some hard direct questions. There was no time to waste and in fairness he only asked coaches that he felt were genuinely interested in him. I suspect each sport is different though so please don’t take my advice to the bank. In general though, honesty and a respectful degree of assertiveness in the situation are important given the small window though if the OV is coming up soon maybe you can wait until after to ask these questions? That is assuming you son or daughter even loves the school after that! Best of luck.</p>
<p>Totally agree with varksa. You’ve got to ask the tough questions in a pleasant way to differentiate who is serious and who wants you most. The coach is recruiting the athlete in almost all cases. Rarely does an athlete have their pick of any school they want. In a high demand/low supply situation, you’ve got to know where you stand as well as all your options. </p>
<p>Remember unofficical visits are unlimited. There is a little bit of an ego stroke with OV’s but your time is limited. Truthfully, we found un-OVs to be more informational & comfortable overall than OVs. Coaches and players aren’t nearly as guarded with un-OVs because there aren’t as many rules and guidelines.</p>
<p>OK, so OVs occur through October.<br>
When do you think coaches make their commitments?<br>
When are the athletes expected to make their commitments?<br>
My kid has 4 OVs through September; will kid likely be able to do them all before committing?<br>
Or if the 1st or 2nd school offers a likely, should kid just accept it to be safe?</p>
<p>In other words, do the coaches try to force the hand of athletes before they have completed their OVs?</p>
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<p>You’re getting down to it now. D took 4 OVs and each coach warned her about the ‘hard sell’, that is, the post OV meeting where the coach says, ‘I have a spot for you now, but it might not be here next week’. Fortunately, she was never presented with that scenario, and honestly any coach that would put an 18 year old kid in the position of committing right here, right now is not the kind of guy I’d want her to be associated with for the next 4 years.</p>
<p>You and your kid probably have a pretty good intuitive feel of how strong of an athletic recruit they are by this point. If #1 offers a spot at the OV, great - you’re done. But be wary of any coach that tries to shut her down from visiting the rest of her schools, he probably knows she’s a strong recruit and that’s his only shot.</p>
<p>My kid has let the coaches know that he wants to do all OV’s before committing, and they all seem fine with that provided that he submits his app to his school of choice quickly after his final OV (before October 1). </p>
<p>The advice my kid got from a college coach–which he has followed–was to ask specific questions (Where am I on your list? Will I get a likely if I commit to your school after the OV? When do you need a commitment from me?) and to be wary of any coach who does not give him a straight answer. So I think your son should get on the phone and ask those questions (well, not the last one!) before going on OV’s.</p>