<p>Those parents who are working with student/athletes would enjoy Hank Herman" "Accept my Kid Pleas", also called "A Dad's Descent into College Application Hell". In fact, I think a lot of parents can enjoy this quick read whether or not their kids are athletes.</p>
<p>Sorry, my fingers and the laptop keyboard are just not compatible. The book is Hank Herman's "Accept my Kid Please!" Though "Pleas" would have fit just as well.</p>
<p>I verbally commited to Dartmouth for track and the coach told me I would get in, and I just got deferred, but chances are you will get in, coaches have less say in the ivy league. Schools like Davidson have more say when it comes to admissions, because there aren't as many regulations.</p>
<p>One of my son's friends (recruited at Dartmouth for another sport and told by the coach he would get in) was also deferred.</p>
<p>Apparently this year they made a lot of new regulations involving recruits and Dartmouth and their standards. I read an article on it on thedartmouth.com, so i guess every school is different and you never really know what will happen. Your chances are a lot better if the coach supports you, but depending on the school, there is no 100% guarantee.</p>
<p>Ecliptica --</p>
<p>Are you using the word 'signed' loosely when you speak of UPenn athletes? My understanding is that there is no 'signing' of athletes in the Ivies.</p>
<p>Also, 'verbal commitment' cannot really be a commitment on the part of the coach, because, as has been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the coaches do not have the authority to admit students to the university. When my S spoke to the coach, there was very strong encouragement from the coach, but everything was definitely qualified with the statement that the coach was not in a position to promise admission. In fact, remembering that makes me think that this coach is trustworthy both in terms of what was on the table and what was not.</p>
<p>Yes, by "signed with UPenn", I meant heavily recruited and met with the coach in person quite a few times. My friend was second in New Englands in the 800m in 1:54.3 (you can look up his name if you want to) and the minute he finished that race, the UPenn coach was all over him, telling him that "if you apply, I'll get you in" and everything else.
For my ex-girlfriend's best friend, she finished 14th at nationals in the long jump and most likely would've been accepted into Penn anyway for her academics.</p>
<p>AKcollegechances --> Dartmouth has a really good distance running program and most of the people that commit to them for that do, in fact, get deferred EA to make room for those who are academically eligible but don't play sports. Chances are you'll be accepted RD, so don't worry. I have a few friends that are running for Dartmouth (Harry Norton, went to Philips Exeter) and he loves it. He's also a 3:56 1500m guy :p</p>
<p>What are your stats? I'm going on a visit to Davidson next week, and I want to know if my times are good enough.</p>
<p>50y - 5.6
55m - 6.93 (should be down to about high 6.7s this year)
100 - 11.36
200 - 22.9h
Long Jump - 20'3.5"
Triple Jump - 41'2"</p>
<p>Basically Coach Moss wanted me as a decathlete, I'd say my 200 is my best 'time', but I've only run it twice and I hate it. I know in college I'd be far more competitive as a 200 runner than anything else, but I'd rather stick to the 55 and see what happens there.</p>
<p>My recruited athlete S received (or rather we hunted down the mailman to retrieve) his acceptance today.</p>
<p>When nothing arrived initially in the mail today, we were very concerned for S, because we knew a classmate of his had received an acceptance, so we suspected S was going to be getting a deferral. </p>
<p>While we had been told the coaches would not know until the students reported in, we called the coach in hopes some light could be shed upon the situation. While they were not able to answer our question, I wanted to report that without asking for it, we were once again given assurance that the coach had followed through to the letter with the precise type of support we had been told would be provided.</p>
<p>Since some parents have had disappointing experiences with Ivy League coaches, I wanted to report that this was not the case here. The coach did exactly what we were told the coach would do. We were told up front that admission could not be guaranteed. We were not misled in any way and the coaching staff was completely honorable and trustworthy. </p>
<p>We spent three hours tracking down our mailman, who, it turned out, had stacks of mail he had 'forgotten' to deliver, among them an acceptance packet for S. </p>
<p>All's well that ends well, and though I have to admit, it has been a very, very tense couple of weeks, I am so grateful to be able to report that the trust S placed in this coach was completely honored. Hopefully, that will be the experience of others, as well.</p>
<p>Congrats to the Dizzy crew. I am especially happy to know that the coach lived up to his word, since my S hopes to be dealing with a coach from the same school, I suspect. Karen</p>
<p>karen -- feel free to pm me -- I'm so relieved that the coach in whom S put his trust was completely straightforward and honorable. Restores my faith in all kinds of things...</p>
<p>I am glad everything worked out for your son Dizzy-Mom. Unfortunately, my son was not as lucky and got deferred despite being on the list. But things are looking better. He e-mailed the other coaches that were interested in him to tell them that he was deferred and several called last night. One ivy coach said that he was amazed that he was deferred.</p>
<p>Son has gotten smart though. He was very direct about a "likely letter" to one coach. He told him that unless he gets a definite commitment that he does not want to waste time on meetings. As the old expression goes "the first time is a mistake, the second time is your fault". Ahh! the wisdom that can be gained from negative experiences.</p>
<p>As I sign off this thread, I would still give another word of caution about coaches. </p>
<p>If a coach tells you that your son is on a list, make sure that he is not talking about his grocery list.</p>
<p>Speedcoach,</p>
<p>Ogosh, I thought for sure if Dizzy-son got in, so would Speedcoach-son. I am so sorry to hear this. Am still very curious as to what sport, etc., so if you can bear to talk about, reply or pm me. Especially if it happens to be the same sport, in which case maybe I can provide the benefit of our experience and contacts...</p>
<p>Dizzymom, I suspect that I dealt last year with the same coach your son has dealt with this year and I agree: he doesn't break his word and is refreshingly straightforward. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many college coaches out there. It's a very complicated game with three main participants (admissions, coach, and athlete), and the confusion will oftentimes result in a coach leading an athlete around on a string only to drop him when a better athlete falls into place. To be fair, desirable athletes often do the equivalent when they lead coaches around, only to jump ship when a more desirable program expresses interest.</p>
<p>speedcoach, sorry to hear about you child's deferral, but if last years experience with my son is any guide, your son will be just fine as there are so many great opportunities out there. After my sons initial disappointment upon being deferred, he had so many great coaches come through for him that he was literally overwhelmed with great choices.</p>
<p>My son applied to Williams 5 years ago and was outright rejected even as an athletic recruit. They just did not need him. His other ECs were outstanding and academically he was in the running.</p>
<p>Mike,</p>
<p>I don't know if it was the same coach or not. Hopefully there are many who are similarly straightforward. As in all walks of life, it only takes one or two bad experiences to cast a pall over the good guys and not-so-good guys alike, which is unfortunate for the good guys. </p>
<p>There is also, undoubtedly, a temptation on the part of parents and students to want to ignore the "I cannot guarantee you admission" statement. Since there are other universities where athletic talent can be an actual ticket to admission and more, it's natural to want that to be true everywhere. That creates enormous expectations pressure. If S had been deferred, there would not have been any way we could have blamed the coach, as we we were told clearly that the coach does not control the admissions process. Maybe not all the coaches are as clear at defining that?</p>
<p>Jamimom, can you explain a little more about your son's situation at Williams? If he was a recruit, why did they "not need him". I thought if you were a recruit it meant the coach did think he needed you. Did he wind up doing his sport somewhere else? Thanks. Karen</p>
<p>When coaches recruit, they cast a wide net in the areas they search. My son was an excellent athlete and would have easily fit into Williams' team. The coach liked him, the team like him, he knew some of the players. But that is not the final step. The athletic director apparently looks at all of the recruits and decides which team needs what players the most. A coach may feel that he needs three back ups for a position, and will go for everything he can get. The athletic director who is balancing the needs of the entire program can decide that the sport can get someone a year down the road and uses those slots for another sport when he talks to the admissions liason. Sometimes a coach is strong enough that he can get what he wants from the AD, but usually, they get in line, plead their cases, and the AD makes the decisions and recs to admissions. Now Williams has a reputation for having adcoms that like kids with sports as ECs so a generous helping do get in even after the AD cuts them from the preferred list But S did not make that cut. </p>
<p>S went to a D-3 school that was top 5 in his sport, captained senior year and is now graduated. He coaches part time and has a full time job and is self sufficient. He had a positive college athletic experience and his sport helped him with contacts to find a good job along with the part time coaching and training position. Now that particular coach at his alma mater did have "ins" with admissions. He has served as interim athletic director for periods of time. So you can see sometimes the coach does not necessarily have the final word. He may put the list out with a personal preference and find it overridden by the AD. The AD even if he goes with the coaches' recs has to negotiate the list with the admissions liason.</p>