<p>Appealing to all you CC experts as I try and get up to speed on this topic. I've just finished reading "Playing the Game: Inside Athletic Recruiting in the Ivy League". Great primer--but it was written in 2004. Any new developments/policy changes that I should be aware of? Do things still run pretty much as they are described in the book?</p>
<p>Didn’t read it, but reading threads/posts from Sherpa, Riverrunner, Mainelonghorn, fishymom, fogfog and other frequent posters on this board will get you in the know…and me, of course-son recruited by the NESCACs for Men’s Swimming and Diving (cat out of the bag over the “hazing” posts-couldn’t resist)Apologies to other frequent posters who I haven’t named personally.</p>
<p>I think the book is a decent overview of general principles about how the Ivy recruiting system works, especially for the popular male sports like football and basketball. But I wouldn’t suggest you accept any details or timelines as being necessarily applicable in your child’s individual case, for his/her own sport, or for any particular school. The “rules” really do vary somewhat.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is that once your student starts communicating with coaches, don’t be afraid to ask very direct and specific questions about how the recruiting process works with THAT school and THAT team. At the beginning I think I was a little too worried about what “game” the coach might be playing and how we needed to react to it. Not that situations were black and white, because they usually weren’t, and not that the coaches didn’t play some games, because they most definitely did; but I think I assumed a greater degree of opacity and strategizing than what there really was.</p>
<p>For a more current view of the Ivy recruiting process told from the point of view of a family involved in it, I would recommend the following title.</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> The Essential Guide to Ivy League Athletic Recruiting eBook: Tier One Athletic Resources: Kindle Store](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Essential-League-Athletic-Recruiting-ebook/dp/B004E3X916]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Essential-League-Athletic-Recruiting-ebook/dp/B004E3X916)</p>
<p>It is by Varska, a parent that is a regular contributor to this board and gives a good overview of his family’s journey through this process.</p>
<p>Second the suggestion on above eBook! Excellent resource and the most current information out there. If you feel comfortable doing so, knowing what sport you are interested will help to get the appropriate parents to respond. Best of luck to you in this process!</p>
<p>Thanks all. And yes, I have also read Varska’s book–in one sitting I might add. Really good family perspective. “Playing the Game” was a good policy perspective–so the two combined was a great first step. </p>
<p>Fishymom–my D’s sport is Squash. Anyone out there with past case studies they wouldn’t mind sharing? You all are a wealth of information.</p>
<p>Here’s a recent historical overview of mens’ Squash at Trinity…which touches on some changes in their (foreign) recruiting strategy over the past decade. Don’t know if it’s entirely salient…but is an interesting read, for sure.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/magazine/20Squash-t.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/magazine/20Squash-t.html</a></p>
<p>Can anyone help me figure out what to do re: my daughter. She has strong grades, decent SATs and wants to play squash. She is not ranked in the top 30 but has been in the 40s and 50s. The coaches are very nice but I feel like we are sitting around waiting. Is there anything constructive my daughter can do while she waits to see if and who will support her application? If one decides against ED, is support lost to another recruit?</p>
<p>“If one decides against ED, is support lost to another recruit?”</p>
<p>From what I have seen and heard, unfortunately, the answer is yes. I know nada about squash from a recruiting standpoint, but for the sports I am familiar with, coaches are focused on the very top recruits early on and shift their focus to the next group mid to late September/early October. Hopefully someone with some knowledge of Squash recruiting will chime in. Also, starting a new post with squash in the title might get you more specific advice. Best of luck to you and your daughter!</p>
<p>Is this available as a book? (don’t have kindle)</p>
<p>“If one decides against ed is support lost” absolutely, and not just for squash.</p>
<p>No more slots-all used on ED applicants-could get a “tip” but with that, much less likely to be admitted.</p>
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<p>You can download Kindle for PC app and read it on your PC</p>
<p>what are the mechanics of this since submission (and I assume box checked off “ED”) is electronic…you electronically apply ED, but what if you don’t get a Likely letter from that school, or tell you to wait til 12/15…? Do they release you from the ED part of it and let you change it to RCEA?</p>
<p>3xboys posted on a similar thread to apply RD and change it to ED once they gave you a Likely…can you make all of these changes to your application once you hit the SEND key??</p>
<p>Why would you want to say ED until you get the LL?</p>
<p>We were told only Admissions, not coaches can issue LL…</p>
<p>LaDiligente,</p>
<p>I think 3xboys was discussing this from the perspective of they were promised a LL from a couple or few schools. So, they were in demand and wanted to hold this over their heads for action. In almost all cases the coach will have the upper hand not the athlete. If I read between the lines, possibly 3xboys did not have a college preference for their LL. I think that is also rare. 3xboys used a very interesting strategy that worked well for their situation. If I’m off base, I’d like to hear details. It would not have worked in our situation for many reasons. My son clearly had a school preference, and coaching preference.</p>
<p>If you don’t get a LL, you need to talk to the coach to see if you are still a valued recruit and if the coach will support you through admissions. If you are a valued recruit, you will be asked to apply ED. If you do receive a LL, my guess is the coach will want you to apply ED as well. In my son’s sport, all recruited athletes are applying ED with LL or with coaches support through Admissions. That is how the coach knows who is committed to the program otherwise he goes to the next person on his recruiting list. Think of it as simple quid pro quo. In my son’s case he absolutely (100%) wanted to go to the school. </p>
<p>Correct, LL comes from Admisisons.</p>
<p>THANKS FENWAY SOUTH!</p>
<p>Concern is really a timing and “box check off” issue…ED or SCEA?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Full app (recs, scores etc) go to ADMISSIONS, not supporting coach for LL…assume a box has to be checked as to ED , SCEA, etc on the material sent to them</p></li>
<li><p>Admis issues LL; which seems 98% “You’re in!” unless major malfunction in your performance between LL and actual Admis Letter for ED on Dec 15. Assume you get both an LL, AND a regular Accepted letter, both from Admis; LL after submission is reviewed, formal letter in Dec…correct?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>3.But if you end up without a LL once your package is submitted, your app is sitting there, tied up as an ED until Dec, correct? Which means you have to wait to see if you got in without coach support with all other ED (non-ath) to that school before you can apply elsewhere, or will Admiss release you from the ED bind if you don’t get LL?</p>
<p>Reason for concern: “The Ivy’s Dark Underside” by Chris Lincoln in the Harvard Crimson newspaper April 21 2006. Dated, but essentially; kid told by Ivy coach to go ED and say no to other colleges, didn’t get in to college of “courting” coach, had to scramble to get in elsewhere, RD.</p>
<p>Thanks for any clarification.</p>
<p>Hi there:
To clarify what we did - and this strategy was suggested by an Ivy coach: after OVs, S had multiple offers of likelies but we were not sure if they would all come through. So, he sent in his apps RD to the top three schools via the common app. Then he told his first choice that when he had his likely in hand, he would change his app to ED. They met with admissions, faxed the likely and we were done. He kept the other coaches dangling until the deal was sealed. This way, if something untoward had happened with school #1, he was good to go with schools 2 and 3 and, importantly, he never traded away the one piece of leverage you have if you are lucky enough to be offered likelies - your commitment to attend. I can’t remember the specifics of how you change the app to ED but it was a cinch to do.</p>
<p>Thank you for the clarification on the exact situation, makes a big difference in your strategy .Your S was a top recruit, and was lucky to have so many promises of LL’s to play with, Fenway South had it pegged correctly!</p>
<p>If you don’t have other LL’s promised (or you haven’t accepted offers of OV’s to get them because you are focused on getting the LL from one of your Top Choices…), then probably not a good strategy in that situation</p>
<p>I wouldn’t think you want to play hardball with the school unless you have other aces up your sleeve (to mix metaphors!) in the form of offered LLs elsewhere. Fenway South is wise in saying that they have the upper hand…</p>
<p>But still goes back to issues raised in previous post about being able to change your app matl to SCEA, or RD if an LL is NOT issued…?</p>
<p>I don’t think you can change your app from ED to RD after it is done so I would investigate very carefully before clicking that ED box. It may be too late for this, but I would suggest accepting those offers of OVs in the hopes of bagging a likely somewhere else which might prompt your Top Choices to commit to giving you one.</p>
<p>Thanks, 3xboys…but doesn’t Admissions, not just Coach have a big hand in this? Even if a coach (after a positive Pre-Read) will support you to Admissions for a LL, doesn’t ADMISSIONS have a BIG say in this, and can give a thumbs up or down to an LL (and they are the ones, not coach that issue them) based on applicant candidacy strength minus the sport, as a stand-alone candidate?? They don’t automatically rubberstamp the Coach’s support of the candidate and issue a LL, do they? Pre-read is only pre-read and the full official application still has to meet their rigorous standards to get an LL, correct?</p>
<p>Yes, LLs definitely come from Admissions. That’s why I would never recommend checking the ED box without having the LL in hand. But my understanding is that coaches are pretty good at knowing who they can get LLs for - this is why it is crucial to know where you stand on their list.</p>