<p>So how do you ask if a coach is going to support you in admissions? it seems like an awkward question to me. do you have to say that the school is your first choice for them to support you? i still have some official visits this fall, and then i will be able to pick a number one, but for now i have 3 schools that are tied and i can't pick one until i go on these visits. should i just let the coaches know that? also, i know coaches prefer early decision, but i'm looking at schools that don't offer athletic or merit scholarships (mostly ivies) so i'm really concerned about the financial aid aspect of early decision. what if we simply can't afford it with the financial aid package they offer?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if this question seems kind of all over the place, but i am so lost at the moment. the process is daunting. Help..?</p>
<p>It’s early September so athletes are just starting to come out for officials. Yes, it would be a little premature (and awkward) to ask if you can expect a LL at this stage of the game. Take your OV’s and it’d okay to let coaches know that you can’t commit until you’ve completed them. Once you’ve decided where you’d like to go, tell the coach that his school is your first choice, you want to attend and how should we proceed? </p>
<p>As for finances, H and P have online expense calculators, also you can ask the coach if he can arrange a FA pre-read.</p>
<p>thanks for responding! we’ve done the online financial aid calculator, and the result seems pretty reasonable. one school i’m looking into already is in the process of doing the FA pre-read, so I’ll just ask the others to do the same.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are on the right track. One word of caution regarding the top Ivy League schools. Unless you are a tippy top recruit, like best in the nation, they will not hold a spot for you while you visit other schools. I saw this happen several times last year and my daughter has now heard from some other girls who were left scrambling for a spot because the coaches moved on to the next girl. It is the coaches job to fill their roster and they want to do that as soon as possible. If they do not get a firm commitment from one recruit, they move on down the list. Remember, most of these girls look pretty much the same, similar stats both athletically and academically. Unless you have something extraordinary to offer, coaches will likely move on if they ask for a commitment and you are not prepared to make one. They all want their school to be your top choice! One of
the posters here likened the recruiting process musical chairs, only so many spots to go around and when the music stops, you better have a chair!</p>
<p>well, one of the schools said i was one of the top girls they were looking at, especially because i’m way above the average academic index, but i don’t know if that has any real significance. but, like i said, i really don’t know if that one is my top choice. ughh an exciting fall but a stressful one…</p>
<p>well, one of the schools said i was one of the top girls they were looking at, especially because i’m way above the average academic index, but i don’t know if that has any real significance. but, like i said, i really don’t know if that one is my top choice. ughh an exciting fall but a stressful one…</p>
<p>pianforte308,</p>
<p>I agree with everything varska and fishymom has said - good solid advice. Keep in mind the coaches are telling every girl they are a top recruit because they have to cast a wide net (usually nationally) among hundreds or thousands of recruits. I know in my son’s sport they bring in 7-9 baseball players per year among thousands of recruits. </p>
<p>The coaches want the best athete they can get through Admissions, while Admissions wants the best overall student…but you have to go through the coaches to be a recruited athlete. So, what I’m saying is the coaches probably aren’t giving your high AI as much weight as your athletic prowess. Make no mistake about it, the coaches will pass you over if you hesitate or show any signs of hesitating to commit to their program. They will absolutely without question want you to apply ED/EA or whatever, so the coaches know you are locked up with them. I saying this to you, because you need to be ready to answer the “commit” question when it comes. How you answer will be real important to how things move from that point on.</p>
<p>Don’t worry, your Fall will get more exciting if you are an Ivy recruit. Best of luck with your OVs, and don’t be shy with any questions. We have a lot of folks that have been through this process before.</p>
<p>How will Pianoforte308 juggle the coaches as she’s in the process of taking the 3 OV’s? If each coach wants her to commit at the end of the visit, is she off the list for not doing so? Do coaches, knowing that a recruit has other visits to take, allow for the time a recruit needs to take said visits and determine which school is ‘the one’ for ED?</p>
<p>Francois, that is the finesse part of the whole dance. Each coach will have a different approach. Some will do more of a ‘hard close’ - in essence saying that if you aren’t ready to commit, he has to move on. Others will take a more laid back approach. We had a coach that said, ‘we want you to look around and take your visits so you can be absolutely sure this is the place for you.’ And of course, some coaches may tell you they’re looking at 5 girls for 4 spots and he’ll have a better picture in a couple weeks.</p>
<p>You just have to listen very carefully to what’s actually being said, it’s very easy to hear what you want to hear in these situations.</p>
<p>OP, regarding financial aid, you should get a FA pre-read at all schools where you have interest. Many Ivies will match your best FA award. Good luck.</p>
<p>@rowersmom-
I think the Ivies will only match a real FA award, not a pre-read, right? So if you’re “forced” to go ED, you will never know what rival awards might have been and the school where you go ED will never have to match. I think that’s how it works. Please tell me I’m wrong, because that would open up some opportunities for those of us looking for FA.</p>
<p>^ Right.
An Ivy FinAid office will only Match an official financial aid offer from a peer institution(which is completed in the spring after taxes are filed and firm numbers etc)<br>
That is generall between HYP.
The others do not have the capacity no inclination to match.</p>
<p>Pre-reads for financial aid are generally only done for recruits around the same time as the OV</p>
<p>Pre reads are usually VERY accurate since coaches dont want to be surprized and lose a recruit either. As are the individual estimators at each school. Also, remember, not enough FA is the one way to decline Ed/EA admit. But it also eliminates you from schools in the same league/conference, ie ivy to ivy. Or nescac to NESCAC as the aid Is supposed to be comparable. Most pre reads one for coaches are some of the most accurate. You can also call the FA office to discuss specifics. </p>
<p>Just remember, while 401k, Ira and tsp (govt) current contributions are deducted for tax purposes, they are added back in for FA purposes, this causes confusion and sometimes explains why awards are less than expected. If you use salary amounts rather than taxable income your estimate should be more accurate. There are other caveats for the self employed, if that situation applies, just call the FA office.</p>
<p>Pre reads are based upon your own figures; if you are not 100% accurate, the pre-reads will not be accurate. </p>
<p>One way of possibly delaying the process is holding off on submitting your financial information until after your OV – that will give you an extra week.</p>
<p>What we didn’t realize until after the process was over was how different each IVY is! If, for example, you really have no idea of your field of interest and want the chance to broadly sample a liberal arts education, than Columbia’s “12 courses eveyone takes” (leaving you with only 12 courses to take outside your major when all is said and done) approach may not interest you. On the other hand, if you want to end up in the financial field, Columbia’s amazing intern program may be the place to go. Brown is at the opposite end of that spectrum. You don’t need to take any specific set of courses at Brown – nor even get letter grades!</p>
<p>Two radically different approaches; two very very good schools! I would find it difficult to believe that a prospective student who has done his/her “homework” and also understands him/herself would be torn between the schools – that person would like one or the other but not both.</p>
<p>^ Good point. I think the real problem with the decision process is that most of us realize what a long shot it is to get in to an Ivy! How many times have we heard how someone was rejected at their first choice only to be accepted by another? You can have the scores, grades and EC’s, but at the end of the day it is what that admission’s officer is looking for, or in this case, what the admission’s officer tells the coach what he is looking for!</p>
<p>A couple of observations: Unlike in baseball the pool of recruitable athletes in women’s rowing is actually quite a bit smaller; in fact, there are way more college rowers than high school rowers. Also, because it is a lot easier to become a top athlete in rowing (there are Olympians and world champions who walked on in college), coaches, even from the top rowing programs, will recruit very good athletes who have never held an oar in their hands. </p>
<p>So, good female rowers are a hot commodity. Most coaches will understand if you tell them that you would still like to visit one or two other colleges, just to make sure you make the right decision. It is not in the interest of a coach to pressure you into accepting a spot, only to have you quit the team by winter break. Also, you may consider this in your decision if a coach is basically blackmailing you.</p>
<p>We found that most coaches were fair and understanding. They all know each other, so nothing is gained if they use unfair tactics during the recruiting process. </p>
<p>With respect to FA, one ivy’s calculator may give you a better package with the same numbers. When we inquired, we were told they would match.</p>