Offers continue into August, and later! This time can be stressful because there are many moving parts, and things are in flux. It isn’t over. Hang in there!
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I agree the process can go late, even in ‘normal’ times some Nescac offers don’t come until end of October. Last year we saw offers happening all thru RD, and probably this year we will see offers in RD as well.
Separately there are a number of 2021 UCDavis baseball recruits looking for new spots today, after the varsity team was suspended for allegations of hazing, with the timing of clarity months away. The ink is just never dry, sadly.
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@outofmydepth
Congrats on a top NESCAC offer. For what it’s worth, this was a few years ago but my kid did not decide and commit to a top Ivy until early Oct after they had made visits.
I differ from some on this in that I did not like being pressured and we would not commit unless we were as sure as we could be that the school was the best fit and top choice. The cost was a factor for us, both paying for it and if that school was worth the cost, so the cost may not be a factor for some.
We can get caught up in the excitement and feel the pressure to commit but we wanted to shake out our top choices to be sure. So if the Ivy is a good fit, is of interest and in the mix, I would consider hanging in there and pursuing it.
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July 21 is not ‘this late.’
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You’re right of-course. I think I was just anxious about lack of pre-read feedback by July 21st…certainly hadn’t been expecting anything more than a ‘pre-read was ok, we’re still considering’ so over the moon tbh
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@outofmydepth, I agree that this is not late at all. Think of it this way. The coach has a wishlist of 25 recruits. The coach thinks that the top 5 will commit, leaving 20 to languish. Alas, the top 4 go to the Ivies, but the coach does not learn this until October. So, the coach has 1 from the top recruits, and dips down to the next 4 recruits in October. The coach has now reached no. 9 on the list. Unexpectedly, in November, 2 Division I level recruits are told they likely won’t get into their top choice and drop into the coach’s lap. Now, the coach needs to decide whether to “borrow” some slots from the next year or from another sport. A coach agreeing to support most likely would not withdraw that support, but the coach could rejigger the priorities.
Since OVs often occur in September and October, there may still be some adjustments into the fall and beyond.
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Congrats! It is an exciting time and a lot of the stress (especially those related to uncertainty) are gone with the first offer. Make sure you are clear what type of support this coach is offering - is it for “slot” that almost guarantees admissions or is it “soft” support? The coach should be able to tell you with this level of support, what the % of acceptances are. Agree 100% with @recruitparent in #42 that now is the time to take your time to make your optimal choice academically and athletically. S did 5 visits after offers in the late summer/fall when schools were back in session. He checked out classes and hung out with potential teammates. First impressions were not necessarily final impressions.
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@BKSquared just echoing your very good advice with taking your time, making the optimal choice academically and athletically after your visits, and also, as stated, the first impressions were not necessarily final impressions.
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At what point do you walk away from the recruitment track if the schools that are responding are only academic safeties? DD22 is being aggressively recruited by a few schools but they are all academic safeties. She has had successful prereads at a few slightly more selective schools and is waiting on one NESCAC pre-read. But the NESCAC schools she most loves have been lukewarm. One says she is welcome to their clinic but best she can hope for is a walk-on if she gets in on her own. Another reached out after seeing her play to see if she was coming to their clinic but, since that was the first sign from them, she’d already signed up for a different clinic on the same date so she missed that opportunity. She’s pretty glum at this point. She’s easily as good at her sport as many current NESCAC players with whom she has trained and played in the past and played against at clinics this summer so it’s hard to give up on the dream. Should she just hope for walk-on spots? How common is that likely to be for HS class of 22?
Our basic philosophy with both kids was athletics was a means to get into the school that best fit them academically. We know too many families that placed the sport ahead of academics and either or both had a bad academic experience and/or a bad athletic experience (coach changed, kid on bench, problem with teammates) and ended up having to transfer or dropping out. Are the academic safeties recruiting your D schools that your D would be happy to attend assuming her sport doesn’t work out? If not, I’d think hard about attending those. What are her prospects of getting into her academic choices without an athletic boost? If they are decent, maybe the best choice is to get in not as a recruit and try to walk on. For most team sports, if your kid is truly talented, there will be most likely a walk-on position. Last point, and I mean to be realistic and not harsh, it does not a matter what your athletic assessment of your kid is in comparison to other players. The only opinion that matters are coaches and if and how strongly they are pursuing your kid.
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@NoraBarnacle, I’m not sure that I would walk away - and certainly not yet. Even if you were to give up on athletic recruiting at the desired schools, she would still need to apply and be admitted at those schools. You don’t mention names, but LACs can be quite tough on over-achieving young women. Keep the safeties in your back pocket as, well, safeties. If you must, have her tell the safeties that her parents want her to apply RD and then apply ED to the top choice school.
Do put effort into the NESCAC schools. Don’t be pushy, but do inquire about the pre-read at the one NESCAC school that has requested a pre-read.
Tell her not to be glum. It is not dissimilar to applying for employment. You don’t always get your top choice job. There could be good - or maybe irrational - reasons that some NESCACs have not come calling, and quite frankly, you’ll probably never know why. On the other hand, there are many, many good schools, and who is to say that outcomes are always better at the so-called “better” schools. Fit is all that one can hope for.
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Remember all the NESCAC schools are great. I fyou get to play in any of them will be an experience and it is not the school that determines your outome but what you do whem you are at these schools that paves the road
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Great advice. That was our mantra. I had one kid who had a fantastic collegiate athletic experience, and one who had an awful one. The kid whose experience was awful was more highly recruited than her sister. It’s hard to predict how it’s going to play out athletically.
As my daughter approached her NESCAC commitment deadline, she got a call from her dream Ivy offering her a place on their team.
She was beyond overwhelmed and excited!
The only thing that seems strange is that the coach said he had already given his ED slot away so she would have his RD slot.
I feel concerned that this leaves her without certainty for so long! Although apparently he did mention a likely letter.
Does anyone have experience of RD admissions? Is it just as sure as ED? I wasn’t even aware that athletes could do RD. Would we have to wait longer for the likely letter too?
I can feel another 6 months of nervous waiting coming…
Quite a few recruited athletes go in the RD round across all levels of schools.
Ask the coach your questions (I assume your D had a positive pre-read already): what proportion of RD full support slotted recruits have been historically accepted?
If she applies well prior to the RD deadline, say by Oct 1 (which is around the the time the LL admissions committee will begin meeting), would a LL come sooner rather than later? (LLs can’t be given out until complete application is in)
If applying for FA ask for FA pre-read.
I strongly encourage your D to apply to another school or two. Not as a recruited athlete but simply as a Plan B, since the RD time frame doesn’t leave any wiggle room…although I will be interested to hear what the coach says about LL timing.
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Must say this is the first time I have heard of an Ivy coach having separate ED and RD slots. I have heard of coaches offering a slot in the RD round, but that is because the ED’s /SCEA’s did not come through. I have also not heard of athletic LL in the RD round (those have traditionally been academic based). Maybe COVID and the extra year of eligibility have affected the timing of the allocations. Still though, the point of ED or SCEA conditions for athletes is to give the coach certainty for his/her incoming roster. You and your D may want to talk to the coach again in case your D misheard the coach in her excitement. Could the coach have said, my slots are filled but there is a chance that a slot might open for RD, in which case I will give that to you? Not exactly the same, but a couple of NESCAC and equivalents who had offered full support told my S to check back in with them after the SCEA decisions were released because they might be able to support him in the RD round.
Definitely hedge your bets as @Mwfan1921 suggests above with both EA and RD apps.
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Thank you both for your insight. I am really sure that this was a definite slot on the team and at the college - he was very clear about that…in as much as any of this is definite (yes, she passed the pre-read).
So the mystery is the idea of RD support slots, that was surprising to me too…I will definitely ask about submitting Oct 1st and timing of a likely letter…thank you for that suggestion.
And agree that a back up option is always sensible although I seriously hope only a formality 
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Congratulations, good luck, and do keep us updated! All of us learn so much when people are willing to share the specifics of their process 
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Some good advice from others. There are a few on here that have more Ivy insight than I do, though I did have a kid that was recruited and went to a top Ivy, they received a LL as “promised” after applying ED/EA, so giving some quick input.
My quick take aways are:
-this is good news as you stated it is her dream Ivy!
I know it is stressful but it looks like she has a NESCAC offer and her top Ivy is in the mix, so that is good news-congrats!
-since she would be applying regular decision, she can still look at other schools and apply RD there as well, so I would keep options open by applying to other schools on your list.
-the NESCAC coaches should understand if you are upfront as they face this NESCAC/Ivy choice often, but I would first flush out some more of what the Ivy coach is saying and offering. Especially the Likely Letter, and if she applied, RD or ED/EA, when would she expect to hear back on the LL.
If she is being offered a LL and this is her dream Ivy, I would pursue it, while trying to keep options open. Good luck!
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I would assume in your NESCAC example that it would indicate my recruited athlete is a back-up plan in case one of admission or other attrition in the ED round.
The ED chip is sacred and shouldn’t be wasted. In this case, it seems that’s not the risk because the Ivy coach is saying apply RD, which frees the athlete to apply ED elsewhere. But from what I recall, wouldn’t they have to pull the Ivy RD application after they submit their NESCAC ED app?
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