As @midwestmomofboys and @gointhruaphase have commented, there is a formula to D3 recruiting in the NESCAC League, and A-B-C banding. Our S is a very top athlete (almost D1, not football) SA with in median range of SATs for said schools and A-/B+ GPA w 7 APs and Honors and just getting through pre-reads. Coaches have been terrific. Here’s the rub and request for guidance…School A got pre-read back and Adcom says raise SAT by 30-40 pts to get into B band.? And Coach only has 1 B band and our S is “it”. I’m confused as I thought a) coach would be able to advocate for a top recruit if still a high C band and b) S would already be in B band based on stats, or c) could “borrow” a B band from future year or another sport/trade. Coach is a terrific communicator, straight-shooter, but the feedback is puzzling based on NESCAC Athletic Recruit historical guideposts. S loves the school, now awaiting an additional pre-read or two, and already had a prior positive pre-read from another top LAC. Obviously, when SATs are so high, there’s a chance S may or may not bump it up enough in Fall prior to EDs.
What is an A band? Thats a big bump for SAT…
@center A Band specific stats are not cut and dried, nor released to public so every Band has a purported academic range at each NESCAC school. The question is: why no ability to get a #1 Recruit in ad a high C and/or why are S stats already in B band. My understanding is that whomever is an A band presumably doesn’t require (as much) Coach’s capital. Yes, when a kid is at 720-750 already on each domain, 30-40 points is a big bump. Moreover, NESCACs clearly value (a lower corresponding) ACT, and that’s another oddity.
@bigfandave thanks and sorry i cannot add much. I know many kids recruited to NESCACS but have no direct personal experience and reading your comments is jogging my memory. My rough recall from one parent: A band are admissible as students indistinguishable from the student body; B band are solid applicants a bit lower yet require coach support and C is lower than standard and must be a top recruit for a C band slot. Is it possible that another applicant has come into play and has pushed your son down in pecking order–? I say this because my understanding is that the very top recruits can have fairly low stats. There arent many of them of course. The ACT /SAT thing is odd. ACT obviates need for subject tests so the value may be more because of that??? I dont know enough to be very helpful just trying to think it through.
My son didn’t go deep into NESCAC recruiting (we needed merit money, so those schools dropped off list), so this is not based on direct experience. Is it possible that the coach’s “marching orders” from Admissions have changed, so that he doesn’t really have any “C” band spots this year so it is “B” or bust? Or, with that gpa, Admissions may be looking for higher test scores to “prove” the student’s readiness? I’m guessing a 3.5ish (what a B+/A- works out to be) unweighted is likely lower for a super selective NESCAC so Admissions may want higher test scores to compensate.
I’d keep moving through the process with the other schools, sign up for the Sept test, and see where things stand as you head into Aug and early Sept. This is the hardest part, and toughest time, in D3 recruiting, when all the pieces are moving and a parent’s middle of the night worry is that, a la musical chairs, the music stops and our hard working kid is the one without a seat. Keep all the channels of communication open, keep asking questions, and hang in there!
I agree with prior comment that Coach may not have any C level band slots at all. Schools get very few C slots and my sense is that most of them are reserved starting quarterbacks, Hockey captains, basketball centers and such. They are usually not allocated to sports like track, squash, and lacrosse where it is easier to find high academic recruits.
You’re - @ReallyOk and @Midwestmomofboys - both potentially right on. GPA was unweighted, however virtual 1500 SAT would seem B band, but as we know, every year the best LACs are more competitive. So much for being best available athlete. Thank you.
Or the D and Ss that play multi-sports as well perhaps, especially at competitive D3s
@bigfandave so you’re saying your kid has SAT scores between 720-750 each section and they want him to bring his scores up another 30-40 points in total?
That seems weird. Those would be very good scores regardless if he was an athlete.
They told him he was a C band? And he needed to raise SAT scores to get into B band? Again seems weird, a B+ A- student is decent, and I don’t think that’s really a C band.
Did he get a pre-read from any other Nescac schools yet?
I have a kid going thru this process right now too, and not in a team sport like football. My son’s Gpa might be a bit higher than your kid’s but his SATs may be a bit lower, some AP’s, lots of honor classes, good EC’s. The coach didn’t give us any indication that grades or test scores would be an issue at all, said everything looked fine and was just what they were looking for. He’ll get a pre-read done in the next couple of weeks.
Good luck to your S during this process.
Some NESCAC schools communicate in bands, others in tips and slots. They are basically the same thing with different titles. The relationship between bands/slots and the recruit’s academic chops varies with the school. An A band at Connecticut College is going to be different than an A band at Williams. In addition, the number of slots a coach has in a sport not only varies from sport to sport, it varies year to year, and there often is son horse trading that goes on between coaches at a given school.
We could debate what any given coach should be able to give in the line of admissions support, or whether your son’s stats are good enough. It won’t matter. The coach has explained to you that he has one slot at certain grades/test scores, and also that your son’s preread has not come back with a pure green light. The result is what it is. The upside of all of this is that you know exactly where your son stands. If your son loves this school, he should take the SAT again. Consider trying the ACT. Don’t blow off the other schools.
@RightCoaster yes, and exactly same situation at your S, stat wise on SATs, etc. and an individual sport, not football. Yes on pre-reads, just in middle of process. Is NESCAC changing? @gointhruaphase , what do you thing chances of going from a 1480 to a 1520 are when S already is well over 700 in each section are…possible sure. Worth the demand, or even a reasonable request for a #1 Athlete, odd. Maybe said School just wants to see the solid attempt? The interest in school, I get it, but that’s was ED is for.
@RightCoaster and @gointhruaphase No doubt Coach is being up front, just may be “green” to process Or how to balance band options across whole college athletic program possibly. Again what is odd, is S is looking for that ED to hook on to that he likes and this School is likely it, but it’s not a 2-way street.
@RightCoaster yes, this is post pre read feedback.
@bigfandave I must say I have never heard of a request like that for SATs that are that high
@bigfandave, context is everything. Two years ago, one NESCAC coach gave us an expected ACT number. A recruit I know currently has that number and the coach wanted the recruit to retake the ACT and improve by a point to “seal the deal,” suggesting that it would “guarantee” admission.
Several years ago, I knew one recruit who had high SATs and the coach wanted him to retake the SATs. He didn’t. He still applied ED and was still accepted. This suggests that a coach who really wants a kid can “jigger” the admissions list to get the result he wants.
I also have heard of requests to retake SATs that already are high to improve a team’s collective board scores. Candidly, I have never heard this happening at a NESCAC school. My sense is that it is more of a D1 thing.
Here is the rub. The key to the process is for parents to listen very closely to what the coach is saying. The age-old example is when a coach says your kid can try out for the team if he gets in, your kid is not being recruited. You have something different here. The coach says he really wants your kid on the team, you just need some more traction with admissions. If your kid loves the school, get the traction. This may not be all that difficult to do if the school superscores SATs.
Your son could have another conversation with coach about this. He might ask if the number for SAT improvement came from admissions or from the coach. If he is at the 50th percentile of admitted students, ask why that puts him in the C band. He can ask what happens if he doesn’t or can’t raise his SAT score. Of course, this is a delicate conversation to have now, but it will put your concerns to rest.
My assessment: This coach does not have a C band “slot” this year or has already used it. He is trying to get your son’s application to a place where he will be accepted. You say your son is an A-/B+ student. As crazy as this sounds, this may be the problem. At some good quality publics, those grades in all honors/AP classes would put your son in the top quarter of the class, but not the top tenth. With a weighted GPA and some non-honors courses, that could affect class rank as well. The death knell in our public was a B in a non-honors course. While our school does not “rank” students, the guidance counselor recommendation says whether the student is in the top 10th, top quarter, top half, etc.
Regarding the Sat scores, maybe the coach is trying to get your kid in without using one of his slots. There’s no way they are expecting 1500 scores for athletes.
The only scenario i can think of where this makes any sense is that the coach has already used some slots for lower band athletes and he needs to find a few rock star academic athletes to bring the team average up.
@RightCoaster and @gointhruaphase why in the world would a kid apply and potentially “waste” an ED anywhere to just hope to get in-now that makes zero sense? 1 point on ACT can be 50-80 points on SAT, and ironically expectations for ACT scores are lower at NESCACs. Not sure why D or S would “try ACT” when chips are down.
Again, we are talking about a top-tier athlete. This also becomes a buyer’s market when similar LACs aren’t asking for incremental improvement in a singular facet of a SA’s academic profile, and it’s part of what I don’t love about pre-read: schools are largely looking at 2-3 facets: GPA, rigor to a lesser degree and a test score, not LOR, essays, and numerous reported CDS factors that are allegedly ‘very important” for admission. Top 10 Public school in a major state and national merit.
I think the scenario is either: coach used a C band a slot early on in the year on other(s), ironically, less qualified kids or simply doesn’t have one for this season. Yet, the core issue is why isn’t a 3.4-3.65 AP (no Ds of course) student with 1450-1510 admissible on his or her face in any LACs B band? Would be at an Ivy as well, assuming at or near D1 ability and need/fit. I respect the process and uniqueness of each NESCAC’s process and competitiveness rising, so what appears as a lack of consistency insofar as we read on-line from other admits is harder to swallow. More dialogue with Coach is required. And it’d be nice to get a pre-read +++.
@bigfandave, I think your last comment may be pointing to the issue. A “3.4-3.65 AP (no Ds of course) student” – the question is what is the highest GPA available? In our public, it was a 5.0. If your son has Cs, that could be the problem. It doesn’t mean that your son isn’t super smart or not well qualified, it just means that the school may be looking to offset that GPA. More than one C could well put your son into the C band of a highly selective NESCAC. By way of example, I remember one NESCAC coach turning her nose up at one B+ in an otherwise unmarred transcript.
You are lucky to have the information. I agree that you (and by you I mean your son) should discuss the situation with the coach. Ask the specific question: “what happens if I take the SAT again and I don’t improve.” You need to know whether your son’s credentials are a true impediment to admission. If they are and he doesn’t want to retake, then move onto the next school. I agree that you probably shouldn’t waste an ED opportunity if you haven’t gotten the pure green light from admissions.
I know that your son is an elite athlete. The coach has as much as told you that. Just remember that many of the NESCAC schools have some seriously talented athletes.
Good luck. I know the best thing will happen. It usually does.
I suspect that the coach has no C slots left or wants to use it one someone else. He may want your kid to push into a B band to better manage his slots . The grades/scores determine the band. A 1490 is 99%. I think the increase in the score is to change his band.
@gointhruaphase good advice and perspective. I didn’t want to get into the entire GPA and classes to remain confidential and respectful of the process the coach and school are going through. I suspect a dialogue about “why” does a score have to be raised other than to move in to a B band is called for at some point. As you likely know on SATs, they are curved…one can miss 4 questions on one exam date and it is akin to missing 2 or 6 on another, hence why they provide a range of performance on at least the SAT score reports.