I did not read all of the responses but it seems that you are asking for something that you are unlikely to receive, at least with the NESCACs. That is a guarantee. Many of the student athletes in that conference are also recruitable at lower tier D1 schools. Many are academically qualified for Ivies. It is much more competitive than you seem to think. The process is very nerve racking to say the least. If they are asking for higher scores then retake. I know with my two boys, after asking all of the questions, it really is a leap of faith when you push that ED button. You will not get that likely letter. You need to figure out to the best of your abilities, historically how many of the coaches recruits have been denied. Then make an educated leap. Coach does not have final say. Admissions office always does. I can definitely sympathize with your thoughts and frustration.
Best of luck and fingers crossed.
Nope, wasn’t asking for a guarantee at all. Thank you.
My sense is, that some sports like football, hockey, there is more room for lower scores/stats. But for other sports like track, tennis, there is much less forgiveness with the stats. Still a 1480 would seem to cut it (but noticed in a previous post/thread you stated 1460?), so maybe it is the gpa? At this point the gpa is what it is, it’s not going to rise before the application is due, so maybe they are hoping that an SAT above 1500 will offset the gpa?
And definitely agree, that the pre-read requirements at a school like Amherst, will be higher than at some of the other NESCACs.
No specific GPA or SAT or ACT stated just 1450-1520 range. Want to respect process and Coach. And did not state a specific school. Agree on GPA…one can look at trends, course rigor, planned courses, and results for first report card one would assume.
My son is not at a NESCAC, bu he was recruited by a few and I have some familiarity with the process. I think @gointhruaphase has the right of it, and what the inner working of the particular school are, or what the particular coach’s relationship with the AD or admissions is doesn’t really matter here. If I am reading your posts correctly, the coach is saying that he can/will support your son if his SAT score goes up 30 to 40 points. That is really all that matters here. I would not bet on the coach being unfamiliar with how the process works.
It may be the coach is not given a C band slot by admissions or the AD, it may be that he is “saving” that slot for some kid who might slip through the cracks at an Ivy, it may be he had a prior C band recruit wash out. There could be myriad reasons, none of which will help your son here.
FWIW, I also think that @gointhruaphase is right that the GPA is the drag. The issue though is that the only way to “goose” a recruit’s stats under the band system at this point is to raise the test scores up into crazy territory. There simply is no time/ability to get a real bump from GPA. I assume that is why they are asking him to raise his test scores even though he is at the median for the school. Again, it is not going to matter too much one way or another unfortunately.
If it were me, I would advise my son to retake the SAT &/or try the ACT if this school is high on his list. Some kids do better on the ACT format, some do worse. In my opinion, it is worth the shot. But I would also keep an open mind with everyone else in the mix. Best of luck.