Just wondering, in a given year, how many “slots” and how many “tips” a men’s lacrosse coach has at the most academically selective NESCAC schools. Also, are slots reserved for the very top recruits or recruits who the coach thinks might not get accepted via a tip alone?
Sunny,
Formally, I do believe the number of slots for a given NESCAC school is an overall number (e.g.,+/- 70 per for the school for the year). Without knowing the school, a pure guess would be two slots for LAX. Tips are used if the student has the academic chops to get in on his or her own, but are used to weigh the scales in the tipped athlete’s favor when compared to otherwise similar applicants. In theory, there could be unlimited tips, although there are practical problems with tipping fifteen lax players for a team of 30. Again a pure guess would be at around 5, depending on the needs of the team in a given year from attrition and graduation.
If you have a particular school in mind, I suggest you search that school’s collegiate newspaper. Bowdoin had a three part series about athletic recruiting a couple of years ago, and Bates and Middlebury have had pieces as well. That may allow you to dig down a bit further.
Then again, when in doubt, ask the coach.
A lax team generally needs 10-15 new players per year. At the very most selective nescac, IMO the number of slots v tips isn’t that relevant. What matters is whether the coach wants you and explicitly tells you that you have his full support, AND tells you that your pre-read is very positive, very good news, etc.
There are some variances from school to school and coach to coach, but if you have the above, you are highly likely to get in.
You can ask the coach about slots and tips, but they may not be too talkative. Esp about tips. But most nescac coaches have been around a while and as long as the pre read is good, they get it done and get the players they want.
Got it. So if a coach wants a kid whose academics are so high that they have a good chance of getting in on their own, the coach might decide (based on past experience with admissions) that using a tip is sufficient – even if that player is the top recruit? That is, a slot would be used for star players whose academics are not quite as certain?
The Bowdoin series mentioned above is very good
http://bowdoinorient.com/article/9151
Although from I’ve seen, it isn’t 100% accurate. Or, the statements made in it are carefully crafted to paint a picture that isn’t 100% accurate.
It says "each NESCAC institution is allowed a maximum of 14 recruits for having a football team, with an additional two per remaining varsity sport. He said that every NESCAC school currently subscribes to the process. For Amherst, that number is 66 recruits, or athletic factors (AFs).
“In those 66 cases, the athletic input controls the decision,” said Parker. “You have to say that in that group of 66 students, preference was given to them in the process, no question about it.”
That is true. But IMO it goes further than that. Those 66 spots involve only b and c band athletes (those that fall below the school’s academic averages). In other words, slots.
The statement that those slotted athletes are given preference is a little misleading, in that it may imply that " nonslotted" athletes are not also given preference. IMO, tipped athletes get just as much (or close) preference. The only difference is they are at or above the average accepted SAT and GPA. When you get a positive pre read and full support from a coach, that’s a huge advantage in the process.
That being said, its not an easy advantage to earn. At the top academic nescacs, it basically means top 1% standardized testing, 3.9 UW with a rigorous AP schedule, AND very strong athletics (most players had at least some interest from D1 coaches in recruitment). This is a combo that statistically very few student athletes can achieve.
Sunny, the answer to your question is yes. I have spoken to several NESCAC coaches who recalled times when their no. 1 recruit had the academic stats to get in without the slot. They have told me they would use the tip instead. That allows them to use a slot for someone more likely to need it – they get more of their desired recruits in that way.
And, the coaches can also look for other avenues - like legacy etc - to enable them to find support for the recruit through other avenues. Having a professor at the school in question - if one exists - who finds the student to have positive attributes - can help as well.