@sawervey after we deposited with Bowdoin in late April, S19 emailed the coach to tell him he was coming. The coach replied and said he would email him a training schedule for the summer. They also traded a few emails over the summer about S19’s current training and any injuries he’s been nursing. The week before drop off, S19 got info from the XC captain (a senior) about checking in with the athletic department during drop off day. We all met the coach that day and S19 met the other freshman runners.
@sawervey just ask the coach straight out -if D gets in can she be on the team? In the case of XC and track, I don’t believe they really limit the team numbers. If the student will be in the pack, they can walk on. I don’t think you’ve said which sport you’re talking about though.
My D20 has received a positive academic pre-read from Bowdoin, but has yet to visit. I guess I could offer more after the of September.
With Bowdoin, I would be careful about an unsupported ED application. Bowdoin loves to break the hearts of very well qualified young women. My guess is that a roster spot isn’t the issue. I would want a high comfort level about admissions chances. The women I know of who were deferred and then at the last moment rejected were tippy top students.
@gointhruaphase , one should be careful with an unsupported ED application to any NESCAC school. Virtually every heartbreak referred to in the Bowdoin ‘Beware the Soft Support’ thread stems from a willingness of the student to proceed without full support… or a failure to clearly confirm the level of support offered by the coach (and how that level of support would influence the admissions decision).
While recruits and their families may misinterpret the level of support being offered, the incidence of intentionally misleading or dishonest recruiting is slim, as it would immediately damage a program’s reputation (recruits talk). Among the many scores of recruits we’ve associated with through my child’s sport, only one has claimed he was intentionally misled (and that was not at Bowdoin).
@SoCal4TA, I don’t disagree with your point, except at the margins. A 4.0 student with a 35 ACT applying ED to Conn College should have a bit more comfort about being admitted than at some of the more competitive NESCAC schools.
And, I absolutely agree that we interpret events through our own lenses. There are countless stories of kids who think they are being recruited, but they are not. The “you can tryout if you get in” line or the sudden stop in coach communications. And I agree, these typically stem from miscommunications and not misrepresentations - as can be seen from this instance where the coach has clearly said that his or her support slots are not available.
I do think that it is easy to look at the overall admissions numbers and conclude that since a given applicant falls into the 75 percentile of applicants, he or she will be admitted on merit alone. But one also should recognize that the numbers show that – generally – more high school girls apply to LACs than boys, thus skewing the overall numbers a bit. My point is and remains that a female superstar academic achiever should not assume that her achievements are enough to get her admitted to Bowdoin (and, of course, as you have noted, many of the other tough NESCACs).
As if I don’t have enough recruiting/admission worries now I have to worry about @sawervey ‘s daughter getting into Bowdoin!!! Best of luck and keep us posted.