<p>My Son is waiting on two prereads. He is a football player. There was such an urgency to get information to the schools. Yet, its October and we don't have answers from 2 of the NESCACs. </p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>When did you send the info to the schools?</p>
<p>My son didn’t hear about the results of pre-reads from most of his schools–and no news was good news in that case. Has your son asked the coaches directly about this? It’s possible that they only give feedback when an athlete needs to improve something.</p>
<p>Fourmore - the information was given in June/July.</p>
<p>Classicalmama - He has asked and there is always a reason but told not to worry about it.</p>
<p>The coach feedback was positive on what was submitted.</p>
<p>So he’s probably set then. They’re probably focusing their energy on contacting the more marginal recruits…like I said, we didn’t get much specific feedback on pre-reads and OVs/offers still happened. My guess is that the coaches may not want to badger admissions with stats that their experience tells them would get a positive read.</p>
<p>From what I have seen, I think the coaches are all keeping an active pool of candidates going and they are working through them in order of priority. For example, the potential Ivy and d1 candidates that may have been over the only nescac/d3/d2 candidates are now being gradually knocked out now that it’s October. The pool moves up and kids who may have been 3 or 4 down in the summer are now numbers 1 or 2.</p>
<p>We never received any feedback to get son’s scores up so he didn’t take the SATs last week. I think as long as it’s positive, it’s positive. Kids are just in different positions right now and are still actively moving around. Overnights and visits are still going on, and as soon as any kid makes a commitment, the pools of every school they do not choose shift immediately. It’s happening every day.</p>
<p>Edited to add: one thing we have noticed is that ALL the coaches, when asked about pre-reads (nescacs), show body language that seems to pull their cards back a little. They have said things like “it all looks good right now” and “we don’t see any issues right now” but they do stop short of pronouncing anything in absolutes - and it’s because they can’t give them to you. As everyone says here, Coaches recruit, only admissions admits. You have to take a lot on faith that if they are not reporting problems to you, you probably don’t have them. </p>
<p>It’s not where we all want to be (heck yes, I’d love a likely letter, please) but in D3 we don’t get them.</p>
<p>Chicagomama - Thank you for the insight on the coach preread talk/body language. This doesn’t sound as unusual then. There is just so much overanalyzing. Can’t this all just be done for all of us?</p>
<p>He is engaged with another school that got a preread done in a week. So, having that experience hasn’t helped me wonder about others.</p>
<p>Classicalmama - he did get the overnight offers. So, I will try and breathe and go with that. 
If he gets one rescheduled this week, I will be able to relax. Maybe?</p>
<p>Happymom - the overnight offers are a big deal. I didn’t realize it until son was at one and met other recruits who were there for the game but not spending the night.</p>
<p>If your son is going overnight, he’s higher up on the list. It is a very, very good sign.</p>
<p>You and I can breathe together but I swear October’s going to kill me.</p>
<p>Chicagomama - Yep, the stress is at an all time high.</p>
<p>Hopefully the overnight at school #1 doesn’t get downgraded to a game visit only. I probably should have sent him injured to the initial date but, at the time it was too much physically and mentally to expect of him.</p>
<p>My son did just hear from a nescac that he would " very likely" be admitted. I would never trust “no news is good news”. It did take about a month though.</p>
<p>Let me modify my earlier statement: if things are progressing as they should (coach continues to call or email; OV’s are offered; coach promises support at OV when asked), then the fact that you haven’t heard anything specific from the coach about the pre-read probably means that no news is good news (particularly if the coach says, as he did to the OP, not to worry). </p>
<p>It is so stressful! But then so is the admit process in general, with or without athletic recruitment. It’s all a jump into the unknown really.</p>
<p>One way or another it does work out but there is stress along the way. I don’t think I would advise that “no news is good news” though. No news is no news and a family has to decide how hard they feel it is okay to push communication. There is a lot of shifting but there is also downward shifting as the deadline gets closer. Many athletes “reach” athletically and academically as high as they can and when pre-read results come in the borderline Dartmouth candidate might now be #1 at Tufts. It sounds like Ivy offers of OVs mean a lot and that the coach should be able to honestly say whether a likely letter will be coming (and not offer OVs unless he/she is pretty sure). In NESCAC it is far murkier. I know NESCAC kids who had OVs, applied ED and were admitted - no problem. I know NESCAC recruits who went on OVs while they waited and waited for pre-reads and at the last minute were told it didn’t look good. I know NESCAC recruits who had positive pre-reads, were offered OVs and then were deferred (and in two cases were completely rejected, those were the biggest shock of all). So much depends on the integrity of the coach and how supportive of athletics the admissions committee is and it really varies a lot from school to school (sport to sport in some cases). The advantage to being an athlete applying to NESCACs is that there is a pre-read and there is at least some hint of the chance for admission, but beyond that, applying is fraught with as much anxiety as it is for the non-athlete applying. </p>
<p>So my advice from going through it, and watching so many close to me go through it - do your research on the specific reputations of the coaches and admissions departments, ask the coach hard and direct questions about what feedback admissions gave and what level of support the coach will offer, listen very carefully to his/her answers (and your gut), be honest and don’t burn bridges with the other recruiting coaches (it wouldn’t hurt to politely let #2 choice coach know that it was a hard decision and that if things do not work out with the ED that athlete would be interested in applying EDII to their college), and have that Plan B.</p>
<p>happymomto3, my personal experience was that some coaches were just awful recruiters and alternated between urgency and non-communication. In a couple of cases it was just how they were, in one case it was that the coach had lost interest. So I empathize because until you know…you just don’t know. My son left messages until he got the answers he needed. If your son is solidly in the athletic and academic range then “no news is good news” is probably true. If one or the other is on the borderline just keep asking questions, I know football is highly valued so hopefully all will work out just as he wishes. In a year you will be sitting at a game (or live streaming one) cheering him on!</p>
<p>Interesting post, MGS…things are, indeed, much less murky in Ivy recruitment. I had a friend whose athlete daughter ultimately enrolled at a NESCAC school who was told by her coach to raise her SAT scores to _________ (which she did)–so that, coupled with our experience led to my advice. But since there’s no standardized process in place, I can see how YMMV. Still, it does sound like your kid is in the academic/athletic range for the schools, if others have come back with positive reports.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I appreciate the honesty. It just means I am not reading into things like a crazed mom. Its actually something that could be concerning.</p>
<p>MGS - My husband is definitely one that thinks it works out one way or another. I just have to repeat this in my head a few times a day to get there. :)</p>
<p>For my son’s #1 school, his recruiting coach has been excellent. My son has missed a few games due to injury so, while things never have felt certain, there is more anxiety these days. The preread has come up in almost every weekly conversation. </p>
<p>I am very curious about the preread process. Basically, how do they package their athletes to admissions? I know they have different groups - top athletes that they want to give top support to. But, how is the athletes information delivered to admissions for the preread? I have gotten the impression its from spreadsheets to meetings. Anyone hear anything from coaches on this?</p>
<p>Yeah - actually on the “no news is good news” thing I probably should have re-read myself a little more critically. I should absolutely have reflected that in some cases it can be good news, meaning nothing is wrong - but that in others, it can definitely mean lackluster interest, or even loss of interest. </p>
<p>Both things have happened to us. Over the summer there was one school that was seemingly very high on our son, with weekly communication. Then, after about 2 months, nothing. When son sent his 2d email asking if there was anything else he could get them, and they didn’t respond, that was the writing on the wall. It didn’t mean there was anything wrong with our son’s athletics or grades or scores, because one of the schools he has an offer from right now is a dead-on admissions twin for the one whose interest disappeared. We just have to figure it’s something with their recruiting. So in that case, no news turned into bad news.</p>
<p>On the other hand there’s a school right now who all along has had a very hands-off recruiting process. We probably had three emails and tops, possibly 2 phone calls before an offer came in. They have said nothing about his grades or scores needing to be better and his overnight is still in place. In that case we’re interpreting no news as good news, but only because they very clearly made the offer first. However, they haven’t been beating down the door at all as a recruiting program.</p>
<p>But, yeah, I should have known better. “No news” can definitely mean a lot of things, and you should keep your eyes open and listen to that gut feeling.</p>
<p>happymomto3,</p>
<p>I’ve read through this thread a few times. Frankly, if this was my son I would be concerned. Granted, football is not my area of expertise but it doesn’t have to be. I know quite a few NESCAC baseball players have been through pre-reads (months ago) and already have slot committments. They are all set. </p>
<p>ED deadline is Nov 1, and today is Oct 13 with no feedback or word on a pre-read that was sent in two months ago? This sounds to me like a communication breakdown or a coach that isn’t good at communicating or following up. You only get one shot at this, and it is up to you. There should be more frequent communication and discussion about next steps of which a pre-read status should have been done a long time ago IMHO. Even if the sport is in season, what is stopping them from doing a pre-read, and updating the recruit with a status. Nothing. My son would be calling the coach in question right now as well as checking in with some other coaches. JMO.</p>
<p>I would have been concerned too, except that the OP said her son had an overnight offer from the school, so it wasn’t a case of no communication with the coach, and I guess I assumed the overnight wouldn’t have been offered without a positive academic read. However, I’m also literally out of my league here, so OP, you should listen to the NESCAC parents, not me!</p>
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<p>I understand what you are saying classicalmama. But that is kind of my point. He’s been offered an overnight (assume it was this weekend or upcoming weekend before Nov 1) but there has been no further communication or opportunities to ask about a pre-read? A pre-read qualifies a recruit to the school but also lets the recruit know he is “fishing in the right pond”. So, in my mind there is no feedback or acknowledgement from the Coach that he qualifies or this is moving forward as it should. The communicaton seems to assume that everything is good. IMHO, I wouldn’t assume anything with college recruiting with a deadline just two weeks away. </p>
<p>I look at it this way…Would you quit your job or deny other job offers for the chance of a dream job with an unknown salary (it hasn’t been discussed or qualified yet). BTW…the final job interview is next weekend. I don’t about you, but I wouldn’t without a lot more information and comfort that the fit is right. If I’m understanding this situation correctly, I’m suggesting the OP’s son remediate & clarify the communication issue with the Coach to make sure the recruit is qualified, and there are no surprises. A simple phone call to the Coach to discuss the upcoming OV would be a start, and then ask about the pre-read situation. Nobody wants to be scrambling or playing musical chairs a week before the ED deadline.</p>
<p>Fenwaysouth - There have been opportunities to ask about the preread. Last week my son asked about it. It comes up in every weekly phone call. But, like you said, with the deadline fast approaching, I would be expecting to have heard something.</p>
<p>Classicalmama - I agree that with all the positive things that have been said, it would seem that all should be fine. I wish I was on the phone calls.</p>
<p>I am going to take the advice and have him get direct. Stay tuned.</p>
<p>I know what you mean about wishing you were in on the phone calls! I found myself constantly asking my kid, “So exactly what did you say? And what were his words to you?” And repeating things verbatim is not really part of my kid’s skill set–still, I think it did reinforce the importance of looking for certain language from coaches.</p>
<p>Anyway, crossing my fingers for you! And yes, keep us updated.</p>