<p>c’s mom - it’s too bad this remaining coach isn’t being a better sport about this! </p>
<p>I’ve never heard of a LL from an Ivy not being honored - so I don’t think he’s giving you good information - if someone else knows of a situation where a LL hasn’t been honored, please let us know. </p>
<p>If your D doesn’t want to go on this remaining OV (sounds like it may not be very pleasant if the coach is this pushy), I’d encourage her to be pleasant, but firm, saying that she’s sorry, but that she’s decided to go in another direction, and that she really appreciates their interest in her. Short and sweet, but clear and direct. Great assertiveness training for future encounters with difficult people! Good luck!</p>
<p>I have heard several stories of non-Ivy League schools encouraging athletes to visit despite verballing commiting and receiving a Likely Letter. These coaches do not feel bound by the LL, but the athletes should, in my opinion. The recruiting process should end when a commitment is made. Frankly, I would not think too highly of a coach who would encourage an athlete to go back on their word. </p>
<p>The flip side of this is if the school has already made travel arrangements, then I guess I can understand why a coach might feel the athlete should honor their commitment to visit their school. But that is a very uncomfortable position to put a young person in. </p>
<p>I am so sorry that this coach is not being gracious. If your daughter does not want to go on the visit, she needs to be firm with the coach and say so. I hope this coach will understand and not continue to pressure her.</p>
<p>My daughter is right now on an OV at a non-ivy where, months ago, they made it pretty clear they don’t think much of LLs, and wouldn’t blink an eye if their offer made you turn around and break the understood contract of a LL. That did surprise me as this is a peer school of the ivies, and there would definitely be regular cross-overs in their recruiting lists. I agree with fishymom that once you have committed AND received your LL, you are no longer “on the market”, and it does surprise me that this position is not universally respected. But, at the end of the day, this is a game and every coach wants to win the athletes they want on their roster. So, ultimately, I guess nothing should be too surprising!</p>
<p>C’smom- I would definitely warn against your D taking the next OV–the coach seems to be bullying and pressuring. If he is not cordial and respectful now, well, be careful. </p>
<p>His nonsense that " an Ivy League Likely Letter mean nothing" is pure rot. What type of coach would intentionally try to mislead her with misinformation? Yikes.</p>
<p>If that coach truly believes the above statement your daughter can tell him–if the Ivy offer somehow fails to materialize, I’ll be sure to call you, and we can reschedule the OV.</p>
<p>I look at this different (nothing new here!). If your son/daughter has the LL (and you have not verballed), it is up to the athlete on the next move. The other coach is trying to do his job by bringing in the best qualified athletes he/she can. It doesn’t really matter what the coach says or does related to much of anything (guilt, hotel, plane tickets, etc). This is your athletes 4 years, and they need to be firm. What is important is what you decide and communicate going forward to all coaches involved.</p>
<p>I will agree that once a verbal committment and LL have been executed it is game over. If there is no verbal, it is still game on.</p>
<p>I don’t see a bully Coach either. Only one trying to express to your recruit there are no guarantees.</p>
<p>Recruiting will not end for a highly valued student athlete until they enroll in school. </p>
<p>Coach will even call after enrollment, to see if you are still happy, keeping door open for transfers.</p>
<p>Consequently, Coaches say likely letter means nothing because a highly valued student athlete may end up with likely letters from every coach.
Players have changed their minds, forcing coaches to keep their positions of need covered.</p>
<p>I have seen top athletes make a late decision and push player picks out of a position.
Remember the committed Dartmouth recruit who ended up at Yale because he got rejected by admissions in December.
I know an early decision recruit who got spring senioritis, which concluded with the recruiting school revoking his early decision admission.
I have seen coach move schools, leaving no earlier commits honored.</p>
<p>Did the recruit you are referring to author have a likely letter in hand? I can’t imagine that anyone holding a likely letter would not be admitted unless something big happened in the meantime to change things. Regarding the OPs situation, there is a difference between verballing and having a likely letter in your hands. I always assumed that admissions didn’t issue likely letters until the athlete had verballed and committed to the school. Coaches can dangle the idea of one, but I didn’t think admissions issued them unless the commitment was firm from the recruit. Can an athlete be holding LLs from multiple Ivys in their hands? I think the coach in question is just very disappointed and hopefully will eventually take the high road as did the others. If not, it might not be a coach you would want to be dealing with anyway for 4 years.</p>
<p>I started this thread on what to do about a coach who still wants my daughter to come on her OV (this upcoming weekend). She verbally committed to top choice school (she had sent in her complete app in early Sept) Got an email from the coach forwarded from admissions 3 days later that a LL had been issued. LL arrived snail mail last week. She then started making phone calls to cut ties with other coaches. The only hold out has been this one non ivy school. Here’s the funny thing. My DD dropped her cell phone in the toilet last Thursday night so has not been able to receive any calls or txts. We are within the 5 day visiting period when a coach can call as much as they want before the OV. I’m sure he thinks she’s just not answering the phone. Our opinion is, there was a verbal committment on her part and a written committment from the school. Game over.</p>
<p>Congratulations c’smom, on having a commitment to top choice school early in senior year - it will make the rest of senior year much less stressful!</p>
<p>^your daughter is doing the right thing, she’ll go to her top choice, she’s cutting the other ties appropriately, all’s perfect. I agree; game over.</p>
<p>The phone in the toilet is priceless; the writers over at “As the Athletic Recruiting World Turns” couldn’t have scripted it any better.</p>
<p>Actually, phone goes straight to voice mail New phone on the way so she should be able to pick up any vm or missed calls unless her vm box is full!</p>
<p>Daughter just got off the (new) phone with said coach. She was polite but firm about her committment to Ivy school and not coming for her OV to his school this weekend. She told him that, if he was reseptive, she would call him back mid December if things didn’t work out. His answer “please do”. Fingers crossed that the LL holds way more than water!</p>
<p>minivan wrote: Did the recruit you are referring to author have a likely letter in hand? I can’t imagine that anyone holding a likely letter would not be admitted unless something big happened in the meantime to change things. Regarding the OPs situation, there is a difference between verballing and having a likely letter in your hands.</p>
<p>Sadly, there is a dark side to Ivy League ethics. Unfortunately shady dealings will continue until the Ivy league chooses a common letter of intent signing day.</p>
<p>A strong letter is still not an admit.</p>
<p>Not to be a downer on jumphigh’s or to c’smom commitment. WTG to both!</p>
<p>As a recruited athlete realize you must be careful not to do/say anything that will ever be construed as lack of interest.</p>
<p>author, what’s your experience with likely letters, if you don’t mind my asking? Your statement about shady dealings even when an athlete has received one, flies in the face of many on CC who have direct experience. If you have evidence or direct experience that contradicts what you’re reading here, please elaborate. Our efforts are about revealing as much as possible about this process for the benefit of up-and-coming student athletes and their families.</p>
<p>Link to further discussion of reliability of Likely Letters:</p>
<p>Author, a true likely letter sent by Ivy admissions is as good as good as a formal acceptance. A severe drop in grades, felony arrest, etc. can cause it to be rescinded - just as an actual admission can be rescinded. They are not rescinded because a better athlete comes around. Kids in this situation have enough anxiety without adding to it with erroneous info.</p>
<p>If I’m remembering correctly, there was some discussion on here about 2 years ago (when I was intently researching this for my D) about one Ivy sports program in particular reneging on coach commitments to student athletes. I don’t think it was the admissions commitment/LL that they went back on, but rather the athlete’s spot on the team. So while the student was still “in” the school, he was suddenly stuck with little likelihood of playing his sport there, since the coach had accepted late-comers which bumped the student off the roster. Does anyone else remember this discussion?</p>
<p>I agree 99% of all likely letters are upheld. This recruit had the goods to pick up another school in December. What superiority admissions must feel when it was another IVY.</p>
<p>Just saying…coach is just as anxious about an athlete’s commitment to their program for 4years.</p>
<p>Being benched can happen at anytime if better athletes walk on or show up. Also, in some cases, coaches may offer a student a spot on their list to bump up their team’s Academic Index to compensate for a weaker student but top athlete.</p>
New phone on the way so she should be able to pick up any vm or missed calls unless her vm box is full!</p>