<p>DS is a recruited athlete (non-revenue sport) with excellent grades and test scores. He has researched colleges, made unofficial visits, interviewed with coaches, etc., and has finalized his college list. </p>
<p>His list consists exclusively of schools that would be considered reaches for anyone, but he has been assured by several coaches (including at his first choice school) that if he commits to them they will support his application, and that they fully expect that he will be accepted. We know enough about recruiting in his sport that we find these assurances credible.</p>
<p>He has given a verbal commitment to the coach at his first choice school and will be submitting his application very early. The coach indicates that my son can expect a likely letter from the admissions department in October and a formal acceptance at the end of March. An admissions rep has assured me that likely letters are essentially early acceptances and the only reason that a formal offer of admission would not be forthcoming would be if something occurred that would warrant a rescission of a regular acceptance, such as a precipitous drop in grades, academic dishonesty, or something else that would be completely out of character for my son.</p>
<p>He intends on being honest with the other coaches about his first choice school, so he is unlikely to get a coachs support at a backup elite school.</p>
<p>So, assuming he receives the likely letter, what should his backup plan be?</p>
<p>Hi,
I don't know the answer to your question exactly, but I'll tell you what I learned from the coaches of an Ivy during an unofficial visit. It appears to be common for kids who have already verbally committed to one school to still pursue one or two others for the sake of obtaining comparative financial aid offers. I got the impression the coaches of different schools might even work together in a sense to help their recruits get the best possible package. Suppose the kid really likes Ivy A and has no intention of considering another school. But Ivy B might have the resources to offer a little more $, so he will ask for a financial read and take it back to Ivy A. This actually can help the coach of Ivy A, since now he is able to say to his admissions office that Ivy A has offered their prospective athete Y dollars, and so he needs more $ to be able to recruit his athlete. </p>
<p>So, keep open one or two other doors for this purpose if possible. (HYP give great offers I think.) Apparently, it is understood that this happens. I don't know if the same behind the scenes maneuvering happens in other D 1 schools though.</p>
<p>I don't have any recruitable athletes. So, my opinion probably ain't worth poo. </p>
<p>But, it seems to me that nothing is a sure thing until that official letter comes in March. Wouldn't the prudent thing be to apply to a couple of good matches and at least one real safe safety? </p>
<p>I'm saying examine your finances and think of your son as if he doesn't play a sport. That's the back-up plan I suggest. His academics may crash. He might get injured. Putting all eggs in the athletic basket would make me very nervous.</p>
<p>Thanks, DougBetsy. I agree that until the real thing is in hand you don't really have anything, so that's why I'm nervous about the process.</p>
<p>I talked to a mom of a year older, similarly situated kid (same school, same sport, same coach) and her son didn't bother with any other apps, not even one safety. That would make me very uneasy for about 5 months. But that's what her son did and everything turned out fine.</p>
<p>Another question: Should he keep his cards close to the vest with the other coaches until he has the likely letter in hand, or should he be more upfront?</p>
<p>He's the type that would prefer to be more forthcoming, but if he needs to be a little coy now I'd like him to know.</p>
<p>Well . . . there's only one college I know of where your fact pattern works, i.e., no EA or ED, and no ability to commit to admit a student before the end of March. So you are in a pretty unique situation -- most kids would use a formal commitment letter, or an EA/ED acceptance, to handle this issue. </p>
<p>Chances are, the no-backup-plan approach would work OK. My guess is that this particular college is very sensitive to its unique (and not yet entirely familiar) position, and will be bending over backward to honor any likely letters it issues. (Because watch recruiting dry up fast if it gets a reputation for not doing that.) But I wouldn't want to take that chance, and you probably won't either. So . . . submit a few other applications, including to a safety. Let the coaches know what he is doing. One of them may well take a run at him, or at least get him onto a waitlist from which they can accept him if it turns out he doesn't get accepted at you-know-where.</p>
<p>I would keep the cards a little close to the vest until that likely letter shows up, too. Common sense says that the likely letter will be more likely to come if it looks like there is interest from other coaches and schools and you are considering an ED application somewhere.</p>
<p>
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there's only one college I know of where your fact pattern works
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<p>I could be wrong, but I think there are two; in any event it is a fairly unique situation.</p>
<p>
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My guess is that this particular college is very sensitive to its unique (and not yet entirely familiar) position, and will be bending over backward to honor any likely letters it issues. (Because watch recruiting dry up fast if it gets a reputation for not doing that.)
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</p>
<p>That makes perfect sense. I hope you're right.</p>
<p>No safeties, hmmm. Listen, there is no reason your S can't use his athletic abilities as an effective tipping device. But it completely escapes me why "verbal assurance" from a biased party would replace solid list making.</p>
<p>At the very least your S might use the leverage the assurance #1 choice Coach provided. He could convey to all other schools "I don't really have a first choice school. I wouldn't apply if I didn't want to attend, and I'm not really a lock anywhere." That might flush out a few more acceptance than "Hey, my first choice university says I'm 99% sure of getting in, but my GC is making me apply to a few other schools -- I really don't know why."</p>
<p>Of course, I could be misreading the situation entirely. If so, I apologize.</p>
<p>I think there are 2 backup choices -- depending on how badly he wants to preserve his four years of athletic eligibility. Which may be <em>terribly</em> important to your son. </p>
<p>First, encourage your son to forget senioritis. It is not allowed to happen, as his grades for first semester will really count, likely letter or not.</p>
<p>Back up A -- for the kid that doesn't care so much about the sport. Find some safety colleges that he likes, with either high end club teams or places that he can have a shot as a walk on. </p>
<p>BAck up B -- For the kid who thinks that playing in college is absolutely everything and is good enough to do it. Post graduate year and redo recruiting. Depending on the kid and the sport, it can work. Check to make sure the NCAA regs haven't changed regarding eligibility. My advice was good 3 years ago. Son didn't like his choices in senior year fall. His buddy didn't get into his Ivy despite being high on the coach's list. Both kids did a PG. Both are now in top notch programs -- mine in a D1 Ivy, his friend in a top D3 program.</p>
<p>You can also "fall back" to a junior college - which makes for a very good gap year choice. There are some clever things you can to do "gray shirt" which allow you to preserve your eligibility. Feel free to PM me for more info.</p>
<p>At least for baseball, once you have given a verbal it is considered very poor form to contact coaches at other schools - and it can lead to your offer being withdrawn. </p>
<p>If he is applying at the D1 or D2 level, then he should be signing an NLI in the fall depending upon the sport. An NLI is a legal contract - but does not ensure admission - so again there is no sure thing - but it does lock things down a little more.</p>
<p>The problem is that the Ivies, without athletic scholarships, don't <em>do</em> NLIs. That particular document is tied to an offer of an athletic scholarship. That's why the Ivies have 'likely letters.'</p>
<p>And I agree: once you have verbally committed, and the coach has verbally committed to you, it is extremely poor form to imply that you are still uncommitted. My experience is in lacrosse.</p>
<p>I have a friend who has two kids who have been recruited athletes in what I guess one would consider a non-revenue sport--assuming that football and basketball are the only revenue sports, and those only at a limited set of schools--one at an Ivy, the other at an elite LAC. Both schools offered EA/ED, so there wasn't as much of an issue. If the school had not come across with a formal acceptance, the kid would still have been able to apply RD to other schools.</p>
<p>For kids being recruited by H and P, my understanding is that the likely letter is as good as an acceptance. There is always the possibility of something like a career-ending injury. For that reason alone, one would think that a couple of applications to safety/match schools as a regular applicant--not as a recruited athlete--would be reasonable. Would that really be considered a no-no? Is H, for example, going to honor an athletic likely letter to a kid who can't perform in the sport ever again?</p>
<p>D received likely letters. All came through. However, since it is not certain, apply to a rolling admit school (a possible safety if all others are reaches) and an EA school depending on the rules where he is applying.</p>
<p>^^hikids,
If not too much information, did your D receive more than one likely letter, or just the OFFER of more than one? I've not heard of an athlete actually receiving more than one, but would love to know if this occurs. This is a subtle thing, but does allow the athlete a LOT more control in the process if they have guaranteed acceptance at more than one school going into the RD process.</p>
<p>
[quote]
He has given a verbal commitment to the coach at his first choice school and will be submitting his application very early. The coach indicates that my son can expect a likely letter from the admissions department in October and a formal acceptance at the end of March. </p>
<p>He intends on being honest with the other coaches about his first choice school, so he is unlikely to get a coach’s support at a backup elite school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Why is it important to commit to one school and share this with the coaches at competing schools? Does your son becomes less valuable to the first school without issuing a verbal commitment AND not pursuing other alternatives until a formal acceptance is received? </p>
<p>Inasmuch as it is unlikely that this first school will play games, there are plenty of stories that would give any athletic recruit some pause. There is a world of difference between misleading coaches and NOT keeping a few options options open. One can be completely honest and still keep final decisions and preferences on a strict to know basis.</p>
<p>I read my son's likely letter 100 times :) "You are likey to be accepted!"
Then I had all of my friends and family read it and that wasn't good!</p>
<p>My son commited to his school in January and was asked, on a hand shake only, to drop all of his other offers. He had a lot of wonderful opportunities on the table, which he withdrew. I was a nervous wreck. That likely letter can send you over the edge-the wording is sooo vague.
Finally he received his acceptance letter via email then mail on April 1!!
I wish that I did not worry about it so much, but I just kept thinking if this doesn't go as planned and he withdrew all of his other offers and it is now April!!
But, I guess like the previous posts said, if you receive a likely letter it is a admission-athlete or not.</p>
<p>I don't know anyone whose likely letter was not honored. However, talk with other folks with kids in yours' particular sport, as things can vary depending on the sport and those in the know are parents who have been through this wringer. Be sure you get specific answers, not generalities as fish stories on how big run rampant, and are about as accurate. </p>
<p>As a precaution, I would also look for a very good safety. Not because I think that the likely letter would not be honored, but because I have seen acceptances withdrawn due to senioritus, disciplinary issues (senior pranks) and any other such failure to meet the standards of the acceptance, any acceptance even, not likely letters. Kids can be very foolish when they think the bird is in the hand when it is really still on the bush and scare it away, regardless of repeated warnings on senior year performance and conduct. With an athletic likely letter, it is much easier to cut the kid loose for any reason if problems crop up and if the kid is well known in the community, jealous folks may let the college know. Take it from a mom with 5 boys, all athletes, one a recruited one, how that can play out.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse's advice is dead on. Recruiting and the verbal commitments that go along with it can be quirky. When my son was being recruited and gave an early verbal commitment, family members were aghast because he "didn't have anything in writing." He was told,verbally, that his four year scholarship would be honored no matter what, even if he got hurt his senior year and never played a minute. Did he have this in writing? No. Was/Is the university legally obligated to honor that commitment? No. But we looked at the coach's track record with previous athletes in various situations and decided he was a man of his word. The university itself had a reputation for acting honorably with athletes. Sometimes, the handshake is what you have to believe in. Good luck to your son.</p>