<p>A question for parents regarding interaction with coaches--have coaches helped a great deal in the admissions process? I'm concerned that my son is relying too much on his "coach" connections (mostly at DIII schools, one or two DI) and not putting enough emphasis on interviews with Admissions. I would love to hear stories from parents with experience. My son is visiting with coaches, and spending overnights with various teams, but has yet to do one real admissions interview. Can we rely on these visits alone? Thanks for any help</p>
<p>Hi jennsmom,
So much depends on which schools. Can you share which sport and some names of schools without giving away too much information? Often athlete parents will PM if we know we can help.
Hang in there. You're not alone.</p>
<p>If the schools require admissions interviews, then he must do them the same as getting teacher recommendations, sending his test scores, and all the other elements of applying. I'm not sure what schools you're talking about, but there are schools that don't require them, and some schools that don't even offer them. Or, at the very least, ask the coaches if an admissions interview is expected even for athletic recruits... I mean, really, he should just do it anyway, but since he's already in touch with the coaches he would probably feel comfortable asking them. All the coaches we talked to were highly informed about the admissions process. Or maybe you should email the coaches or the admissions offices and ask yourself. (I know I would if it were my son, but then I am a self-identified helicopter parent. ;) )</p>
<p>My son goes to a D3 school that does not offer admissions interviews, but he did meet with the coach when he went to visit the campus the first time. I think the coach's interest was probably helpful, but my son also was academically qualified for the school, so who knows.....</p>
<p>But seriously, if one of the application requirements is an interview with Admissions, then he should do that. Can you pre-arrange an appointment for him so that when he visits campus for overnights he already has that committment?</p>
<p>I can respond about the Ivy athlete recruiting process my daughter went through a year ago. D made the visits and spent time with the team as you describe, OP. She submitted a complete application (transcript, scores, letters of rec, application including all essays, and so on) to her final choice in mid-October. In November she was contacted for an alumni interview in our city (far from the school.) This timeline seemed to be the same for all early applicants for the school, athlete or not. I assume if the alumni interview had been disasterous, this might have put her application in jeopardy, but I'll never know for sure how much impact that conversation had on her ultimate acceptance. Some would say it was a formality, as she had received a likely letter, but who knows? </p>
<p>As 'rent says, your son must ultimately pass muster with admissions, not just the coach, so he should do whatever is asked, and take all interviews and essays very seriously.</p>
<p>Coaches at schools I know of somewhat, (Ivy, D1) offered to set up interviews with admissions and also arranged for admissions to do what is called an academic pre-read. Have coaches asked for scores and grades? It all depends on the school and the sport.</p>
<p>We had experience with D3 and Ivy (and some other D1). D3 really varies from school to school, but the coach should be able to give you a clear idea of how much he or she can help.</p>
<p>My S will probably aim for DIII, although he is not the fastest (or else he would be looking at DI). He is very serious and dedicated, though. If someone had told me he would get himself up at 630 on a weekend to go train I would have thought him/her nuts. He wants a bigger school too (not small LAC) which greatly limits the pool of DIIIs. I expect him to contact coaches as well as do interviews etc., but to depend upon academic merit rather than speed.
Larger DIIIs? Tufts, WashU, ??</p>
<p>It depends on the coache's pull and relationship with the admissions office. That is usually apparent by the ranking of the school in the sport. Top programs got that way because those coaches were able to get good athletes in them</p>
<p>DD was recruited by a NE DIII school; the coach could give her a tip, but could not tell us a lot more than that. We asked him to check with admissions before taking the money and time to do a visit whether it was "worth it" (winkwink, was she going to get in?) to visit; they said yes, she visited, and she was in.</p>
<p>DDs sport is a club sport at many large top publics, and the club teams beat the DIII teams in champs, and those coaches were great in getting DD school info; one had no tip ability, one could submit letters and other info to the school which certainly did not hurt in admissions.</p>
<p>Mainly i would say, though, look for fit. DD picked the school based on location, not the best fit with the team and has not been thrilled with the experience; sadly the #1 school with a coach with great fit was a USNWR top 5 and even with sport director tip she did not get in (and she met the standards).......so, it is tough to tell when it will help, each school is different</p>
<p>All of the coaches were fantastic to work with, very open about what they could and could not do, very open about her chances, and her chances to play on the team etc. It was sad to turn down the ones she did not choose, they were great people and we root for their teams at national events :D</p>
<p>We had experience with Div 1 Ivy and other big Div 1 colleges. Since most have covered the stuff here, I would only comment that you really need to look at the coaches philosophy, what they are like, and what kind of enviornment they set up. Also, we found that some coaches are less than honest, and others are very straightforward. You can check around and get a feel who to trust. I think it is on the Brown website, it makes the point that the college decision and the athletic decision together make the overall college choice much more complex. Keep in mind that no matter what the coach says, the school makes the final admit decision. This is not to say in some high profile revenue sports with famous coaches they don't have a lot of power, but in the end the student has to get in and get through the school.</p>
<p>I don't know if this is your oldest, but I was surprised by the whole "admissions interview" concept when we went through this last year. We looked pretty exclusively at LACs, and my DS had an interview with someone in admissions at each, but they really are more of an information gathering session for the applicant. Grown-ups are accustomed to the term "interview" as it relates to a job, in which it plays a major factor in whether or not you'll be hired. At colleges, they're often conducted by upperclassmen working at the admissions office. I can't believe these people have much more input than "okay" or "absolutely horrible", with about 98% being "okay". It really was an opportunity to have all of our questions about the college answered. (And I really don't think coaches have much pull with DIII admissions offices at all. Your kid will either make it or not on his academic record.)</p>
<p>Both of our girls were recruited athletes at all levels. We did admissions interviews/visits at every school they were interested in. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the school and for the school to learn about them. The DIII coach where D1 landed had big influence on her getting a great academic scholarship and it helped that the admissions rep also really liked her. D2 chose a DI program and the process was a little different but not much. Both coaches set up the college visit for them and it included private time with an admissions person. All of their visits were highly structured with coach time, admissions office time, tour of campus/facilities, lunch with team, watching a practice/game and overnight if desired. D1 did the overnights (she's more social), D2 has yet to spend a night on any campus!</p>
<p>^^^ Ditto for my D (but she did not do overnights - - sooo many schools, sooo little time).</p>