<p>Coaches who, after getting pre-reads from Admissions, ask you to go ED are telegraphing their using a “tip” (NESCAC terms). While noting is guaranteed --look at the NESCAC website where that is explicitly stated–a coach’s rep gets around. At my D’s hs, if a coach who has requested a kid go ED after a pre-read then doesn’t have the kid admitted and the hs’ counsellor discovers that there wasn’t anything new and negative in the application between pre-read and the decision-- that coach goes on a RED list and students are told about him or her. There is one at an Ivy who everyone in NE in the sport knows is a liar. Not surprising he is having a very difficult time with recruiting–everyone hopes he will be fired soon. Thankfully he is a fairly rare exception. In the Ivies and NESCACs almost all coaches’ words are their bonds. Still my D didn’t tell anyone but us (and her hs coach and her counsellor) about the coach’s request she go ED until the happy email in December arrived.</p>
<p>Etondad, I want to believe in the very encouraging things d has been told by the coaches, but it’s so nerve-wracking. Even with a positive preread and support from the coach, we are all worried because these schools are hard to get into and everyone has a story about an athlete who didn’t get in. I do trust the coaches who have been so optimistic but it is hard to know whether admissions is on board with athletic recruiting sometimes.</p>
<p>How does applying ED impact your chances of receiving merit scholarships? I’m wondering if since the school knows you are a sure thing since you applied ED, they will save those merit scholarships for the kids who are still shopping around? My kid has found the perfect situation and the coach would like her to apply ED (her stats are at the high end and he has done a pre-read) However, the financial aid part of ED scares me.</p>
<p>hockeymom,
I think you’re asking two different questions. Merit scholarships are about academics, financial aid is about need. You should be able to get a pre-read from a FA officer at the school before your student applies. The coach can arrange this. Not sure about the merit guarantee…</p>
<p>Dear Lives–Have your child’s guidance/college counsellor call the admissions office in question. Frequently they can get a read from admissions that would be denied the rest of us–to whit-- is the coach’s promise likely to be kept. It is in the best interest of both the college and the counsellor to not have a promise broken–the college would rather have the news that a “no” is coming rather than it be a nasty surprise that then blackens their eye with that school and future recruits.</p>
<p>etondad, that is GREAT advice. I will take it. I am assuming you mean have the gc call admissions after she sends in her ED app, correct? I think the ED deadline at her top choice is November 15 or something like that. I will make sure the GC knows the whole story of how the athletic recruiting is being done and then ask her to make a call at an appropriate time to “check” on the application. Thanks for jumping in.</p>
<p>Do Ivy and NESCAC admissions offices really give pre-reads for Fin Aid?</p>
<p>^ Not the admissions office but the FA office, and, yes, that is your best defense against getting stuck with a bad FA award if you go ED.
The coach can expedite the read.
But it is an estimate and it’s only as good as the info that you provide.</p>