Hi, I’m kinda new to this website so please bear with me.
I’ll be a rising senior and I am a highly nationally ranked tennis player. I’ve been doing the recruiting process for a while now and I’ve been talking to schools in the NESCAC, UAA and Ivies as well as a couple others. I would be a HUGE impact player at any D3 and probably a middle of the pack player at an Ivy. All that is important to me is that I get to be in the starting line up, which would essentially be guaranteed at a D3 while I would have to work much harder for it at an Ivy. My dream school is Penn and has been for the longest time now. I’m looking for a top-notch academic school in an urban environment (especially major city) with strong connections to Wall Street and could position me very well for law school. I’m also looking for a good balance between academics, athletics and social life/extracurriculars because that is very important to me. For these reasons, Penn seems like a great fit. However, I’m #4 on the coach’s list and there are only 2 spots. The coach isn’t going to commit anyone until probably early fall. The odds are that I will probably get one of the spots because a couple of them are still trying to re-test (they currently don’t have the scores to get in) and Penn may not necessarily be their #1 choice. But here’s the thing: I got a verbal offer to play for Brown and they really want me. However, they are only giving me until July 17th to make a decision otherwise the coach will give my spot to someone else. I also have offers from the coaches at UChicago and Claremont McKenna, schools I am very interested in, but they are NOT forcing me to make a decision until the fall. The coaches at Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Tufts, Carnegie Mellon, Pomona also made verbal offers but I’m not as interested. I’m waiting to hear back from WUSTL, Cornell, Georgetown and Harvard as they are all also very high on my list and will likely come through at some point in the near future. Harvard is more of a wild card though; the coach could offer very soon, but also may not.
I really appreciate any insight or advice anyone might have regarding my predicament. I realize I have some very nice options and can’t really go wrong with any of my choices. I’m just wondering if I should take Brown or wait to see what other options I have, particularly at Penn. Also, if it helps, I would probably concentrate in Applied Math-Economics or BEO at Brown. At Penn, it seems at this moment that I would potentially be in the College of Arts and Sciences (I would major in Economics or PPE). Wharton, which I would prefer, is not on the table.
Thanks so much!
Taking the sure thing, Brown, is going to mean giving up other possibilities (Penn, a D3 with a sure spot). That’s always going to be the case. If you feel pressured and don’t really want to go to Brown, don’t take the spot. It sounds like you’ll have plenty of other options in the fall, but you won’t have Brown.
Only you can decide if it is worth turning down Brown, holding on for something you want more.
@terminator2017, in addition to reading through old threads in the athletic recruits subforum you might find ‘the essential guide to Ivy League athletic recruiting’ by tier one on Amazon helpful. If you are considering ivies, you need to be clear about pre reads, admissions support, likely letters, etc.
You don’t mention anything about finances. Knowing whether you need financial aid would help folks give advice.
Eta: also, when you say ‘offers’, have all these coaches committed to fully support you in the admissions process, or more along the lines of ‘we’d love to have you on the team’?
Thanks for the advice! @twoinanddone
So I am definitely applying for financial aid and part of the reason why I can’t just say yes to Brown is because I don’t know as of this moment what it will cost. The Brown coach said that because I am being recruited by Harvard, Brown will match whatever Harvard would potentially give me. There really isn’t any better aid than Harvard so I assume that is the best I can do. The coach at Penn then said that they would match whatever Brown would give me assuming I continue to vie for this not guranteed spot at Penn. I think at the end of the day the financial packages will be relatively similar due to matching at all the Ivies.
And yes, all these coaches that I’ve mentioned above have said they would be willing to support me through admissions if that is where I decided to attend. They are willing to use one of their limited number of supports/slots/whatever you want to call it on me that essentially leads to an acceptance from the school. I have done / am currently doing early reads at all these schools and have either gotten the clear from admissions or am expected to get the clear if not already. @politeperson
There’s an old saying about a bird in hand…I happen to think Brown is the better school on many levels. YMMV.
Since you have so many options on the table, it may be better to wait and take your official visits. Tennis teams are quite small, and unless ALL you care about is tennis and studies, the social climate of the team should be an important factor in your decision. You will spend many hours a week with these people, and you will want to gel with them. I have heard of many athletes who have been unhappy with their teammates and quit playing.
If you accept at Brown and apply ED, you may never KNOW what Penn or Harvard would give you. Have you asked for financial pre-reads at any of these schools?
Be very careful about playing one school against another. The community is small. I think you need to tell the Brown coach that you need financial aid and just can’t make the decision in July when you have no idea if you can afford Brown.
Aren’t most recruited athletes admitted through either ED or EA process?
I would tell the Brown coach you can not commit without a financial pre read. All of the Ivys do them, and based on personal and anecdotal experience they are pretty accurate. Brown may require a pre read from Harvard, or they may just commit to using Harvard’s ruberic. I would find out, and quickly.
I will say that demanding a commitment from a recruit before either a financial or academic pre read is done seems really shady to me. If the Brown coach is really serious about the July deadline, especially if the admissions and financial pre read won’t be done in the next few weeks, that would make me think twice about playing for the guy.
Just in case the OP has not seen the announcement: The head coach of the men’s tennis team at Brown just announced that he has accepted the head position for UCF women’s team.
Based on OP’s screen name, I am assuming the offer came from men’s coach at Brown. The OP should check to make sure that the offer still stands now that the head coach is leaving.
Good luck!
Providence is a terrific city and only an hour from Boston, probably the best college town in the US. And Brown rocks. I’d take the bird in the hand.
But you’ve got great options, so there’s not much risk in waiting.
Hi! Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone!
The team environment is a huge factor for me and a close-knit team is something very important to me. The team at Brown is one of the few that I actually have not met yet so committing without getting to know them makes me feel very uneasy. It’s definitely something I’m taking into consideration. My goal is to take an official in the fall so I really know what I am getting myself into. But I will probably have to commit before I get this opportunity… @tenniswimvball
I am currently in the process of getting financial pre-reads from Brown, Cornell, and Penn as well as a couple other non-Ivies so that I can get the most affordable financial aid wherever I decide. I’m using the financial component to buy myself some time in the decision making of Brown in case schools like Harvard and Cornell decide to make offers. This way I will still have an opportunity to play in the Ivy League even if I pass on Brown. @twoinanddone
Yes, while most athletes are technically (and if you want to get into legality) admitted to the school through ED/EA, coaches can make verbal offers to those who they know they can get in with their help. There is nothing contractually binding as both his commitment and potentially mine right now would be verbal, but usually everyone holds their end of the bargain. @circuitrider
I completely agree with you. While I’m not being forced to make a decision before I get my financial pre-read back, it seems quite strange that he made an offer expecting me to take it without me knowing how much it would cost. However, the coach is also going to do the read the way Harvard would (because they are known to be more generous) as I am being recruited by them too. @Ohiodad51
I am a female so the men’s head coach departure does not affect me. @shuttlebus
Any commitment to an Ivy school is a ‘commitment to the process.’ The coach isn’t, can’t, offer more than that. He can tell you how others in your situation have made out (or actually “in”) in the past, but he has no admission power. If Georgetown offers you a scholarship, it will be a full ride.
@terminator2017 has Brown done an admissions pre read on you? Not the coach or admissions liaison looking over your transcript/scores, but an actual formal pre read by the admissions office? By rule that can’t begin until July 1 before senior year. I would want that pre read in hand prior to committing as well, just as an FYI.
@Ohiodad51 I thought that the pre-read was an admissions liaison looking over transcripts/scores - is the pre-read something different? We have pre-reads in progress at a few Ivies right now and had to provide transcript, test scores and senior class schedule. All prior ‘things look good’ conversations were with the coach judging based on prior commits. Does it work differently for different sports?
Thanks!
@Flinnt12, I think what you are going through now is the formal pre read process. I was trying to draw a distinction between that post July 1 formal review and the less formal “we looked at your transcript and scores and you should be fine with admissions” talk that seemed to get thrown around in the late spring/early summer when my son was getting recruited. Make sense?
The coach has submitted my academic information and got the “green light” from the academic pre-read the other day. However, he has been doing this long enough so I guess he predicted that I would get the green light so the offer came first. @Ohiodad51 @Flinnt12
I realize the coach isn’t admissions and really can’t offer more than his support in the process, but he has never had someone not get in with his help. @twoinanddone
It will not be a full ride.
You really should not be posting about things you have no first hand experience with.
@Ohiodad51 Makes sense. Thanks. Is there any sort of formal communication that comes from the pre-reads? E.g. a letter? Or only something verbal in your experience?
Georgetown is a D1 school. Women’s tennis is a headcount sport. How is it not a full ride?