Recruiting Process Junior Year / Ivy Leauge

Athletic Recruits
1

Hi there,

I feel so overwhelmed by this recruiting process, that started when I was in 8th grade, and I’m looking for clarity on what can seal the deal for verbal commitments/and or scholarships. I have 1 school I’d really love to commit to, a couple of maybes, and it’s currently the coach’s athletic season right now so they can’t communicate with prospects too much.

I’ve visited twice(once was an invite to a camp) and I’ve been in contact with the coach since fall of my sophomore year, and I still get weekly emails from them. At the camp, they said they were very interested and it sounded like once I get my test scores and other aspects finalized, the commitment will be set in stone.

I’m at this waiting period of taking the ACT again, having my first junior year semester transcript finalized, and I’m nervous if it’s normal for a coach to not be that active to prospects while their season is still going? This seems like common sense, but I’m fearing it could be a decline in interest. I’m worried that this school will commit to someone else, and I’m wondering when I can truly know if they’re interested or not.

My ACT score, I’m sure I can get up 3 or 5 points to get to a 30-32, because I took my first attempt blind as a sophomore and was very anxious/uneducated on the exam. I’ve also taken practice ACT tests and scored much better to see that I can improve a lot from my 27. I’m top 10% in my class with multiple APs/Honors courses, high GPA, nationally ranked for my sport, and I also do 2 extracurriculars with leadership positions outside of my athletic commitment. I just want some insight on when this process will work itself out.

I guess I’ll say what I’m primarily fearing: the main school I’m a prospect to is an Ivy, and I’m wondering if my ACT score of a 30-32 is too low? I love the academic environment at the school, the coach, the location, the knowledge I could learn from my teachers/peers, and the passion I could bring to the campus.

Sidenote… I hadn’t gotten my results back when I met with the coach and she said they’ve admitted kids with 27’s before. I don’t really think that one score defines my whole persona/work ethic in my school/community and I’m curious on what I can do to become an even stronger prospect for the coach. Overall, I’d love to hear if that score will really hold me back from being admitted and I feel confident pursuing other options although they’ve given me so much interest this past year.

2

Just curious-- what sport do you play?

I’m a senior and a swimmer who was recruited by Ivys (Brown and Harvard), but I ended up not choosing either because neither of them were the best fit for me. From my knowledge, if you’ve been getting weekly emails for awhile now, I wouldn’t be worried. Coaches are busy, especially during their season, so I wouldn’t waste my energy worrying about their interest in you. I’m sure you’re just over-thinking that aspect. There were times when a coach would get back to me a month later, apologizing for not responding due to practices and meets. So yes, that’s normal.

Now in regards to the coach committing to someone else and your ACT score, the single most important thing I can offer you is this: if the coach wants you, then don’t worry. Don’t worry about other competition, don’t worry about your ACT (even if a 27 is on the lower end of the spectrum for Ivys). If they have recruited you and continued to express interest in you for this long, things can only get better with a higher ACT. Also, a lot of prestigious schools like the Ivys superscore, so use that to your advantage!

I hope I could help. Best of luck!

3

@swim98 Thank you so much for all of this advice!! I play volleyball and I’m looking to commit to Columbia!

4

You do know that Ivy schools don’t give scholarships, right? In your opening post you referred to commitments and scholarships. Nothing will be firm for any D1 school, Ivy or not, until the fall of your senior year when you can get a Likely Letter from an Ivy or a sign a NLI for another D1 school (full scholarship for volleyball) or D2. the Ivy coach can give you assurances, but cannot guarantee admission or give you an idea on the financial aid the school will give.

Verbal commitments are nice, but as they say, not worth the paper they are written on. Look at all your options, including D1 schools where you would get a scholarship.

5

First thing you need to do is distinguish recruiting interest from an offer of support. Take things one step at a time, and try not to project past where you are in the process. Instead of assuming that an offer is coming after your testing, or after the college season, work on what is in front of you. Play your high school season, get ready for JO (if you are playing). Prepare for your testing and do your best. Don’t try and project what the coach may do or on what time line. You will drive yourself nuts that way.

That said, yes it is likely that you will see recruiting contact tick up again after the college season. I don’t know anyone playing college volleyball, but I think it is a safe assumption that like in most sports, the coaches are immensely busy right now. Once you get back to more regular contact, I think it is perfectly appropriate to ask the coach some direct questions. How many people at my position are you planning on taking this year? How many are competing for those spots? What is your timeline for making that decision? Ask specific questions and listen carefully to the answers. That should help you work your way through the process.

That advice goes for academics as well. The coach is going to tell you if she needs you to improve your ACT. It is unlikely that any of us here who do not have direct experience with Columbia volleyball recruiting will be able to tell you what score is necessary. But the coach will know, and will tell you when it gets down to it. Do your best, and then see where you are at.

6

Ive just gone through all this. You ask what will seal the deal. I’d say when the coach tells you, in no uncertain terms, that he has a slot for you and his full support, AND you have passed an admissions pre read.

Anything other than that is just talk, and coaches talk to lots of players.

Ivy coaches tend to wait to see how you perform as a junior, academically and in your sport. In the meantime they cast a wide net and keep as many options open as possible.

As a recruited athlete the ECs mean almost nothing.

No one knows for sure, but i don’t think a 27 would work. I would not be comfortable with anything less than a 30. Preferably higher.

7

@okthenyeah is spot on!
Academics are very important and you need to give the coaches something to work with in terms of where you fit in the AI. One of my son’s friends (who had stellar GPA and is great athlete) was told his SAT and ACT needed to be higher. Once he passed the 30 ACT mark the serous conversations began (OV and Pre-reads)
And when my son got a 34 on ACT some coaches revved up their contacting. He had already committed by then but it was interesting to watch.
Bottom line watch those academics and stick to the gold standards in your sport (measurable baselines) and be proactive in your communication with coaches.
Good luck