<p>My D is a soph who loves her sport and is above average, but not great, at it so she would like to continue to play in college at the DIII level. Her grades are excellent so she should be able to get admitted to some good schools, but would not be a "slam dunk" at the most selective (Amherst, Williams, etc). Finances are a big concern for us, so my question is: What is the down side of just doing RD to NESCAC, Liberty League and Centenial League schools that she is considering, contacting coaches to tell them she is interested in the program, and then committing after we know the FA package in her senior year? </p>
<p>It seems that more and more DIII athletes are going ED. I understand the part about getting the coaches support for admission - but it seems that it's almost like we'd be sacrificing aid just to have her play her sport. Why don't others do this or am I missing something?</p>
<p>I think you have a good point that you can lose some control over the FA award when you go ED. Getting a FA pre-read before pulling the trigger on an ED ap gives you some assurance, though. Generally the coach will be the one to expedite the pre-read with the FA office</p>
<p>You’re right: There are no slam dunks at schools like Williams, and at Williams, in particular, athletes are a large chunk of the admits, so getting the coach’s support definitely helps.
As Varska said, you can ask for a pre-read of FA. I would suggest contacting coaches of any college your daughter may be interested in and see what the level of interest is.</p>
<p>It’s not sacrificing aid for the sport, it’s sacrificing aid to help you get in. With sub 15% admit rates, sometimes you have to do whatever it takes.</p>
<p>Our experience is that the top ranked (1-20) LACs want recruited athletes to apply ED. Getting in is not the only hurdle…as one needs to be able to afford these $55K colleges. </p>
<p>Your child may do fine with RD in the 20-50 ranking range (based on academics and a strong ECs/and future college contribution). Then you can compare costs.</p>
<p>We took the RD gamble due to FA concerns (which weren’t unfounded…she got into, but we couldn’t afford in the final analysis two LACs).</p>
<p>We should have spent more time junior year thinking about colleges that offer merit awards, given our situation. In the end my D selected an in-state University that offered a full tuition and fees scholarship (based on academics) and will compete with the D2 team. She’s very happy with her choice…but I regret that we focused on the NESCAC schools for too long (the coaches attention and beautiful & engaged campuses are captivating!) </p>
<p>I suggest you and your teen look at a range of possibilities while you can. </p>
<p>Also, when the time comes (August or September of Senior year) ask for FA pre-reads. The two pre-reads we received were accurate…within 3K of the eventual spring FA award letter. </p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>and oh, if you child gets even better in her sport…go IVY (as I glean from this board, the FA packages are sweeter --lower % of family income expected in the calculations, and some don’t consider equity in the primary home).</p>
<p>Williams has very generous aid, and last I knew, no loans…best of the NESCACs…You’re dropping the aid negotiation opportunity to get accepted…</p>