<p>I am a track and xc senior. I am looking into a few d1 and d3 schools. I was really close to applying to dream school, a d3 school, early decision. However, I decided not to because I would need to compare financial aid packages (as financial aid is a huge factor in my family's decision). So I am applying to this selective school RD. </p>
<p>I am also seriously considering a d1 school. The coach has offered me some scholarship money, and I should hear about academic aid soon. </p>
<p>But the thing is, the d3 school is still my top choice. I want to wait and see if I still get accepted, and how much financial aid I would get, before making any decision. My question is, how flexible are d1 coaches; do you have to commit by a certain period, such as the NLT signing day? I would get my admissions decision to the d3 school in March, and there is a good chance I would go if accepted. Would the d1 coach likely take away this scholarship or not invite me to join the team if I waited too long?
please let me know. I'm stressed!!</p>
<p>You have to ask the D1 coach how long his offer is good for - he only has so much $ per season and if you do not take it he has to move on to another prospect. My guess is its not going to be available in mid-March but remember the NLI signing date is Feb 5th so things can change then as well.</p>
<p>Your stress can be relieved by asking questions and getting some answers from the coach. If I was in your running shoes, I would request offer clarification from the D1 coach in question. You both need to be on the same page, and I don’t think that has happened yet. D1 scholarship money can come in different forms. Are you 100% positive it is all athletic scholarship money? Is it for one year? Any legit verbal offer should include a deadline and terms. </p>
<p>Yes, once the D1 coach makes you a verbal offer he can take it away. Just as you can verbally commit to him, and change your mind. It would be bad form for either party to do that, but it happens. That is one of the purposes of the NLI to put that offer & terms in writing. So, I think I’d pick up the phone and ask for clarification from the coach on what is being offered and the timeframe. Good luck.</p>
<p>FYI…Last years track/xcountry NLI began in February and extended into August. I don’t know what this years date is.</p>
<p>As others have advised, ask the coach specifically what he/she is talking about and tell them that you need to see total picture of financial choices before deciding. Many D1 schools dont tell you RD academic aid until mid-Feb timeframe and coaches know this. Unless they are offering a full athletic scholarship, our experience was that they will understand and tell you where you stand (are they waiting for you or someone else to decide to make a firm offer, or is there a token amt. of athletic money and spot on team and therefore no great rush to do anything). We felt a different time pressure, needing to get coaches to commit what they were offering to my son before deposits to schools to hold academic monies and dorm rooms were due.</p>
<p>The only thing that came with a time limit (14 days) was the actual financial agreement of the school my son gave his verbal commit to, but this happened past the Feb signing date. For track, our experience was that coaches were still recruiting based on senior year performances well into spring and keep recruiting until classes start in the fall. My son got unsolicited calls well into June from schools that were still recruiting for their fall roster.</p>
<p>You should be able to get a fairly specific financial aid pre-read from your D3 school which will help you in making your decision. My S had several FA pre-reads done for both D1 and D3 and amounts varied from 0 to 24K per year.</p>
<p>My daughter is in the same situation and it is stressful for everyone. Has the D3 coach said he will advocate for you with admissions? Is the school a 100% meet needs school? As a mom, I like the fact that there won’t be pressure on my daughter to perform to keep her scholarship in D3 like there is with D1.</p>
<p>Thank you for the answers, guys. Yes the school is 100% need, but I am honestly not totally sure that the coach will advocate for me at admissions… He told me he still thinks a would be a great fit and hinted toward it when I said I was applying ED, but I know that he was backing up the ED apps so not sure! I will ask when I submit the app.</p>
<p>I am in the same boat. I would like to go to a d3 liberal arts college because I don’t want to have to perform at a certain level to pay for school, especially since I get injured quite often. I also like the fact that d3 is liberal arts, while the d1 is more specialized and technical (but I’m still not really 100% sure what I want to do!)</p>
<p>Thanks again for the advice. I will ask the coach.</p>