From reading the threads what is going on in 2020 seems completely different. My daughter is being recruited for D1 lax by 2 Ivys and 2 top lax programs. She is a junior and it’s September and already we are getting pressure that committed spots are being taken up and we need to respond to our positive inquiries rapidly. Seems there was a much longer timeline in previous years. There are no OV until January (if then) so we’re committing without any face to face. Is this happening with other sports?
This has been common in lax for years. Sophomores and even freshmen used to commit, but they changed the recruiting rules to only allow commitments after September 1 of junior year (hs). Once September 1 hits, the rush is on. The only difference this year is that there are no overnight visits in the fall, but often kids committed without them in prior years.
Thanks for the reply
Can you help me with a few other questions?
First in the threads it states don’t commit without the coach’s “full support”. Is that not implied when the coach offers a slot and my daughter accepts it?
Second, lets say she verbally commits to an Ivy this week, applications for Fall 2022 class don’t really open for a year for regular students. Does she submit an admissions application a year ahead of everyone else to see if she can get a “likely”? If not then she cant get a “likely” determination for another year?
Thanks, first child who is doing this.
Making sure the coach is offering ‘full’ support though the admissions process is something many posters suggest, so as to make sure the recruit is understanding what the coach is saying. There have been many students on these boards who though they had a spot, but in reality, didn’t.
Class of 2022 recruits will send in their applications next cycle. So, if your D ‘commits to the process’ with an Ivy, she will fill out her app next Aug/Sept. Admission committees will start meeting in late September and send likely letters starting in October. Sometimes, schools don’t get around to sending every recruit a likely letter due to timing issues (some non athletes also receive likely letters), but the recruit is still accepted on decision day.
Meanwhile your D should keep her grades up, avoid disciplinary issues, and take an SAT or ACT.
Good luck.
Thanks
You are trusting the coach to make an honest assessment as to whether she can be admitted. It’s not final but the Ivy coaches know who can get in and who can’t (as long as your daughter does her part and keeps up her grades and test scores). Most of the Ivies won’t even look at a student who doesn’t have the grades to get in. There is an article by a Yale coach who talks about grades being more important than skills when they are looking at a sophomore. I think it is on IWLCA site and there are some other articles about recruiting on there too.
At another D1 school, she’ll get a NLI to sign but that won’t happen until Nov of senior year either. At an Ivy, she’ll hope for that LL.
It really does work out. Those committing to Cornell or Yale as juniors have the same confidence (and same fears) as those committing to Maryland that the coach is going to support them through admissions and onto the team. It doesn’t help the coach to recruit a player who can’t be admitted.
You are asking whether the offering of a “slot” (and its acceptance) by its nature implies full support. Probably. The problem is the mush surrounding what exactly a slot is, and it likely is different at different schools. It never hurts to press the coach on his or her meaning.
The term “slot” is not one that all colleges like to use. It suggests that the coach has a certain number of recruits that he or she can “slot” into a class without any action by Admissions. In the NESCACs, the “slot” is for the team, not any given recruit. So, a coach may offer a slot (which suggests that the recruit has lower academic stats than most applicants) but Admissions may not agree that the slot should go to that given recruit. This is why recruits typically are vetted by pre-read by Admissions in advance of any offer of support.
So, if a coach says, “I am offering you a slot.” The recruit should ask is “what does that mean?” For the NESCAC and D3 schools, the recruit should confirm that the coach will support the recruit with admissions, and then ask what the likelihood of gaining admission is under the circumstances (including asking where the recruit is on the list and how many recruits in a similar situation have been admitted and denied admission). You see the term “full support” used as a contrast to “soft support.” Soft support may mean little to no support. For Ivies, and Chicago, the question is whether the recruit will receive a likely letter. If there is no likely letter involved, then there really is a need to press further on the meaning of support and how likely admission is.
I don’t know how 22s commit at this standpoint. 22s have no reference point, no camps (in the past year), no prospect days, no unofficials. 21s have no official visits but are going to sign NLIs in about 6 weeks. The new standard is an all day zoom official visit in the next few week both for D1s and NESCAC. But sign here and don’t worry and/or apply ED for the NESCACs. At least with the IVYs/NESCACs you know where you stand financially prior to Nov.
21s in non-revenue sports are now anticipating a call in Nov that their initial finicial aid offer has been reduced to to Covid/budget cuts/5th year issues. 5th year seniors/transfers are going to impact all non-revenue sports for the next 3 years. 22s haven’t seen practices nor do understand team dynamics, playing time, etc.
Coaches don’t want to make the offers based on film and play from when they were freshman but are going to make the offers to keep G8 pipeline open and keep up with the Joneses…
I know the pressure is there, I have D21 lax/bball. She switched from D1 to NESCAC during the process based upon watching practices, fall games, unofficial visits and attending clases…
I don’t know what to tell 22s. I know a bunch are already committing. I know some that committed, decommitted, and committed again within a couple of weeks.
We live in a strange world during a strange time.
Bird in hand vs contiuing to look…
Let’s let’s talk about another Issue. We live in Virginia which is one of the 35 states that CT and NY say that cannot enter those states. If you do and stay more than 24 hours you have to quarantine in those states for 14 days.
I thought this was unenforceable but then I read that all hotels in those states will not give you a room without filling out a state traveler form which is submitted and reviewed. In CT they removed someone from a plane for trying to go back home and NY is doing random stops at bridges based on license plates. We are being recruited by two Ivys in those states that my daughter has never seen. I can’t afford to go up there and be detained for 14 days. Just as an aside I’m an MD who has watched COVID patients die so I respect what they are doing To protect their citizens, but we may commit to schools that we have only seen on the web. Has anyone tried to do any kind of visit in those states? We may try to drive through PA and stay less than 12 hours which is allowed.
I would talk to the admissions offices at the schools you are thinking of and ask about their policies. D20’s LAC in NY is not open to any visitors and an Ivy in NY (which may or may not be the one you are considering) has expressly prohibited visitors from all university facilities. Does that mean you can’t drive around the campus, staying in your car the whole time? You would need to ask. There may be traffic and parking restrictions, too. D’s school is making on campus students get a special permit for appointments to get packages from the mail room. No permit with a specific date/time, no entrance to that campus road, even with a campus parking decal.
Thanks, that’s what I thought. It’s just not worth the risk at the moment.
This is such an unusual recruiting year for all. One simply needs to make informed decision without the usual OVs. My S21 started doing couple of Ivy OVs since last fall, but the Covid has interupted his remaining 3 which would have occurred in the spring. After prereads in July, S21 had gotten offers from schools he has not OV yet, luckily S21 was able to make his choice based on his previous OV experiences and the online infos plus actual communications with coaches and prospective team mates via zooms and calls.
More advice please. One IVY, which is my daughter’s #1 choice, has asked for more film and we’ve provided new film within a day or two of practices,etc. After we deliver it we get radio silence (including no response to her texts or contact with her coach) and then after 4-5 days we get another request for more film. This has happened three times in past 2 weeks.
Should we interpret this as them stringing us along until a higher recruit comes through? Her coach told her she had bad vibes from what they are doing and my D22 should mentally start preparing for going to one of the other two schools that are heavily recruiting her (including another IVY). I would like her to write the #1 school coach and lay it on the table that they are her first choice and she needs to know where she stands. Is that reasonable?
Yes, it’s reasonable for her to ask about their timeline and where she stands. They should be able to answer the first for sure. If still evaluating, the second might be more vague.
I don’t know that I’d read a whole lot into how the coaches are communicating at this point. Some coaches are just very bad at communicating or have a lot going on. If she’s not having luck with texts, she might try to set up a phone call to discuss where she stands. She can share that this is her first choice and wondering if they’ll support her app, or where she stands, and when they’ll decide…
I would not read much into this. My daughter is ranked number one in her sport (different sport than for this thread, I just happened on this) and is being heavily recruited by multiple schools, including Ivies. Some coaches are clearly looking for excuses to email her, and other coaches that we know are very interested take days and days to answer. We’ve checked with parents with older kids in the sport, and they just shrug and say that is how it is. Doesn’t necessarily indicate a lack of interest. We also have heard that there is a lot of distractions behind the scenes as coaches work through the coronavirus issues at their schools.
We are planning a visit to an Ivy this week. I know we can’t see the coaches during the dead period but can we meet and talk to some players?