<p>I have been lurking on the board for a while and I have learned a lot from the various discussions. My son is a soccer recruit for a DIII school in Ohio. They've told him he's their No 1 pick for 2015 and have pursued him heavily. He verbally committed two weeks ago. The coach is well known and has been at the school since the 1970s. My son has good grades but his ACT scores aren't great. He has a 20. He had planned to retake in December but he has the CASL showcase that weekend so the earliest he could take it would be in February 2015.</p>
<p>The coaching staff is great but I find that the admissions counselor comes across as condescending in his tone towards my son when he spoke with him on the phone. He rarely responds to emails. I know they are very busy but is that the way it is? The coach keeps telling him everything is fine, but something in me keeps thinking he needs to have a back-up plan and he does. I just don't like the vibe from the admissions officer and you just never know. Any thoughts from anyone who has gone through the process is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know anything about Thomas More College? Their conference isn't so great, but they seem to have a good team. I couldn't find a lot of information about them on College Confidential. They've emailed and called my son a few times.</p>
<p>Rhandco – Thanks for your response. That’s not the school he verbally committed to. I don’t want to say yet. It’s in Ohio and they are in the NCAA tournament as well. I should have said, separately, Thomas More has also contacted him (his GPA is good).</p>
<p>During his conversation with the admissions officer from Ohio, he asked about being recruited by the soccer coach and he told him that had no bearing. I know admissions has the last word, but he made it sound like they view it only as an activity and nothing more. At what point can I intervene? </p>
<p>You can always intervene. It’s your money, your time and if you have questions, ask them. My daughter asked me to take over the financial negotiations because she was busy with high school and sports, and because she just didn’t understand how all the pieces fit together. She was 16, and didn’t understand the finances of it all yet. I’m not sure I understand it all! The school she does go to made several mistakes in the financial aid package, and I found them because I’d run the NPC with several different scenarios and knew what the merit awards should be.</p>
<p>We went to one school and the school excluded the parent from all the discussions about My daughter invited me on the public tour (she was on an overnight, and I was staying at a nearby hotel). When it came time to discuss the school, I didn’t have a lot to add because I hadn’t been part of it. She didn’t go to that school and I think she might have if I’d been more involved.</p>
<p>So be as involved as you want to be. Talk to the admissions office about the testing situation and if it is necessary to retake the test. Talk to the coach about it too.</p>
<p>Twoinanddone – Awesome. Thank you for the tips. I will call both admissions and the coach. I listened in on my son’s conversation with adco last week and he came across very abrupt and dismissive. I don’t want to be too hands-off since we are talking about the next four years of his life. We want him to make the right decision and we want to help him along the way. It’s been a real learning experience for hubby and I.</p>
<p>Can I ask the coach about tips and slots and how that will correlate to admissions? He was told by the coach that he has a spot on the team.</p>
<p>I’ll add that I did leave all athletic questions to my daughter - playing time, coaching methods, rules, requirements, what she was required to wear (with a girl, this is a huge issue and she was recently excluded from a lifting class because she had the wrong shirt on - her fault). All this was worked out between DD and coach. I really did try to stay out of those decisions, but I’m not very good at staying out of things. I did not agree with the coach’s request that the entire freshman team live together at the freshman complex, but my daughter is living with the team. There have been a lot of issues. I just smile and think “I knew it. I was right. I’m always right.”</p>
<p>There were some NCAA thing I had to sign (she’s 17) and some she did and screwed up so I had to make calls. It is really impossible not to be involved when you are talking about thousands of dollars and your child’s education.</p>
<p>Tips and slots are things at NESCAC schools, we did not run into them at other D3 schools. How much coach support helps with admission will vary among colleges. Did he apply ED to this school? My D was told different things at different schools, since she did not want to apply ED anywhere. Some places the coach adds their recommendation to the application, other places all the athletes’ applications are treated separately. I think he could ask the coach what he thinks his admission chances are, based on the coach’s long history at the school. Just because he has a spot on the team does not mean he will be admitted though.</p>
<p>MamaBear1234 – He did Early Action. True about the spot on the team comment. I agree. I will have him call them again on Monday. The coach keeps telling him everything will be fine and to worry, but the admissions counselor came across very abrupt and condescending to him during their conversation last week. He basically brushed my son off. AdCo also told son they don’t treat athletes’ applications differently and it seemed that it was no big deal to him. I asked a close friend who has a connection to the school and he said that’s not true. </p>
<p>Twoinanddone – Yes, I do let him handle all the athletic type stuff, but I wasn’t sure how much I could do on the other side – talking to admissions and coaches about his application. I am so grateful for the tips I received today. Thank you all so much!</p>
<p>I’d ask the coach if he has given your son’s academic information to admissions for a “pre-read”. Usually admissions won’t give a direct thumbs up or thumbs down but they will give some indication as to whether they view the applicant’s stats as within the admissible range. </p>
<p>Cutting and pasting from an email received by my D:
“I just got your completed academic pre-read from our Admission Office, and it is generally quite positive. You would be a strong applicant to [redacted], and depending on a few factors, you are rated as “probably” to “likely” in terms of being accepted. This depends on whether you end up applying in Early Decision and whether or not I am able to support your application, both of which would increase your chances of being admitted.” </p>
<p>This was from a DIII coach at a non-NESCAC school.</p>
<p>Here’s a quick update – My son got his acceptance letter yesterday. So he will officially be heading to Ohio! They also offered him a scholarship. Thanks for all your help!</p>