<p>The school sends you a form to fill out, it's basically the application form minus the essays. Along with it your school sends all your info. -- scores, grades, rank, etc. The admissions office takes a look at it (I guess that's the "pre-read" part).</p>
<p>My understanding is that a pre read is when the coach has an admission officer look at your transcript & SATs. What this means as far as I know is that the coach can recruit you and can use a "protect" or auto-admit on you if he has one and if he wishes to.</p>
<p>My D was asked for this info to be submitted in advance of application by the serious coaches but (I see in retrospect) not by the less serious coaches.</p>
<p>So coldcomfort, your next move is determining which school you like, and asking that coach some of the probing questions you need to ask to find out where you stand. I am sure that there are cases where a student with a favorable pre-read is not admitted, however, so the main question is would the coach use an auto admit on you if you did not get in to the school 'under your own power'? Do any of these D1s do "likely letters" or letters of intent? If so try to get that. If any of them are "rolling" admission, apply asap.</p>
<p>are pre-reads limited to D1's, or are the more athletically driven D3's providing pre-reads also?</p>
<p>likewise, a "likely letter" is pretty much a D1 practice, right?</p>
<p>do d3 coaches really have pull in admissions? i'm curious about amherst, williams, bowdoin, etc.</p>
<p>Some of it depends on the sport and the coach's tenure and his relationship with admissions. It varies by school, too. Coaches at Williams definitely have the ability to help recruited athletes with admissions. There are certain minimum standards which must be met, of course.</p>
<p>Papa,</p>
<p>Yes, pre reads are done in D-3 too. Likely letters = D-1 as far as I know, esp Ivy D-1. They had to come up with likelies to compete with other D-1 "Letter of Intent" schools.</p>
<p>irok,</p>
<p>At the schools you mention (all NESCAC) the coaches probably generally have pull. NESCAC is a very athletic D-3 conference with serious, quality teams. However, some sports are more valued than others, so the coach of the football team might have 15 "protects" to recruit, while the coach of the swim team might have 1.</p>
<p>One way you can tell-- if a D-3 school is a national or regional championship team (national top ~25; regional top ~3, I suspect they care about the sport, maintaining their excellence, and winning. </p>
<p>So, for example Kenyon is perennial national champ in swimming. I strongly suspect the Kenyon swim coach has protects and big time pull. I have no idea whether that would be true for Kenyon's fencing, track or soccer team. And how far down the swimming rankings would a school be where the "cut off" point would be passed and the team would not really recruit? Not sure. That's why you have to ask.</p>
<p>thanks, that was helpful. i'll have to look into it more.</p>
<p>feel free to pm me.</p>
<p>D had two coaches ask for "pre-reads", one from D-1 school and one from D-3. Both came back with very favorable replies. D was admitted to D-1 school and rejected from D-3. Was pretty disappointed with coach from D-3 as he seemed to string her along. Of course, this is all in retrospect and I noted earlier we have learned a great deal from this experience.</p>
<p>first, let me apologize for repeating any of the great info above. Have tried to go through all 6 pages. Just wanted to throw in my 2cents from my experience.</p>
<p>First, find a website about your sport. For example with baseball there is a tremendous site called the HighSchool Baseball web. All sorts of articles, sample letters and links to just about any and every school.</p>
<p>Once you determined schools you are interested, find their site and typically they have an on-line questionnaire. Fill that out and send a follow up email or letter. Obviously if they have no questionnaire, send an email or letter expressing your interest, your background etc. and typically they will send you a questionnaire. Respond to anything and everything you get.</p>
<p>Try to find out if the school that interests you is at any camp or showcase upcoming or if they hold there own. Go if you can. Most schools, regardless of division hold or attend such events.</p>
<p>IMO don't use a recruiting service. Most coaches throw their materials in the trash. Afterall, you are paying them to make you look good and the coaches know that recruiting company reports are tainted in this fashion.</p>
<p>Obviously D-1 and D-2 have money to give and D-3s have no athletic scholarships, but your sports ability may get you into a school that might have otherwise been more of a stretch. Typically, you need to be in the "range" within which any other freshman would be admitted, but from there you have an edge bringing this additional talent "to the table". Most coaches can go to admissions with one or two applicants and say they reallly want this kid.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that college sports at any level is a tremendous committment but MOST rewarding. I think though that at D-1 you're a little more athlete-student and at a D-3 you're a little more of a student-athlete.
Also, scholarships are few and far between for sports, so don't put all your eggs in that basket. Many schools also have "need" money and blends of athletic, merit and need.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with bullwinkle. Do NOT pay for recruiting!!!! You can do it all yourself and have the peace of mind of hearing information from the horses mouth! All information given above is good, solid advice. My d's wiser decision was to go to camp at the schools that interested her. She did not talk to any coaches at schools that had an interest in her unless she had an interest in that school. She was determined to use her "hook" to assist her in gaining admittance to "reach" schools as all the students applying to these schools are generally all qualified. Remember, you are picking a school, do not let it pick you solely on the basis of playing a sport.</p>
<p>To All,</p>
<p>Let me share my experiences as a parent in the college recruiting process with the hope it will be if assistace to you.</p>
<p>My son rows.</p>
<p>A surprising number of colleges have rowing (a/k/a "crew") teams. [see link: rowinglinks.com/usa/colleges]</p>
<p>My son had Ivy competitive grades and scores. He had performance credentials in his sport that indicated he could compete on a high level in college however recruiting is quite a bit more sketchy in rowing than revenue sports such as college basketball & football.</p>
<p>We selected 15 schools that he had an interest in. At the recommendation of a current college women's rowing coach & former college women's rowing coach we sent each of these schools a letter, signed by my son in June of his junior to senior summer that included the following: a resume listing the races he had participated in with results, a tape, a copy of his academic transcript through junior academic year, and a letter of recommendation from his high school coach. </p>
<p>We received a reply from each of the schools we had written to most of which were mostly of a "form" type letter. Those letters created contact with the schools some of which evolved into serious discussions and suipport for admissions to one of the most competitive Ivys.</p>
<p>The college coaches we had spoken to for advice on the process prior to writing our letters advised us to have our son (not a parent) call the college coaches 4 or so weeks after he had sent his letters and offer to visit the school. The advising coaches we spoke to said that many college coaches a turned off by pushy parents that call and write letters on behalf of their kids. </p>
<p>This process was a nerve racking experience but ended well. If anyone is interested in reading our twisted tale I shared it in post #199 of the thread entitled " Is enthusiastic coach call = "likely letter"?" [see link:<br>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=12935&page=10&pp=20%5D%5B/url">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=12935&page=10&pp=20][/url</a>]</p>
<p>As I wrote in the prior post don't believe that there are "auto admits" at the most competitive schools, don't trust everything coaches say because some "stack" prospects and most importantly never ever give up. It is a big big world and there are many talented athletes.</p>
<p>It is great if your efforts on behalf of your son/ daughter are successful however the world will not end if you come up short. The most important thing is that your kid ends up with a good education at a school he/ she is proud of regardless of whether they play a sport in college.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Otis, thanks so much for sharing your son's experience. I just read this post and the earlier one and as a crew recruit myself, it made for very informative, but somewhat unnerving, reading. </p>
<p>I am glad that things worked out for your son. When Fall rolls around and the collegiate season gets underway, it would be great it you would post again and give us an update on your son's experience. I would love to hear how he finds his coach, fellow teammates, the workouts, and the whole experience of being a member of the crew team at a top school. Thanks, coldcomfort</p>
<p>koala, how did your visit go?</p>
<p>couple of questions for team-sport players (in my S's case, lacrosse) intending to send a tape or DVD to a recruiting coach:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>do coaches prefer a high-lights tape of the player isolated for just their playing time, or do they prefer an entire game tape?</p></li>
<li><p>if the latter, just one game or multiple?</p></li>
<li><p>if the latter, do you make it easy for the coach & make a note of tape times where the subject player can be seen?</p></li>
<li><p>format: are coaches up to speed with the DVD world, or should one stick to good ole VHS?</p></li>
<li><p>I'd bet that most folks do this themselves....any downsides or things to be aware of in home-made taping vs professional?</p></li>
<li><p>time limits?....I assume you can't hold a coach's attention span too long.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>THANKS</p>
<p>papachicken, D just met with two coaches. Both wanted "tape" and neither specified the media. We will send VHS . Both wanted game tape. Not highlight tape. We have decided to send 4 separate quarters of basketball footage, showing D against different opponents and (hopefully) in her best light. As to how much they watch? No idea, but I can't help but think that depends on what they see in the first few minutes.</p>
<p>I also have heard that coaches perfer to see stretches of games instead of highlights. To me that makes a lot of sense ... for me, as a youth coach, the best way to judge a kid at a tryout is watching a kid play a few minutes. For your son game film will show his field sense, if he digs for ground balls, does he help with man/ball, does he slide to help on D, can he use both hands, etc. (Please let us know how the lacrosse reruiting turns out ... my son will probably be traveling the same path in a couple of years).</p>
<p>A coach at one of the top universities in the nation for my daughter's sport said he would like 5-10 minutes of my d. doing skill drills alone and with a teammate and then some game footage. For my d's sport, a whole game might not show her in action so we did highlights. So it's best to check with a coach for your kid's sport to see what works best.</p>
<p>And Curmudgeon, in case, you remember my D as being a basketball player, my D's sport is not basketball anymore--we can thank the high school coach for crushing her confidence and love of the sport. Fortunately D excels in another sport and has played club in that and will be going to Nationals for it this Fall.</p>
<p>:eek: DCMom. PM me. Tell me what happened.</p>
<p>Oh, and I like that skills drill and one on one thing. We may do that ,too.</p>
<p>In my experience most coaches want to see you live (at a camp, showcase etc.) If they have asked for "film" they usually want a VHS tape-short and to the point. a mix of some game action and tape of player doing specific drills e.g. in baseball taking some infield, hitting and pitching etc. (as applicable to your position). They want to see the players size and "mechanics"/skills</p>
<p>Most do not want tapes sent to them blindly. If at all possible, write, call or email to see if they'd like a tape (and you can find out format, also if they have a camp upcoming or will attending a camp so your S/D can be seen live). </p>
<p>Go to the school website and see if they have a specific recruiting coordinator and contact him/her. Usually things just sent in cold get directed to the trash can. Materials from "paid" recruiting companies usually go straight to the trash can.</p>
<p>The key is you need to be seen, but a tape sent in "blind" is the last resort, but if that is all you can do, it is definitely better than nothing.</p>