<p>Early fall student sent initial:" I like the univ, I am a lettered varsity athlete etc and am interested in the sport" program letters to several schools</p>
<p>Late fall student completed the online recruiting forms...</p>
<p>OK
So student has heard from several coaches--a couple in the ivies, want his transcripts now</p>
<p>another top 20 and some other D1 schools have showed interest...</p>
<p>and there are some coaches he hasn't heard from yet--but schools he would like to pursue</p>
<p>and some --like another ivy this week--has encouraged him to fill out the online form (like they hadn't gotten the previous letter or online form?)</p>
<p>So in this dance
how does this play out between athletes and coaches...</p>
<p>Have read that not showing regular interest via email is bad
Have read that regularly emailing too often is bad
Have read that coaches all handle recruiting differently--some interpret rules one way, some another...</p>
<p>Thoughts? Does it mean that every time student has a great new PR time, a new online form has to be completed?</p>
<p>DS has just e-mailed coaches periodically, especially when he sets a PR. He hasn’t filled out online forms again. He didn’t hear back from one DI school. He was very interested, so he wrote and e-mailed more than once. Still not having heard anything, he called and talked to an assistant coach who WAS interested in him. DS got to go for an official visit! We’re not sure if he’ll end up at that school, but he learned to keep pursuing a school if he’s interested in it.</p>
<p>fogfog: I am assuming your athlete is in his junior year. </p>
<p>In our experience, once online recruiting forms have been filled out, D has not gone back to re-send them with new stats, etc. Instead, D is in relatively frequent e-mail contact with the schools that responded positively to her initial “letter of introduction”. This is almost all Div. 1, with many Ivies included. Some coaches are asking to set up phone times with her too (D calling them obviously as before July 1st.). All catching up, new information, etc. is now in the form of letters. This frequent contact with each coach has really helped develop some level of rapport, and has kept her present in the coaches minds, it would seem - but as you say, this is all a dance!!! </p>
<p>Almost every school she contacted has responded positively to her expressions of interest. One school was slower to respond, so she just kept emailing them little updates until they started to respond. Of course, they are nowhere near the top of her list as her loyalty at this moment lies with the coaches who are really “showing her the love” at this time. Again, just at this time - who knows where we will be in this dance by the time of official visits, etc.?</p>
<p>fogfog: For whatever it is worth, every top school that D is corresponding with has requested transcripts, all scores to date, etc. </p>
<p>Is your son’s sport a spring sport? If so, he will have lots of good excuses to write letters to coaches with new information about his performances. He can have some fun with this dance too!!</p>
<p>There is not too much of a rush if your son is still a junior–particularly if he his still lowering his times in his sport. Once the spring season is over, email the coaches with the new PRs, and “show the love” to his favorites. (And be sure those favorites need his event/position for the coming year.)</p>
<p>The coaches are busy with the current seniors, so do not read to much into some steady silence, yet. If they go silent after July 1st this summer, then worry.</p>
<p>As for PR updates–after winter season, then after spring season, then after regionals, state championships, etc.</p>
<p>In my experience some coaches just don’t respond to e-mails or recruiting questionnaires … I had coaches from schools that I thought were way out of my league call me whereas some coaches where I would have been one of the best on the team never contacted me until my well connected high school coach contacted them for me.</p>
<p>My main advice after having gone through it this year: Carefully consider how many schools your son should pursue. “Showing the love” to multiple coaches gets very time-consuming. DS has applied to 11 schools, and visited three more that he didn’t apply to. It became overwhelming to keep track of e-mails and phone calls! A phone log is very helpful.</p>
<p>If I had it to do over again, I’d probably advise DS to apply to no more than six schools. Everybody’s different, but I’m worn out, lol.</p>
<p>Showing the Love is already taking time—
as there a few schools where the email back and forth has picked up.</p>
<p>Until the SAT scores come through–we don’t know where on the spectrum our student will land. Transcripts for mid jr yr will be ready in a week or so…thats the first piece several coaches want…hope to have some new PRs soon…</p>
<p>We made a 3 ring binder and kept all correspondence in there, alphabetically. It really helped to keep track of schools, coaches, and to get a feel for how interested they might really be. It was also helpful way to remember names, and have addresses available. In addition, it was interesting to see how coaches and staff moved around, often taking their recruiting interests with them.</p>
<p>It is quite a big undertaking and nerve-racking sometimes, too. Knowing how hard your kid has worked toward an athletic scholarship, and then not really understanding the whole process. The uncertainty of if and when a school will make an offer…</p>
<p>Definitely keep doing the emails. Communication is key. The recruiters like it when the student athlete him/herself communicates. Be sure to do visits.(schools often will make an offer during a visit) Find out and understand the NCAA rules on when you can communicate with the coaches for your child’s particular sport. Stay on your high school coach to help you with the process. </p>
<p>We also kept detailed notes, and folders for each coach and school like ^^silverstrands. Keeping the latest comments and promises clear is crucial in the process. Coaches are much more careful in their wording in emails than phone calls with a 17 year old. Ask for email confirmation of offers, for clarity, and for credibility.</p>
<p>Well its about time for our student to send a friendly hello update
mention transcripts will be available this week
recent awards for academic competition
early season training status
a n’tl team recruitment trip
etc</p>
<p>Question
Should an athlete be candid about a PR plateau…early in the season and about plans to break through etc…
we don’t want to leave an old PR out there </p>
<p>AND if the athlete just recently posted a time (at a regional event- everyone has an off day ) not nearly as competitive as the current PR----wouldn’t not acknowledging it be like ignoring the elephant in the room?</p>
<p>Yes, it’s best to mention the current times of a regional event, even if it is a subpar performance. Coaches know athletes have bad days. They would be more worried about a lack of forthcomingness. (And they will be checking the regional results anyway.) </p>
<p>At this point, without SAT scores to review, he is just one of many juniors being looked at. There are seven more months for test scores and PRs to build him into a top recruit.</p>
<p>about organizing the info- like everyone else, we started with a lot of schools, before getting down to 5 or so. We kept folders- the cheap manilla kind you can easily write on. All the written communications and view books went inside, and when the phone would ring, we’d quickly pull the folder and my daughter would take notes on the folder itself, including the date, and anything else that was said- especially if they asked for something she needed to send, etc. Once it was sent she could make a note of that on the folder as well. Having the notes in front of her when the phone rang made it easy for her to see what was said in their last conversation so she didn’t repeat herself. </p>
<p>I guess it goes without saying that she also kept email folders on her computer, organized by school.</p>
<p>Also, train the younger siblings to identify the area codes of the various schools so they can help screen calls. Kind of not kidding. My kids got good at this. :)</p>
<p>SO how high do the magic numbers have to be for the top schools…assuming not a perfect world—
is a 4.0 in a veru rigorous curriculm good enough?
are 700s good enough</p>
<p>Reading the thread about the football fellow and amherst/williams (our student doesn’t play a helmet sport nor are those schools on the list) however
wondering </p>
<p>high does a kid’s stats have to be to make being an athlete at the top schools even worth it…</p>
<p>meaning why not then take a student’s great gpa and scores that are clearlyt in he top 20% of a big flagship and get some $… earlier</p>
<p>fogfog, no one can tell you how to value an Ivy, flagship state school or selective LAC education. This depends so much on your family’s experience with various schools, your child’s major, part of the country he wants to live, quality of your flagship, and so on. On top of that is the financial part of the decision. For some families, Ivy admission means “free ride.” For others it means a bill in the amount of the cost of a new car every six months. </p>
<p>CC has many ongoing discussions on the topic of “is an Ivy education worth it?” There’s no right answer for everyone, but reading through some of those posts may help you identify your own feelings about this subject.</p>
<p>fogfog, I suggest that your student take the SATs sooner than later too, so he can send initial test scores on to the colleges he is interested in. Along with his great transcript, this will separate him, one way or another, from other similar athletes in the recruitment process for certain schools. Obviously, many colleges will not continue recruiting conversations with students whose scores are not going to make through the admissions office - this saves your son and the coaches lots of time.</p>
<p>With visits and spending time with team/coaches etc</p>
<p>I realize the student is being recruited–AND that they are kids AND hearing through naiivitee, excitement, distractions etc</p>
<p>so if on an unofficial visit–should the parent go to everything with the student-athlete-- or should the athlete go to these casual mtgs alone…
I dont mind being a silent witness…I just wonder when do you let them go to check this stff out alone and when is that premature since 2 heads/4 ears hear things differently</p>