<p>My son runs cross country and track, and is looking only at division 3 schools. He is on target to be included on Division 3 teams. If he writes to the coach, what does he say? I know he should give his best times, and then what? We're not looking for any type of scholarship (and know that athletic scholarships are not available at D3 schools) but would be grateful if the coach put in a word for him. But we don't need to ask that correct? If the college coach likes his time, he'll put a word in? Not sure of the etiquette here. Thanks so much! </p>
<p>Okay, I am not a big expert in this, but when my son wrote to D3 coaches in his sport he described his athletic achievements and expressed interest in the school. He also gave a quick summary of his academic credentials—test scores and class rank in his case. It was a very short communication. Some answered, some didn’t. Some asked for more info. S gave/is giving updates to the coaches who answered him. </p>
<p>In D3, ‘putting in a good word’ is the same as being recruited as that’s all the coach can do for you. Contact the coaches, say he’s interested in the school and being on the team and would like to meet. Include times, grades, etc. There may be a recruiting questionnaire on the webpage which asks for specific information.</p>
<p>I agree with the suggestion to fill out the recruiting questionnaire on the websites, but not all coaches pay attention to those, so once he fills it out, he should e-mail the coaches expressing interest and letting them know he filled out the form. If he will be visiting the campus, he can ask the coach to meet with him. I don’t know anything about running, but my D was able to watch team practice at some schools. The first response was usually a request to send them her test scores and unofficial transcript.</p>
<p>With track and XC it’s really kind of simple. Your times are what the stopwatch says they are. The coach is basically looking for people who are fast enough to help his or her team, and academic enough get in to his or her school. So cast a broad net and write a lot of coaches. It can be almost the same email to each of them, but it should come from your son, not from you.</p>
<p>Keep it simple. Your son should give his PRs in his best events, any awards he has won running, and maybe link a youtube video or something if he has one (but don’t worry about it if he doesn’t). Also provide basic academic credentials: GPA, weighted GPA, test scores, quality of high school, difficulty of schedule. Just basically introduce himself. If the coach is interested, they will take it from there. </p>
<p>Don’t be bashful - the coaches want to hear from students who are interested in their school. They can’t tell from race results whether your son is a good student, or whether he might be interested in going to Wassamatta U., not until your son tells them.</p>
<p>Thanks, thankyoufor help. I have another question. The recruiting form asks: Letters won track & field and cross country. They don’t have “letters” at his school. He’s run cross country and indoor and outdoor track since freshman year, and has run varsity in two of those sophomore year, and all three junior and senior year (so far in senior year). Does that correspond to “letters?” Would that be 8 anticipated letters from end of senior year? Thanks!</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the recruiting form so much. If you aren’t sure about something, leave it blank. It’s really not significant.</p>
<p>The key is to get into direct contact with the coach ASAP with the basic info and see if the coach is interested in pursuing the relationship. If you are applying ED this year, you don’t have much time. </p>