What hasn't been discussed yet is the element of trust inherent in athletic recruiting. When a student commits to a school, they're committing to the process and typically stop pursuing other options. Any problems that arise between the commitment and official acceptance, and/or official signing for scholarship athletes can leave the athlete scrambling to apply elsewhere at the last minute.

Some recruited athletes at highly selective schools are often admitted with lower academic credentials than non athlete applicants. These athletes may receive likely letters indicating they'll be admitted if certain conditions are met, which can feel like preferential treatment. If you don’t like it, either get recruited as an athlete or protest by not applying to schools that recruit athletes.

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Anonymous wrote:Our son committed to his D1 school in February of his junior year. We asked the coach if he was guaranteed admission. The one word answer was “yes.” Our son went through the motions and filled out the application. He was admitted.

Did he say yes, before he saw his transcript?

He sent them his grades. They weren’t worried. They had his PSAT as well. They had 10+ conversations on Zoom. There were no mysteries.

Yea coaches can scan grades and know if it will go through admissions.

I'd like to point out to people who think "athletes have it easier"... this student (as an example) had 10+ interviews with the coaches over Zoom (and most student do this with multiple coaches), in addition to performing in front of them, creating highlight tapes (usually), sending emails, getting rejections, traveling distances to be at tournaments the coaches attend, etc.

So it's nice to know early but it's not "easier".

Oh my goodness. Of course it’s easier. It’s an entirely different and special application process. Recruited athlete is the biggest admissions hook.

Yes it is. The only ones not willing to admit it's easier are the recipients of this "biggest admission hook' themselves or their parents.

An advantage is an advantage. Getting an admission hook or advantage is not a hardship.

No it isn’t it’s a grueling multi year process vs filling out applications.

Yes. That's the thing people seem to be missing. I'm not saying athletes are more or less deserving, but it's a hook that they have to work for - both in terms of the sport and then the recruitment process (which is really a misnomer, because that makes it sound like they sit on the soft and wait for coaches to call them when it's very much the opposite). So it's not really comparable to a legacy, for instance.

You are saying they are more deserving. That their hard work is better than the hard work other students put in.

It’s only a hook because of the American cult of the athlete and the money to be made from it. Not by any virtue of the student-athlete.

It is what it is. No use pretending it’s so much harder.

No, I'm NOT saying they're more deserving. I'm saying it's the school who gets to determine that. I'm not even saying that's fair, because it's not. But, it is how things work. You're saying someone else is more deserving. Both sides' perspectives are subjective. There is no objective determination of "deserving."

DD was recruited by a number of D3 high academics. Some do likely letters from admissions based on scores/grades to date. They may do that after the midpoint junior year. Some only do likely letter after you file your app which the coach wants filed on the first day that it can be filed. Then the likely letter comes shortly thereafter. We were told by one D3 that they never failed to admit after a likely letter. At a lot of the top academic D3s, admissions does not just hand out likely letters. Even with coach supprt your numbers have to be within the zone of the expected admitted students. All are pretty open with their process and what it means.

Anonymous wrote:athletic thumb on the scale is such a big scam.

can't believe after affirmative action ruling schools kept this unfair hook for non-money making sports like squash, crew and x-country running.

how does the rest of the school benefit from having those athletes there taking up space when there are more deserving applicants who have more to offer?

Why do you think someone else is more deserving? Scores/grades? That does not make you deserving.

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Anonymous wrote:Our son committed to his D1 school in February of his junior year. We asked the coach if he was guaranteed admission. The one word answer was “yes.” Our son went through the motions and filled out the application. He was admitted.

Did he say yes, before he saw his transcript?

He sent them his grades. They weren’t worried. They had his PSAT as well. They had 10+ conversations on Zoom. There were no mysteries.

Yea coaches can scan grades and know if it will go through admissions.

I'd like to point out to people who think "athletes have it easier"... this student (as an example) had 10+ interviews with the coaches over Zoom (and most student do this with multiple coaches), in addition to performing in front of them, creating highlight tapes (usually), sending emails, getting rejections, traveling distances to be at tournaments the coaches attend, etc.

So it's nice to know early but it's not "easier".

Oh my goodness. Of course it’s easier. It’s an entirely different and special application process. Recruited athlete is the biggest admissions hook.

Yes it is. The only ones not willing to admit it's easier are the recipients of this "biggest admission hook' themselves or their parents.

An advantage is an advantage. Getting an admission hook or advantage is not a hardship.

No it isn’t it’s a grueling multi year process vs filling out applications.

Yes. That's the thing people seem to be missing. I'm not saying athletes are more or less deserving, but it's a hook that they have to work for - both in terms of the sport and then the recruitment process (which is really a misnomer, because that makes it sound like they sit on the soft and wait for coaches to call them when it's very much the opposite). So it's not really comparable to a legacy, for instance.

Our DD was not an athletic recruit, but DS is. It added a whole other level of stress to the process for him, and there were no guarantees that he was going to get an offer at all, let alone from a school and team with a good fit. While it has worked out well for him in the end, the road has been littered with false hopes, rejections, frustration, and a lot of unanswered emails to coaches.

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Anonymous wrote:athletic thumb on the scale is such a big scam.

can't believe after affirmative action ruling schools kept this unfair hook for non-money making sports like squash, crew and x-country running.

how does the rest of the school benefit from having those athletes there taking up space when there are more deserving applicants who have more to offer?

Agree 100%. Don’t love these small schools where 1/3 of the kids are recruited athletes. Makes the “only the brightest students come here” seem like total bullshit.

All of the coaches need to win to keep their jobs, even at the smallest, most academic schools. So they are increasingly pushing for recruiting power. I agree that it has become ridiculous. Back in our generation (the 90s) it didn't seem nearly this extreme. Schools still had plenty of athletes but many of them just kind of showed up. At a NESCAC school with 2,000 kids, so 1,000 are male, the helmet sports (baseball, football, hockey and lax) alone are probably over 15% of the men at the school. Not all of them are "recruited" and even of those recruited there is a decent percentage of them who would be getting in without sports, but there are plenty who are bumped by sports. All so they can play their sports in front of a few dozen fans excluding relatives. And note that I am a huge sports fan.

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Anonymous wrote:Our son committed to his D1 school in February of his junior year. We asked the coach if he was guaranteed admission. The one word answer was “yes.” Our son went through the motions and filled out the application. He was admitted.

Did he say yes, before he saw his transcript?

He sent them his grades. They weren’t worried. They had his PSAT as well. They had 10+ conversations on Zoom. There were no mysteries.

Yea coaches can scan grades and know if it will go through admissions.

I'd like to point out to people who think "athletes have it easier"... this student (as an example) had 10+ interviews with the coaches over Zoom (and most student do this with multiple coaches), in addition to performing in front of them, creating highlight tapes (usually), sending emails, getting rejections, traveling distances to be at tournaments the coaches attend, etc.

So it's nice to know early but it's not "easier".

Oh my goodness. Of course it’s easier. It’s an entirely different and special application process. Recruited athlete is the biggest admissions hook.

Yes it is. The only ones not willing to admit it's easier are the recipients of this "biggest admission hook' themselves or their parents.

An advantage is an advantage. Getting an admission hook or advantage is not a hardship.

No it isn’t it’s a grueling multi year process vs filling out applications.

Yes. That's the thing people seem to be missing. I'm not saying athletes are more or less deserving, but it's a hook that they have to work for - both in terms of the sport and then the recruitment process (which is really a misnomer, because that makes it sound like they sit on the soft and wait for coaches to call them when it's very much the opposite). So it's not really comparable to a legacy, for instance.

You are saying they are more deserving. That their hard work is better than the hard work other students put in.

It’s only a hook because of the American cult of the athlete and the money to be made from it. Not by any virtue of the student-athlete.

It is what it is. No use pretending it’s so much harder.

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Anonymous wrote:Our son committed to his D1 school in February of his junior year. We asked the coach if he was guaranteed admission. The one word answer was “yes.” Our son went through the motions and filled out the application. He was admitted.

Did he say yes, before he saw his transcript?

He sent them his grades. They weren’t worried. They had his PSAT as well. They had 10+ conversations on Zoom. There were no mysteries.

Yea coaches can scan grades and know if it will go through admissions.

I'd like to point out to people who think "athletes have it easier"... this student (as an example) had 10+ interviews with the coaches over Zoom (and most student do this with multiple coaches), in addition to performing in front of them, creating highlight tapes (usually), sending emails, getting rejections, traveling distances to be at tournaments the coaches attend, etc.

So it's nice to know early but it's not "easier".

Oh my goodness. Of course it’s easier. It’s an entirely different and special application process. Recruited athlete is the biggest admissions hook.

Yes it is. The only ones not willing to admit it's easier are the recipients of this "biggest admission hook' themselves or their parents.

An advantage is an advantage. Getting an admission hook or advantage is not a hardship.

No it isn’t it’s a grueling multi year process vs filling out applications.

If it’s so hard, don’t do it. But don’t complain about getting special treatment.

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Anonymous wrote:From what I understand MIT athletic recruits can be surprised when they apply and then do not get accepted.

I've heard this too but can't understand why anyone would be surprised to be rejected from MIT. Am I missing something?

In most sports, before the athlete commits they have a positive preread and know 99% they will be accepted. At MIT we were told directly by the coach that 50% of the recruits on his list would be accepted. So it is different from nearly every other process.

This is also what DC was told at MIT. Coach puts in 8 names and on average 4 get accepted. No idea who or why

Yes, that's well known. So why are athletes surprised when they aren't admitted to MIT. I've heard several say that.

Anonymous wrote:athletic thumb on the scale is such a big scam.

can't believe after affirmative action ruling schools kept this unfair hook for non-money making sports like squash, crew and x-country running.

how does the rest of the school benefit from having those athletes there taking up space when there are more deserving applicants who have more to offer?

Agree 100%. Don’t love these small schools where 1/3 of the kids are recruited athletes. Makes the “only the brightest students come here” seem like total bullshit.

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Anonymous wrote:so these kids are already posting their college decisions on social media based on 'likely letters'?

I realize that likely letters are pretty much a done deal. but why post publicly now before it's official? is there some $$ benefit?

personally I'd just wait until it's official in dec. but kids these days lol.

Kids often post a verbal commitment, which is not even binding.

We saw a kid do this as a junior: Committed to Ivy!! Wooohoooo!!!!
Three months later: Whoops!!! Committed to baby Ivy!!! Woohooooooo!!

Yes. What are you guys talking about?

Some kids knew back in spring (spring of junior year). Harvard football was out then.

Daughter got likely letter for Princeton well before ED

Anonymous wrote:athletic thumb on the scale is such a big scam.

can't believe after affirmative action ruling schools kept this unfair hook for non-money making sports like squash, crew and x-country running.

how does the rest of the school benefit from having those athletes there taking up space when there are more deserving applicants who have more to offer?

+100

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Anonymous wrote:Our son committed to his D1 school in February of his junior year. We asked the coach if he was guaranteed admission. The one word answer was “yes.” Our son went through the motions and filled out the application. He was admitted.

Did he say yes, before he saw his transcript?

He sent them his grades. They weren’t worried. They had his PSAT as well. They had 10+ conversations on Zoom. There were no mysteries.

Yea coaches can scan grades and know if it will go through admissions.

I'd like to point out to people who think "athletes have it easier"... this student (as an example) had 10+ interviews with the coaches over Zoom (and most student do this with multiple coaches), in addition to performing in front of them, creating highlight tapes (usually), sending emails, getting rejections, traveling distances to be at tournaments the coaches attend, etc.

So it's nice to know early but it's not "easier".

Oh my goodness. Of course it’s easier. It’s an entirely different and special application process. Recruited athlete is the biggest admissions hook.

Yes it is. The only ones not willing to admit it's easier are the recipients of this "biggest admission hook' themselves or their parents.

An advantage is an advantage. Getting an admission hook or advantage is not a hardship.

No it isn’t it’s a grueling multi year process vs filling out applications.

Yes. That's the thing people seem to be missing. I'm not saying athletes are more or less deserving, but it's a hook that they have to work for - both in terms of the sport and then the recruitment process (which is really a misnomer, because that makes it sound like they sit on the soft and wait for coaches to call them when it's very much the opposite). So it's not really comparable to a legacy, for instance.

Yeah, and then they can get a coach to give them a verbal commitment and if that coach gets fired that commitment goes away.

Could you imagine kids getting acceptance letters, and then finding out somebody on the committee was fired and all those letters were rescinded.