Well, it’s just a small proportion of D3 schools that use LLs. And of the ones that do, the process looks nothing like the LL process of the Ivy League. So, not sure how helpful that would be. Knowing that a school offers some recruits LLs sometimes shouldn’t have anything to do with one’s recruiting search and school list.
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I second this. It was easier to show up with a strong score in hand. At the very least, coaches were willing to keep an eye on you. FWIW the timing is great for non athletes too. My ‘25 is very happy to have that behind her.
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Different sport, but for my D24, the D3 school where she ended up committing really wouldn’t even engage in conversations without a test score in hand. This despite the fact that they are test optional.
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@M_Recruit, my only suggestion - actually I have many - is to start early. Now definitely is not too early. In my experience, it didn’t matter how many times we went through the process, I still felt there was too much to do in very little time.
Start drafting up a college cv now, which essentially is the same as a work resume. Getting a start is helpful because you can forget all the little awards and times from freshman year. Obviously, things like GPA and scores likely will change, but at least you have them in place to be revised.
Then make a very long list of potential schools. This may feel rushed for your kid, but actually it helps to think about what your kid is looking for.
Create a spreadsheet of your list of schools that contains the dates of contact and type of coach responses (e.g., none, encouraging).
Then try your kid’s hand at sending emails to some coaches. Keep in mind they will be more interested in kids who are closer to graduation, and there could be reasons why the coaches don’t get back to you quickly, such as being in season.
There are other things you can do early on, like go to a local college meet to see how competitive it is or have a meeting with a local coach to get their read on your kid. Give it a whirl and see what happens.
Good luck.
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My kid also got one from Kenyon. But to be honest for d3 a positive pre read result read like a likely letter for all of the schools my DD (soccer) was recruited at and this included NESCAC, NEWMAC, UAA and others including Grinnell, Macalester and Kenyon. Best advice is cast a wide net, have solid test scores during junior year, engage with coaches early so you get comfortable, and ask the coach directly if you have questions or need clarity - we found all the coaches to be honest and understanding with my daughter, they are used to talking to 15-16 year olds and appreciate how stressful the process is for the kids.
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As you engage in coach discussions, you’ll find very different types. The main traits my daughter and her friends encountered were:
- very upfront coaches who immediately responded with times tables. The most efficient ones included 3 columns, with the times that were likely, those needed as minimum, and those needed to be considered for walk-on (Chicago, JHU, Dartmouth)
- recruity coaches who are very communicative, keep all discussion alive, and only deliver good/bad news at the very end
- coaches with mercenary efficiency, and race from writing you an email, to zoom call and pre-reads, all in two weeks
- engaging coaches with positive vibe the kids want to work with
@GKmom23 is absolutely right in recommending to cast a wide net. But at the same time, eliminate schools early after your child has checked them for academic/vibe or through visits. CC and former teammates are another great source for that.
Remember that you will likely have several instances of moving chairs, when coaches change jobs, and you need to reengage with a new coach, sometimes only in the summer/fall.
The situation remains very fluid, and D24 had coaches from 3 schools where she had completed the pre-reads reaching out about recruiting before Christmas after the ED1 decisions had been announced.
Best of luck in your journey.
Emory will provide a Likely Letter if you ask the coach to pursue.
I have a junior interested in diving at Emory - can you tell me more about timing of coach contact at Emory, pre-read, and likely letter? Feel free to message me. TY!
If you have a Junior they should get in contact with the coach ASAP. Most pre-reads/offers happen early summer. I am unfamiliar with the timing details of diving, but I imagine things really pick up when the season wraps up in March (basing this on swimming).
My guess is most athletes have been in communication since last summer. Having good grades and strong test scores up front can be helpful.
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You can go back and read old threads in this subforum, they are very helpful. Also good: The Athletic Scholarship Playbook, which sets out the recruiting process clearly and concisely, for all sports and all levels.
ETA - sorry, I didn’t realize you were addressing me specifically! Unfortunately I cannot offer much help other than the general advice above because my son’s sport was different, and his process wasn’t standard. Start with the above, and good luck!
For D3 Cross Country current Junior, does it help now reaching out to the coaches and sharing the scores etc. How much does the coaches support help for highly selective D3 schools. I assume that there wont be recruiting for D3 however the coaches support might boost the application? what is the process for D3 athletic recruiting and process with coaches ?
Absolutely reach out to coaches at the schools your child is interested in. There is absolutely recruiting, just no athletic scholarships.
Have your child send an email to the coach(es) with stats, plans for the upcoming (fall?) XC season, academic interests, etc. The coach may have a form to fill out.
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Your kid should be reaching out to coaches NOW and keeping them updated during track season. Many highly selective D3 schools do academic pre-reads during the summer and most programs can give assistance with admissions. But he/she needs to start building relationships with coaches.
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Thank you. Is pre-reads is nothing but sharing the transcripts and ACT/SAT scores etc like resume to the admissions? The Pre-reads academic assessment will be done by the admissions in summer and then the coaches can support the application based on the D3 timings etc. Once all this pre read-process is done then regular applications will follow as usual during next Fall. If I am understanding correctly the coaches relationships and Pre-reads might help the process when the regular fall application starts. Thanks so much for responding very quickly and appreciate the help
Yes, depending on the school, prereads will start in the summer. If a coach wants your athlete, they can support the application with admissions. There are different levels of support and nothing is guaranteed. Many will want your athlete to commit to an early decision application in exchange for coach support. Each school is different and these are things your athletes should be discussing with coaches as the relationships are building.
Good luck!
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Please also make sure you have an understanding of your budget. Can you pay full cost, are you only interested in schools with merit, do
you qualify for financial
aid? Your child should reach out to schools that meet your financial situation, as no sports money in D3.
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@Agadur: every school/coach runs things differently. The best suggestion is to have a spreadsheet/file where you track communications with the various schools you can afford / that provide realistic financial aid.
Pre-reads vary from one school to another: some are strictly grades, some will also require SAT/ACT, or a personal statement/essay. Some schools/conferences will conduct pre-reads earlier than others. Coaches will also seek a different amount of pre-reads per spot, and often will conduct pre reads for the strongest prospective athletes first.
Reach out to coaches/assistant coaches, who will likely ask you to start by filling an online questionnaire on their website, after which you will have essentially “entered their funnel”. Because your sport is time based, some schools/coaches will have very clear tables with cuts necessary to be recruited/considered/possible walk-on.
Once you’ve started engaging with coaches through email/zoom, they will help you navigate the process, and it will become pretty clear from the tone who really wants to actively pursue the conversation.
Keep your communication channels open, because there are situations where one passes pre-reads, isn’t recruited in ED1, and subsequently receive a very clear communication to be recruited in ED2.
Best of luck in your journey
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There is large variability in the D3 recruiting process. Some schools are doing pre-reads and making offers now/into the spring. The NESCAC schools won’t do pre-reads until the summer, offers may go well into the Fall. Have your kid have their transcript, test score, resume, and list of senior classes ready to send.
Have your kid contact coaches now via email or thru Twitter. The email subject line should be specific and compelling…potential 2025 XC recruit, X time, 4.0 GPA, 33 ACT (use the students best stats). I wouldn’t do the website questionnaire unless a coach asks.
Generally, coaches send more students to pre-reads than they have slots to offer. If your kid receives an offer, what they want to hear is that the coach is offering full support thru the admissions prices. Generally a student will have to apply ED in exchange for the full support. Once committed, the student should communicate that to all coaches who were still recruiting them. At some of the less selective schools, this slot and coach support process may not be necessary/used.
I agree with coffeeat on the finances. If you need merit aid, don’t contact coaches at schools that don’t offer merit aid. If you may qualify for need based aid, run the Net Price Calculators at the target schools before contacting coaches. Many schools will also do financial aid pre-reads for potential recruits.
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Excellent advice on email subject line. Coaches (ideally) should get a sense from the subject line that the recruit fits athletically and academically. Otherwise they might not read the email.
I disagree a bit on the questionnaire for track and field recruits though. Some coaches don’t use the database much, that’s true. But some do use it because they can sort by mark and event. And, sometimes a recruiting coordinator will use it even if the head or event coach don’t. So it can help minimize falling through the cracks. Given the fairly low time investment it’s worth doing IMO, though less important than email.
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Agree the questionnaire doesn’t take much time. I’ve just heard too many coaches say they don’t even know where that info goes if someone fills it out 
So, if a student does fill it out, follow up immediately with an email. Don’t wait to hear something from a coach based on filling out the questionnaire.
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